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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Hi Listers:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>This is a sample of my gr gr grandfather's narrative about
his 1843 crossing</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>of the Oregon Trail. The complete story can be read
at:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A
href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/ford/n-ford.htm">http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cchouk/ford/n-ford.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4><STRONG><FONT
color=#ff0000></FONT></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>Please note: I did not
write this! It's <FONT size=3><FONT size=4>Nineveh Ford's narrative</FONT>
</FONT><FONT size=4>!</FONT></FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT
face=Arial>
Nineveh Ford's narrative </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>
Time & Place: Room 8 (?) Chemeheta Hotel
<BR> Salem,
Oregon Monday June 17th 1878
<BR> Present: Ford &
the writer. AB </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>
[1] (page numbers of the hand copied original document) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT
face=Arial>
Mr. Ford said: I was born in North Carolina on July 15th 1815. Emigrated
to<BR> Missouri in 1840,
and from Missouri to Oregon in 1843. My attention was
directed<BR> to Oregon by
reading Lewis and Clark's journal. The scenery described in that
took<BR> my fancy; and a
desire to see that and to explore the country and return home to
<BR> North Carolina in 3
years induced me to start. From information from traders
and<BR> trappers I was
confirmed in my intentions. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>
[Note: Although he does not mentioin him, Nineveh's younger brother
Ephraim<BR> Ford made this
crossing with him. Ephraim settled in Yamhill County about
three<BR> miles South of
McMinnville.] </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT
face=Arial>
In the spring of 1843 Peter H. Burnett of Platte County Missouri and
other<BR> prominent men
were making up a company to go [2] to Oregon. It was in
my<BR> neighborhood in
Platte City. I was acquainted with the parties. There was
another<BR> object: One
grand objective we had was the prospect of obtaining a donation
of<BR> land if the country
was worth staying in. That was the object of Burnett and
others<BR> to come and
colonize this country, to take possession of the United States
domain<BR> West of the
Rocky Mountains. It was not at that time settled to belong to
the<BR> United
States. The controversy was up and there was some influence got to
bear<BR> to induce people
to colonize. The question was agitated in relation to the right
and<BR> title of the
United States to the country. I never heard that the Government
desired</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> to
colonize. It was all a private movement and we came on our
own<BR>
responsibility. We had not any assurance that the Government would
assist or<BR> protect us
in any manner. Freemont Company which fell in after us I
understood<BR> was [3]
employed by the Government. But we did not travel together and
we<BR> knew nothing of
their going when we were making up a company.
We<BR> rendezvoused at
West Port West of Independence Jackson County Missouri.
We<BR> Started from there
in April. There were between 500 & 700 souls in the party
<BR> and 113 wagons.
Our Captain was Peter H. Burnett. He was chosen Captain
at<BR> West Port. We
had as additional officers Nesmith for ordirly (?) sergeant, he
kept<BR> the roll of the
emigrants, list of wagons and so forth. I do not recollect of any
other<BR> officers.
Our Pilot was John Gannt(?). He was a Mountaineer (?) and had been
as<BR> far as Fort
Hall. He engaged to pilot us as far as Fort Hall. I kept a Journal
but my<BR> house burnt
down and it was destroyed. We were not molested by the
Indians<BR> beyond horse
stealing and driving off cattle and having to pay to get them returned.
<BR> They were friendly
generally. We saw but few. They appeared to be wild and
shy<BR> and afraid of the
[4] wagons. Ours were the first wagons they ever saw, and
the<BR> first that ever
crossed the plains from Missouri with the exception of eleven
wagons<BR> that came out
in 1842 to Fort Hall and there stopped. The persons in that
train<BR> packed through
from Fort Hall. We came to the Buffalo Country on the Platte
and<BR> there we made
boats of beef and buffalo hides - putting them around wagon
beds;<BR> and for some we
made frames. We swam our animals from bar to bar where we
<BR> could get a footing
until we could get across. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Cecil Houk, ET1 USN Ret., AG6I<BR>PO Box 530833<BR>San
Diego CA 92153<BR>res San Diego CA 92154-3654<BR>NEW EMAIL ADDRESS </FONT><A
href="mailto:cchouk@cox.net"><FONT
face=Arial>mailto:cchouk@cox.net</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Arial>ANDERSON-BLAKELY-EGGERS-FORD-HOUK-KIMSEY-MONTGOMERY-RULAFORD-SIMPSON<BR>Searchable
GEDCOM: </FONT><A href="http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~cchouk"><FONT
face=Arial>http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~cchouk</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Arial>See also: </FONT><A
href="http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~donhouk"><FONT
face=Arial>http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~donhouk</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face=Arial>My Web pages menu: </FONT><A
href="http://members.cox.net/cchouk/"><FONT
face=Arial>http://members.cox.net/cchouk/</FONT></A><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>