Coquille High School - Laurel Yearbook (Coquille, OR)

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train passed down the dusty path, over the hill into the next valley, where they were lost to the view of the anxious ones watching their departure. Then, it was that loneliness came over the heart of the pioneer and a great realization of his undertaking settled heavily upon him. As darkness approached the tents were pitched for the night within a hollow square of wagons; guards marched back and forth, ever alert, ever ready to give the signal of danger at the possible attack of the Indians. At the break of day the sound of the bugle awakened the travelers from their slumbers and a bustle and hurry ran through the camp; breakfast had to be prepared, wagons packed, the cattle herded together and every thing made ready for the journey. At seven o’clock the signal for starting was given and the great caravan moved on. Slowly they plodded along, now crossing swollen streams, which seemed impassible, again traversing vast prairies, ascending high rugged mountains and crawling down steep rocky slopes. Then perhaps arriving at a clear open space where camp would be made and the cattle allowed to graze over the green meadows. The women would rest from the endless jolting of the wagons while the men made the rounds of inspection and some scouted and planned the route for the next march. The children romped and played about the camp, plucking the abundant wild flowers, little troubled by the anxious thoughts of their elders. Never far from the protection of the camp did they dare to roam however, for constant was the fear of the red man, who, feeling that the white man was trespassing on his domains spared nothing of treachery and deceit in his savage revenge. Thus passed month after month of hardships, toil and pain. Many a night was passed by the fathers and mothers hovering over the sick bed of a child, doing all they could for its comfort and lamenting the scantiness and crudeness of their means for relief. Many a plain was marked by a rude mound where some loved one had been laid to rest; for the weak fell by the wayside and only the strong endured the strain. Yet after these sad scenes the rest of the party took up their burden again and the great train moved on its way. Often the mother weeping over the loss of her child forgot her grief in the new dangers daily thrust upon them. How often the sad face of the parent turned heavenward in pleading for strength to endure these sorrows, pains and dangers and yet of • ten were their voices raised in thankfulness for the safety and blessings which were sure to be theirs in the end. At last the long journey was ended and they rested neath the protecting trees of our great western land. The fertile plains stretched out before them; the grand and gloomy forests everywhere surrounded them; majestic rivers and mountains impressed them with

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LAURA WATSON, ORATOR THE NEW AMERICA “Long ago the scholars of the East passed the lamp of learning from Rome to England westward to Boston, the front door of America. From Boston the lamp lighted the way of the pioneer across mountain chains, mighty rivers, and far-reaching plains till the radiance of its beams skirted the golden shores of our majestic ocean.” These words from Professor Horner introduce my subject more fittingly than I can do. “Just as the colonists shook off the shackles of tyranny and stood forth in the glory of their free manhood.” So, it was that the pioneer, thrilling with the love of adventure, threw off the ties that bound him to the soil and amid the tears and pleadings of friends and loved ones, started on that long perilous journey across the plains. Sad was the parting, as the long white canvassed train of wagons, drawn by oxen, and followed by droves of cattle, moved slowly from the village. The crack of the whip and the call of the driver sounded a stern farewell. Slowly the

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a sense of awe and granduer. All these they beheld in their glory; but alas no home awaited their coming and no friends were there to greet them. Only the beautiful heaven above and the rude earth beneath. But these were fearless people, who had surmounted every obstacle without shrinking; for they were graduated from the hard training school of the plains, and could look upon this vast wilderness as home, a home which they could call their own; but one which by their own efforts must make homelike. So they lost no time in hewing from the forest rude cabins, clearing spaces in the woodland, tilling the fertile soil and planting the grain, to be reaped in the harvest time. These women were the daughters of the women who came in the Mayflower, and like unto them spun and wove, and in any home might have been seen a Pricilla with her wheel and distaff as of old. Day after day they labored, each lending a helping hand to the other. For these colonists were like a large family where mutual friendship reigned. Their cares, toils, sorrows and joys were shared alike by all. How strong in their purpose must these brave pioneers have been to keep ever steadily onward; no thought of turning back in despair when perils and dangers confronted them, with their one purpose in view, to free the west and make new homes. They were resourceful men and women, happy in the thoughts of their labor and the great work which lay before them. As a pioneer writer beautifully expresses their spirt: ‘ With the curve of the gleaming plowshare Turning the stubborn clod; Making the flowers of plenty To grow on the virgin sod; Filling the shadowy forests Where ers’t did the wild beast roam, With the thrilling music of labor, And the pleasant voices of home.” But immigration steadily increased and settlements gradually grew, until all the woods and all the valleys became peopled; gradually the red man was driven back and became less savage and dangerous. A short time ago this land was asleep in its wildness, but already the pioneer days are over. The past few years are crowded with great achievements. ‘‘The rough old cabins are fallen, The wigwams of cedar are gone; And still the march of improvement Like the restless tide moves on.” In a rapid succession of events the continent of wilderness,