Speech #610262897

He has by his own efforts. and largely at his own expense. located the trail and partially marked it. so that this most important work has already been performed by him. In a statement made by him and published In the report he says: Made possible by the discovery in 1824 of that wonderful gap in the Rocky Mountains known as the South Pass. the Oregon trail did not become a national highway until Bonneyville and Wyeth in 1832 and 1833 traversed the whole length. from the Missouri River to the tidewaters of the Pacific. The missionaries. trappers. and traders soon wore a visible wagon track to the traders rendezvous on the Green River and beyond to Fort Hall. on the upper reaches of Snake River. but not until the greater immigration of the Oregon home seekers. a thousand strong. with their wagon train in 1843 passed over to the Pacific. did the Oregon trail become in fact a great national highway. Each year thereafter wagon trains passed over the whole route to the Oregon country in varying numbers. wearing the track deeper and deeper until finally the greater exodus of 1852. when a column 50.000 strong moved out from the Missouri River and lined the trail with the dead. 5.000 or more in number for that one year alone. Meanwhile the Mormon migration had followed in the track of the Oregon pioneers for fully a thousand miles to the great bend of Bear River.