Show oreye r we by ELMO SCOTT WATSON as it did near the eightieth anniversary of the discovery of geld in california the announcement of a project spon bored by a charles E of sacramento to take an immigrant train of prairie schooners ners from aw A independence along the overland trail of pioneer days as a means of aiding in marking historic places and awakening more interest in these places brings to public atten alon again a route which has well been called the road that won an cm alre that Is the historic oregon trail once known to thousands because of the book by parkman the historian but in modern times made a familiar word to millions through emerson houghs novel the covered wagon and the movie that was made from that book this latest project Is only one of several of a similar nature which have been undertaken in recent years six years ago the old oregon trail association was organized at baker ore to perpetuate the name of the old oregon trail by having that name designated by the states through which it passes and also designated by the congress of the united states as a national highway and by so doing do honor to the memory of the brae pioneer men and women who faced the perils of a savage land to carve out new homes for themselves in the oregon country aid to make it american territory to permanent ly mark the road with the design of the ox team and covered wagon eo that its history may be preserved end be a constant reminder to the younger generation of the hardships endured bv those who blazed the way and laid the foundation oi our present day civilization in 1923 a pageant was staged at meacham ore and president hard ing formally dedicated the old oregon trail by unveiling a monument at emigrant springs one of the most famous camping spots on the trail sauce that time the association and an allied organization the oregon trail memorial association with head quarters in new york has been en g aged in an effort tr get official recognition tion from congress of their project tor marking the trail and per it as a broad motor high way the president of the memorial association Is ezra bjelker the ninety seven year rid pioneer who first went over the trail in 1852 he has one over it times in the last twenty years his first two trips n that time in 1007 and 1911 were made by ox team as was his journey in 1852 when it took five months to cover the distance at an average speed of wo miles an hour in 1915 and 1920 he retraced his path in an auto mobile and in 1924 he went over the trail in an airplane continuing his flight to washington where he was received by president cooledge after hiving spanned the continent in seventy two hours the oregon trail in reality had two eastern termini although the best known one was independence the other was at council bluffs iowa formerly iowa opposite omaha neb from independence the route ran through what Is now kansas city formerly westport to gardner kan where the two historic western trails the oregon and the santa fe parted from gardner the road ran pat what Is now topeka thence northwest into debraska Ie braska through the present town of hebron and on until it reached the platte river near the present city 0 grand island it ran along the south bank of the platte until it reached what Is now the city of north platte where it crossed over to the north side it was here joined by the trail from council bluffs and followed the north bank of the platte to that point the road to oregon continued up the north platte to fort laralle in wyoming through the present city of casper and on past rock which was called the elster of the trail because so many of to emigrants carved their names or tn on this great landmark from there it angled south and west until it crossed the continental divide at south pass where the town of pt Is now located from here led two routes one making a bend to the south past the present city of kemmerer the other going more near ly straight west over what was known as the sublette cut off and both COB ang together at what Is now the dovra of border entering idaho the trail passed through the present towns of peller and soda springs on to where old fort hall stood at the of the port neuf and the snake rivers following the south bank 0 the snake it went through what are now ali towns of american faia twin rails filer and buhl where it went into the bills and emerged again at the river near the present tawn of glenns ferry where it crossed crossea the snake from there it pass what are now mountain hone boise nampa caldwell and parma nw where old fort balse was located M where it crossed the snake a time from there it entered the P ent state of oregon went past and ontario through II 11 the mouth of the burnt river assi up the cannon into the poow w ley near the present city of B from here it went through the orssa valley over the blue diw bains past tha town of on past the present site of pe to the from there U w lowed along the south bank or columbia although at the callea emigrants usually took to boats batth or to the barlow road to oregon city and portland f there they spread out over the v ll amette valley the datsou north into the present state or ington and oregon was |