Show A merican mes er i ican c an adventurers by elmo scott wathon immortalized by a dam DON NEVILLE dam in the colum abla ij bia river perpetuates the memory of an adventurous explorer who was both a great success and a great failure in 1832 french born capt benjamin bonneville of the united states army obtained a leave of absence to engage in a fur trading elpe expedition on condition that he explore the trans missouri west and obtain information concerning the indians the topography of the country and its economic possibilities two years later he set out at the head of a party of men commercially his venture was a complete failure he built forts in such poor locations that the frontiersmen tiers men called them fort nonsense some were so high in the mountains that they were cut off from the outside by the first snows of winter but his expedition was successful in that he explored the route through south pass tor for wagon trains and mapped the passage of the columbia river through the cascade mountains moreover he was an able military leader tor for he did not lose a single man during all his bis perilous journey through the in dian infested wilderness after his return to the east he be met washington irving at the home of john jacob astor and the result was the book the adventures ol of captain bonneville by that famous writer the book was a best seller of its time but it did not help Bon nevilles reputation on greatly he had long overstayed overstated over stayed his leave ol of absence and when president jackson reinstated him as a captain in 1836 many people protested that bonneville should have been dis missed from the service instead bonneville proved them wrong by his conduct during the mexican war which won tor for him a citation for gallantry in action in 1852 he became commandant at fort vancouver which stood 30 miles down the river from the dam that now bears his name he was brevet ted a brig adler adier general in 1869 and died in st louis in the spring of 1878 A message to garcia UT in california lives an 82 0 OUT year old retired army officer whose name was once on every americans lips he is col andrew summers rowan the man who car ried a message to garcia in 1898 war with spain was wag imminent and president mckinley wanted to know it general garcia commander of the cuban ansur gents would operate cooperate co with the american forces if an army was wa sent there the man chosen to find out was young lieutenant rowan rowan proved that the confide confidence nc of his superiors was not misplaced making his way through the steam ing insect infested jungle drinking germ filled water livi living ng on such food as he could find and in constant danger of capture and execution by the spaniards as a spy rowan found garcia got the information he sought and safely made an equally perilous return trip rowan was taken to the white house where he received the thanks of the president and promoted to ta the rank of lieutenant colonel of vol un but the thing which mad him famous was an editorial written by elbert hubbard for his mag azine the philistine the following year this editorial published under the title of A message to garcia was translated into 20 languages reprinted all over the world and it is one of the best known pieces of eng lish prose ever written As tor for the man who inspired it not until 1922 did he receive public recognition from his country in th thi form of the distinguished A cross for carrying the message ti garcia 0 western newspaper union |