Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society
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Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society |
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APPLEGATE TRAIL INVENTORY
Then on June 20, 1846, The South Road Company agreed to explore and find a trail from the Willamette Valley over the Cascade Mountains to near Ft. Hall on the Snake River, which was passable for covered wagons. The members of the South Road Company were: Jesse Applegate, Levi Scott, David Goff, John M. Scott, John Jones, Robert Smith, John Owen, Wm. Sportsman, Samuel H. Goodhue, Lindsay Applegate, Moses “Black” Harris, Wm. G. Parker, Benj. (or Bennett) Osborne, Benj. F. Birch (or Burch) and Henry Boygus (Boggs, or Bogus). The plan was for the South Road Company to locate the best southern route and solicit the traveling emigrant trains to provide at least 30 good-outfitted men to build the road ahead of their wagon train. Virgil Pringle, Levi Scott, Tolbert Carter, Abraham E. Garrison, Henry A. Garrison and Tabitha Brown were some of the emigrants that documented their travels along the Southern Route(South Road) or Scott-Applegate Trail in 1846 through diaries, journals, letters or later reminiscences. Levi Scott lead wagon trains in both 1846 and 1847. Thomas Holt's diary is of his rescue mission from the Willamette Valley south to locate and provide provisions to struggling emigrants in the year 1846. The Oskaloosa Company traveled the Applegate Trail in 1847. Lester Hulin piloted this company and kept a daily record. Cornelius Hills and David D. Davis were among this train of approximately 20 wagons and were the last train to reach the Willamette Valley by the Southern Route in 1847. Welborn Beeson's diary was about his family's travel on the Southern Route in 1853 but they homesteaded in the area of Ashland and did not go as far north as Hugo, Oregon. When the emigrants reached the Rogue Valley their exact route and crossings of the Rogue River varied based on several things: a) Indian activity, b) time of year c) height or level of the river, and d) known obstacles. There is no single Applegate Trail through Grants Pass, Oregon. Several routes developed but they joined in Hugo, Oregon near the intersection of Oxyoke Road and Hugo Road before mounting the push over Mt. Sexton in northern Josephine County. These routes either crossed the Rogue River at Vannoy Creek or Jones Creek. There was no single Applegate Trail through our area of interest.
In 1846, the lead wagon train led by Levi Scott crossed the Rogue River at the Jones Creek Crossing and followed roughly Interstate 5 to Widow Niday's place. (Road from Willamette Valley to Jacksonville) Another wagon train company at this time contained Virgil Pringle's and Rev. Abraham Garrison's families. They crossed the Rogue River at Vannoy Creek thus they were on the alternate route until they reached Widow Niday's place just south of Mr. Sexton. (Road to Illinois Valley via Van Noys ferry) These two routes of the Applegate Trail join at Widow Niday's place at the intersection of current day Oxyoke Road and Hugo Road in Hugo, Oregon.
The Hugo Neighhood Association & Historical Society has embarked on this history project to inventory these two 1850's trails though our area.
II. Inventory
III. Networking IV. Web Links |
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© 2012 Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society |
