PREFACE
At the earnest request of my friends, I have consented
to publish an account of my journey, from my residence in
the state of Indiana, to the Oregon Territory. The
information contained in my Narrative may be of great
interest to those who may contemplate emigrating to that
region, or such as may wish to explore the vast west to the
Pacific Ocean.
I have given my own views of the country beyond the
Rocky Mountains; and, although they may not agree in every
particular with the opinions set forth by other travelers,
yet I have tried to follow the best convictions of my own
mind, produced by personal observation, and the best
information I could obtain from the inhabitants on the
ground. As to the correctness of my opinions, I leave that
for others to judge. It will be easily perceived that I am
not practiced in the art of bookmaking; but as I have stated
facts, in my own plain way, without any attempt to embellish
my style, I hope the reader will be satisfied. It is
probable that errors will be discovered in the orthography
of proper names; having no standard authorities at hand; by
which to correct my spelling of the. In most cases, I have
given those names according to the usual pronunciation of
them by the inhabitants of that region.
I am a native of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; was
raised in Virginia; am now in my sixty-sixth year; and that
I should be conducted in safety, and be sustained through
all the dangers and fatigues of so long a journey, at my
advanced age, is matter of unfeigned gratitude to that God
who "preserveth man and beast,"
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