Hand-Written Diary Of A Trip Through The American West In 1901

MYRTLE HOUSE

Publication: 1901, Various places

6" x 4" in limp gray cloth with "LEDGER" printed in black ink on front cover along with the author's name (Myrtle House) written at top of front cover. 128 pp. Eighty-one pages of entries. With the introduction of the Transcontinental Railroad system in the last quarter of the 19th century and the establishment of national parks, Myrtle House was among many Americans who gravitated away from the industrialized urban centers seeking the healthful, wide open country of the west. Traveling by train, horseback, stagecoach and steamers, House describes her journey through the remote countryside of Oregon and Washington. The diary opens with her pronouncement, "Having decided to take a trip west I considered it my duty to keep an account of the things done and saw." She leaves from Kansas City on June 17th, 1901, and describes all the sites and activities along the way including a fabulous time in Denver, Colorado. Fourteen of the pages are devoted to Salt Lake City and the surrounding area, including descriptions of the Temple, Tabernacle, City Creek Canyon, Eagle Gate Monument, and more. House then visits Huntington, Oregon, by the Idaho border. When the train arrives, House is met by her friends who transport her via wagon and horseback to their ranch. While at the ranch, she visits the Golden Eagle Mine and while on the way stops at Malheur City which is now a ghost town. After her extended stay in this area, House boards the train for Oregon riding along the Colombia river. These entries contain a long description of logging camps and dinner in Meacham, Oregon, which is little more than a ghost town as well. At Portland, she boards a ship and sails along the Colombia river to the Pacific Ocean, visiting Astoria, Oregon; Ilwaco, Washington off Baker Bay; and Nahcotta, a beautiful Washington peninsula. She spends several days there renting boats, beach combing, and hiking. Eventually she takes the train back to Ilwaco, and then a steamer back to Portland. Some excerpts: June 18: "Rained this morning. Very cool. Traveled through Nebraska. Nothing much of interest except boundless prairies. Arrive in Colorado about 1:30. Crossed the plains which extend almost to Denver. Came in site of foothills about 4:00 P.M. Arrived in Denver 6:15, nearly starved. Went to supper and had to wait so long that thought they were sending to K.C. to get our order." June 19: "We went to the observatory, up steep winding stairway and the iron steps looked as if many hundreds of feet had passed over them. The panoramic views from this place were sublime and on the side were the pictures of the pioneers from Colorado. form here we went to the basement where the exhibition rooms were. There were the relics of war in one wing, the mineral display in another and there were all sorts of fine specimens." June 20: "We arrived in Cheyenne where we had to change cars. We had to wait two hours for our train so we thought we would take in the town by electric light. It being night we could not see very much but Cheyenne is a very historical place and is quite a rough frontier town. We were exceedingly glad when out train came in then we started on our way once more to Salt Lake City but we had to change cares once more at Odgen Utah where we took the Oregon Short Line for Salt Lake City." She then describes the view from the train and coming up upon the great Salt Lake. "Was once more glad when the train stopped and we were in the city of Saints. It was about 2 P.M. Some engaged rooms at hotel and rested for about one hour then went out to the great Salt Lake or to the Saltair Resort as it is called which is about 18 miles from the city. When you arrive in view you are greeted by a Moorish Pavilion, 4,000 feet from the shore of the lake. It is erfectly beautiful at night with its dashing electric lights in the form of a large crescent in a sea miles above sea level. This is beautiful to see but to enjoy a bath in this 'fairy' lake (it might be called) is still better. One can float without an effort upon the waves of this inland sea as it is impossible for one to sink." She says they were in the lake when the sun went down which made it more beautiful. The next day they visit Fort Douglas and then the Temple grounds. She provides a little drawing of part of the grounds and goes on to describe the temple. June 22: "The Temple which took nearly 50 years to complete and cost over $4,000,000. It occupies a place near the business center and towers above all the surrounding objects. Its form can be seen long before the city in sight. The exterior is carved with symbols of the Mormon creed and the highest spire is surmounted 215 feet above the earth by a golden figure of Moroni the angel who is supposed to have revealed the religion of the Mormons to Joseph Smith. To these people the interior is sacred and no one is ever admitted who is not of the Mormon faith. This Temple is enclosed by an iron fence so that no one is allowed to go very near to the walls. In the grounds is the great turtle shaped tabernacle, the assembly of the saints." She attends an organ recital there. "After dinner we visited B.Y.'s grave. It is a small lot and covered with great flat granite stone or rather the grave is a stone vault. He has no tombstone and he desired none. The grave is surrounded by an iron fence. There his wives are buried also. We passed under the great eagle gate arching the entrance to City Creek Canyon. Upon this arch is a high bronze eagle looking down the longest street in Utah which is perfectly straight and 22 miles long. We passed the Lion and Beehive house, homes of BY. Across the street from these are nearby Eagle gate stands a beautiful palace called the Amelia Palace. Home of his favorite wife. Opposite to the Temple stands the tithing yard where all the followers of this religion are supposed to pay 1/10 of their earnings to the church." June 23: "About 4 P.M. the next day when we arrived safe and sound at Huntington Oregon our present destination. In Huntington we were met by our friends and after a good supper at the Gate City Hotel, we took up our joourney again but not on a train this time. Mr. Mc...... ranch is much higher than Huntington and by the time we reached there I though we were going to the North Pole. I was nearly frozen and was glad of the nice supper waiting for us at the ranch." June 30: "I have not kept very good account of the passed time as I have been quite sick but I am much better now of course. I am home sick but then I guess I will get over that if I say here long enough." July 3: "This has been a beautiful day. Am leaving to ride. Rode 6 miles to the summit, a high ridge from which we could see the surrounding country. There was a pretty little green valley with a silvery stream flowing through it and it looked very inviting when compared with the hills covered with dry sage brush. Not a tree in sight except where some ranchers had cultivated and irrigated them…." July 29: "I am getting tanned as brown as any Indian. I can't stay in the house. I have met a great many people but I do not fancy the people of this country very much." August 13: "Well the time just passed. Has been monotonous visiting here, going for horseback rides, cantering over the hills after the cows but now I am anticipating a visit to the Golden Eagle Mine about 22 miles from the ranch and I am eager to see how this precious metal is taken out of the earth. And the preparation will take all day tomorrow." August 15: "We left the ranch at about 1P.M. today and rode horseback to Malheur City 14 miles through the sage brush country till at last we came in sight of the place which bears the diamond name, Malheur City. A mining town of about 50 or 60 inhabitants, contains a store, a post office in one of the stores and 2 hotels. Here we took the stage for the Golden Eagle about 8 miles from here. The road are quite rough and I was tired out when I reached there. The scenery was nothing out of the ordinary, a few ranches here and there with sage brush in the intervening hills. We got here in time for supper. We were to stay at the mining boarding house for a week. There are about 10 miners employed here. The mine was not running it’s full capacity then." August 16: "The land lady has a daughter about 18 and a grown son. So after breakfast we went to visit the mine about 900 (?) ft. from the house on the side of the hill. First we went up a long pair of steep steps to the entrance of the mine then we asked the man at the hoist to let us go down into the mine. With his consent we entered the tunnel which goes straight back into the hill…." (She goes on to describe the tunnel, seeing the men drilling getting ready to blast. Then that afternoon they went on top of Wild Cat Butte.) "So our farewell visit here was rather short as we left the next Monday for the great western metropolis, Portland. Sunday was spent a great deal of packing for my trip and on a nice long walk to where we had located a mine on one of the sage brush hills…. The drive to Huntington was over the dusty hot hills and through the sage brush. We occasionally passed the home of some ranchers and it was very pleasant to have something to break the monotony." “Arrived in P. about 12 M. and the pleasure which was to take us the rest of the way was to land at 1 P.M. so we did not have much time for anything. After dinner went to the steamer and what a magnificent boat it was, 230 ft. long and 35 ft. wide. Everything modern. Steam heated and electric lights…. What a pleasant sensation to be going down the beautiful harbor past the maze of masts, flying flags of many nations and between the docks, warehouses and elevator factories." Covers soiled and worn. Interior clean.

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