In an unmarked grave between William Warren Catching and an unknown U.S. Soldier lies the grave of Jane [Warren] Catching who was the wife of John Samuel Catching [1785-1845].
Her Husband died during their immigration to Oregon in 1845. Their group of wagons took what was to be known later as the, Meek Cutoff. The Meek Cutoff was a covered wagon road that branched off the Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon. First used in 1845, it left the main trail at Vale, Oregon, and followed the Malheur River to head into the Harney Basin. It then turned west towards Wagontire Mountain, and north to the south fork of the Crooked River where it split into two routes. Each path led to the Deschutes River. The two routes reunited north of where the Crooked River empties into the Deschutes and then continued to an important town, The Dalles, Oregon.
From there they may have floated down the Columbia River on crude rafts built on the river bank. It was a long scary trip sometimes through rapids. The actual path of this group took from here is not known by the writer. We do know that they made it to Oregon City the headquarter of the regional Oregon Territorial Government with it's United States Land Office and community of businesses .
The road is named for frontiersman Stephen Meek, who was hired to lead the first wagon train along it. He said he had trapped in the area and knew it well. The journey was a particularly hard one, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. This first group wondered for many months, lost, and with very little food to eat. They were like mariners lost at sea and in this mountainous wilderness some gave up hope of coming out of their journey alive. Water quickly became scarce in this a drought year and many ran out of their staple supplies. In a weakened condition, more travelers became sick. Camp fever and other ailments began to overcome large numbers, especially the children and elders. When they arrived at The Dalles they were in a starving condition and so weak that some of the men needed help dismounting their horses. One pilgrim wrote in his diary, "Tuck what is called Meeks cutoff - a bad cutoff for all that tuck it."
In surviving the, 'Meek Cutoff', this hardy group of pioneers became special brothers and sister in their shared struggle for life. Three of them met once again, in Sept of 1908, for a dinner party held at the home of Mrs. Sarah Jane Baldra, the daughter of Mrs. Angeline F. Catching, the daughter-in-law of Jane Catching of whom we rest our attention. For Angeline(83) and her husband, William Warren Catching (1813-1874) had also been on this same trail in 1845, along with two other guests, Mrs. Julia Wilcox(84) and Mrs. Mary Moore(78). The 'Meek Cutoff' of 1845 was not to be forgotten.
Her Husband died during their immigration to Oregon in 1845. Their group of wagons took what was to be known later as the, Meek Cutoff. The Meek Cutoff was a covered wagon road that branched off the Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon. First used in 1845, it left the main trail at Vale, Oregon, and followed the Malheur River to head into the Harney Basin. It then turned west towards Wagontire Mountain, and north to the south fork of the Crooked River where it split into two routes. Each path led to the Deschutes River. The two routes reunited north of where the Crooked River empties into the Deschutes and then continued to an important town, The Dalles, Oregon.
From there they may have floated down the Columbia River on crude rafts built on the river bank. It was a long scary trip sometimes through rapids. The actual path of this group took from here is not known by the writer. We do know that they made it to Oregon City the headquarter of the regional Oregon Territorial Government with it's United States Land Office and community of businesses .
The road is named for frontiersman Stephen Meek, who was hired to lead the first wagon train along it. He said he had trapped in the area and knew it well. The journey was a particularly hard one, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. This first group wondered for many months, lost, and with very little food to eat. They were like mariners lost at sea and in this mountainous wilderness some gave up hope of coming out of their journey alive. Water quickly became scarce in this a drought year and many ran out of their staple supplies. In a weakened condition, more travelers became sick. Camp fever and other ailments began to overcome large numbers, especially the children and elders. When they arrived at The Dalles they were in a starving condition and so weak that some of the men needed help dismounting their horses. One pilgrim wrote in his diary, "Tuck what is called Meeks cutoff - a bad cutoff for all that tuck it."
In surviving the, 'Meek Cutoff', this hardy group of pioneers became special brothers and sister in their shared struggle for life. Three of them met once again, in Sept of 1908, for a dinner party held at the home of Mrs. Sarah Jane Baldra, the daughter of Mrs. Angeline F. Catching, the daughter-in-law of Jane Catching of whom we rest our attention. For Angeline(83) and her husband, William Warren Catching (1813-1874) had also been on this same trail in 1845, along with two other guests, Mrs. Julia Wilcox(84) and Mrs. Mary Moore(78). The 'Meek Cutoff' of 1845 was not to be forgotten.
In an unmarked grave between William Warren Catching and an unknown U.S. Soldier lies the grave of Jane [Warren] Catching who was the wife of John Samuel Catching [1785-1845].
Her Husband died during their immigration to Oregon in 1845. Their group of wagons took what was to be known later as the, Meek Cutoff. The Meek Cutoff was a covered wagon road that branched off the Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon. First used in 1845, it left the main trail at Vale, Oregon, and followed the Malheur River to head into the Harney Basin. It then turned west towards Wagontire Mountain, and north to the south fork of the Crooked River where it split into two routes. Each path led to the Deschutes River. The two routes reunited north of where the Crooked River empties into the Deschutes and then continued to an important town, The Dalles, Oregon.
From there they may have floated down the Columbia River on crude rafts built on the river bank. It was a long scary trip sometimes through rapids. The actual path of this group took from here is not known by the writer. We do know that they made it to Oregon City the headquarter of the regional Oregon Territorial Government with it's United States Land Office and community of businesses .
The road is named for frontiersman Stephen Meek, who was hired to lead the first wagon train along it. He said he had trapped in the area and knew it well. The journey was a particularly hard one, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. This first group wondered for many months, lost, and with very little food to eat. They were like mariners lost at sea and in this mountainous wilderness some gave up hope of coming out of their journey alive. Water quickly became scarce in this a drought year and many ran out of their staple supplies. In a weakened condition, more travelers became sick. Camp fever and other ailments began to overcome large numbers, especially the children and elders. When they arrived at The Dalles they were in a starving condition and so weak that some of the men needed help dismounting their horses. One pilgrim wrote in his diary, "Tuck what is called Meeks cutoff - a bad cutoff for all that tuck it."
In surviving the, 'Meek Cutoff', this hardy group of pioneers became special brothers and sister in their shared struggle for life. Three of them met once again, in Sept of 1908, for a dinner party held at the home of Mrs. Sarah Jane Baldra, the daughter of Mrs. Angeline F. Catching, the daughter-in-law of Jane Catching of whom we rest our attention. For Angeline(83) and her husband, William Warren Catching (1813-1874) had also been on this same trail in 1845, along with two other guests, Mrs. Julia Wilcox(84) and Mrs. Mary Moore(78). The 'Meek Cutoff' of 1845 was not to be forgotten.
Her Husband died during their immigration to Oregon in 1845. Their group of wagons took what was to be known later as the, Meek Cutoff. The Meek Cutoff was a covered wagon road that branched off the Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon. First used in 1845, it left the main trail at Vale, Oregon, and followed the Malheur River to head into the Harney Basin. It then turned west towards Wagontire Mountain, and north to the south fork of the Crooked River where it split into two routes. Each path led to the Deschutes River. The two routes reunited north of where the Crooked River empties into the Deschutes and then continued to an important town, The Dalles, Oregon.
From there they may have floated down the Columbia River on crude rafts built on the river bank. It was a long scary trip sometimes through rapids. The actual path of this group took from here is not known by the writer. We do know that they made it to Oregon City the headquarter of the regional Oregon Territorial Government with it's United States Land Office and community of businesses .
The road is named for frontiersman Stephen Meek, who was hired to lead the first wagon train along it. He said he had trapped in the area and knew it well. The journey was a particularly hard one, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. This first group wondered for many months, lost, and with very little food to eat. They were like mariners lost at sea and in this mountainous wilderness some gave up hope of coming out of their journey alive. Water quickly became scarce in this a drought year and many ran out of their staple supplies. In a weakened condition, more travelers became sick. Camp fever and other ailments began to overcome large numbers, especially the children and elders. When they arrived at The Dalles they were in a starving condition and so weak that some of the men needed help dismounting their horses. One pilgrim wrote in his diary, "Tuck what is called Meeks cutoff - a bad cutoff for all that tuck it."
In surviving the, 'Meek Cutoff', this hardy group of pioneers became special brothers and sister in their shared struggle for life. Three of them met once again, in Sept of 1908, for a dinner party held at the home of Mrs. Sarah Jane Baldra, the daughter of Mrs. Angeline F. Catching, the daughter-in-law of Jane Catching of whom we rest our attention. For Angeline(83) and her husband, William Warren Catching (1813-1874) had also been on this same trail in 1845, along with two other guests, Mrs. Julia Wilcox(84) and Mrs. Mary Moore(78). The 'Meek Cutoff' of 1845 was not to be forgotten.
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