Oregon150

by Esther Freeman
Tacoma, WA

Walking along the Oregon Trail ruts at Echo Oregon I couldn’t quite forget the dedication of the Smith-Watson wagon train of 1847. Our family left Illinois to journey through hot windy sand storms, days with limited water, hard tack and jerky. When they reached the area called Burnt River my great, great grandfather died. The evening campfire was burned over his grave and the following morning the wagons rolled across it to prevent Indians from ravaging the site. Today one can find graves for the Smiths and Watsons in the Albany pioneer cemetary and the Echo cemetary nearest the I-80. Oral history by Rhoda Smith Churchill and Ruth Smith Burson is the primary source of my knowledge in this history of Oregon.