Note 107 — JOURNAL OF TRAVELS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS (continued 2)

There had been an Indian trail through the Cascades up the fork of the Santiam River, and over what is now known as the Minto Pass. Stephen Meek, who had trapped on the headwaters of John Day River, and there met Indians from the Willamette, thought that he could find this trail; but as a matter of fact it was not discovered by whites until 1873. Dr. White (1845) and Cornelius Gilliam (1846) made essays to open a road through the eastern barrier of the valley. See John Minto, "History of the Minto Pass," in Oregon Historical Quarterly, iv, pp. 241-250.—Ed.