PLSO The Oregon Surveyor November/December 2021

The Lost Surveyor 22 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 44, No. 6 lot together and had much to celebrate on this trip including two birthdays, one engagement, a new home in Redmond, good cancer news, and we even threw in celebrating the replacement of a stolen catalytic converter, just so no one felt left out. A rainy Portland morning found six of us in a 15-passenger van piloted by our most favorite TriMet driver on the way to Red- mond tomeet upwith the rest of the gang. Along the way, a stop at Joe’s Donuts in Sandy was a must! Arriving in Redmond the laughter and comradery kicked into high gear. After a leisurely day, we all piled in the van and headed off to dinner on the edge of the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Lake County. [Photo 2] While most of us probably think of John C. Fremont as a western explorer, he was also an assistant Surveyor in the U.S. Topographical Corps in 1838. In 1841, he commanded an expedition to map the upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and to survey the route of the Charles- ton, Louisville, and Cincinnati railroad. For Fremont, surveying was just a pit stop in his storied career and in 1842 he headed west for exploration. Paraphras- ing from John Muir, the mountains were calling and he had to go. Between 1842 and 1844, John C. Fremont explored a vast area of the west with the legendary frontiersman, Kit Carson. This explora- tion included much of southeast Oregon. Fremont’s expeditions included mapping of the Oregon Trail, much of what was known at the time as the Oregon Coun- try, the great basin region and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Fremont’s journals are an incredible compilation of west- ern exploration and were highly valued for their detailed information. His jour - nals served as a guide to settlement of much of the West. Our surveyor eventu- ally found his way to California in 1845 where he led a revolt against Mexican authorities in the area. By 1850, he was elected as a senator representing California and was the first presidential candidate of the Republican party in 1856. Like many of the time, Fre- mont was not without flaws. This includes his treatment of Indians, court martial for mutiny and insubordination while in California, and ultimately crossing Pres- ident Lincoln at the opening of the Civil War which ultimately cost him his com- mand and his military career. Fremont’s continued T life and that of his wife Jessie has been captured in a recently released book by National Public Radio’s Steve Inskeep ti- tled “Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invent- ed Celebrity and Helped Cause the Civil War.” This is just one of a great many books which chronicle the life of John C. Fremont and his many experiences in the West. Ironically, Fremont’s name is now tied to historic tribal lands of the Klamath with the naming of the Fremont-Wine- ma National Forest. During Fremont’s exploration of Oregon’s Klamath region in 1846, his party was attacked and sev- eral of his men were killed. Fremont retaliated and wiped out a Klamath vil- lage at the mouth of the Williamson River and Klamath Lake. Winema means “lit- tle woman chief” and the forest name is derived from Toby Riddle who was a Modoc woman married to Frank Riddle, a Kentuckian. The Winema National For- est comprises 1.1 million acres of historic Klamath Tribal Lands which in 2002 was administratively merged with the 2.3 mil- lion acre Fremont National Forest tying Photo 2 Photo 5 the troubled history together with the joint name. While exploring Oregon, John and Kit probably didn’t enjoy the wonderful meal that we did at the Cowboy Dinner Tree near Silver Lake. [Photo 3 and 4] However, they assuredly took in much of the beauty this area has to offer. If you need an adventure and a truly wonder- ful meal, make your reservations early and go visit this great Oregon restau- rant. The only items on the menu are chicken or steak with all the trimmings, but you won’t be disappointed. Bring your appetite as the chicken is actually a whole chicken and the steaks range between 26 and 30 ounces! [Photo 5] x References • John Charles Fremont (oregonhistoryproject.org ) • The little-known story of the Republican Party’s 1st presidential nominee | PBS NewsHour • John C. Frémont - Wikipedia • Fremont National Forest, 1911 ( oregonhistoryproject.org ) • A Forest Named Winema ( oregonhistoryproject.org)