From Florence Courtney Melton's "History of A Pioneer Family:

(1868)

     We went the Barlow route, down through Pendelton then about the size of Pataha City.  The big wheat ranches below the Penitentiary were a desert then.  I never put in a worse day on the road than we experienced from Pendelton to the foot of the Cascade Mountains.  The first day in the mountains was September thirtieth - my birthday, eleven years old - no cake with candles.  We broke the hind wheels of our wagon so they went to work to make the wagon over.  The wheels were like the drawing - oak grubs made the stays.  The wagon was overloaded, so Mother and I walked nearly all the way through the mountains.  We had no rain and it was warm.  We were in sight of the Columbia River at The Dalles and saw a steamboat there.  There were three memorable hills: Tighe Valley: this we reached after dark and we nearly had to spend the night there.  The Deschutes Hill and Laural Hill were both bad ones.  The ones who crossed first let their wagons down with chains.  The bark of the trees was scored and cut through.  I do no doubt but that they show today as plain as then.  We saw no animals of any kind, but we camped one night at a Frenchman's, old Mr. Revenous.  He lived about three days travel from Portland.  They had several children.  They were not allowed to go farther from the house than the back of the orchard for fear of the panthers.  They lost several head of stock by panthers each year.  They had several dozen California quail in coops feeding them to send them to the Portland market.  The first we ever saw.  They are prettier than the Bob Whites.