I have a colleague named Serpa so I sent them the Register Cliff photo. They did some quick internet research and came up with the information below...
One of the more prominent inscriptions on Register Cliff, near the Oregon Trail ruts and Fort Laramie, Wyoming area. Travelers of the Oregon Trail would rest here and carve their names into the soft sandstone cliff.
Of course anything may or not be true. I found this statement in a blog:
"My name is Scott Serpa. I just ran across your blog and thought I would clear up a little history for you. Gordon “Tex” Serpa was my father. In 1959 Oregon celebrated its 100th birthday. A group calling themselves “The On To Oregon Cavalcade”, led by my father, reenacted the historic path of the pioneers by traveling by horse drawn wagon train from Independence Missouri to Independence Oregon. The carving my father made on the rock was originally dated 1959 only to be vandalized to read 1859 and then 1889."
Well, when you look at the 1889 inscription it certainly looks like it may have been 1959, then modified to 1859 and then again to 1889. And with a little Google searching I discover that Gordon 'Tex' Serpa actually was the wagonmaster for the 1959 wagon train reenactment.
So, that too is a nice story, and a bit of history. I like the picture just a much now as when I thought 'Tex' drove by in 1889. Ha!
That's fascinating, E.J. Thanks for the sleuthing! Most of the old inscriptions at Register Cliff are illegible; the softness that made it easy to carve the rock also makes it easy to erode, and there are no overhangs to protect it from the elements. So the vividness of the Tex inscription really stands out — suspiciously so, in retrospect. The granite of Independence Rock makes the similar carvings there more durable, although because it was so hard to chisel with 19th century tools they are terse and remain hard to read.
We continue to enjoy reading about your ongoing travel log on the Historic Oregon Trail?
Question:
Of the 1 in 10 who did not make it all the way west, I was surprised that you did not mention those pioneers, who may have perished in violent encounters with the native tribes, on whose land they were passing through.
Were the Santa Fe and California Trails more prone to the type of clashes that have been so ‘romanticized’ in the Western Movies we’ve been exposed to over the past 60-70 years.
Hi Doug. I'm actually planning to address that in one of the final pieces on the trip. It's a good question, and the answer would probably surprise most people. Violent conflict between indigenous groups and the westward-bound settlers was extremely rare in the early years of the great migration, becoming more common later on as the cumulative impact of so many travelers disrupted or destroyed critical food supplies and other natural resources relied upon by the natives.Still, according to the National Oregon/California Trail Center, only 362 emigrants were killed by Indians on those trails between 1840 and 1860. During the same period, pioneers killed 426 Indians.
I have a colleague named Serpa so I sent them the Register Cliff photo. They did some quick internet research and came up with the information below...
One of the more prominent inscriptions on Register Cliff, near the Oregon Trail ruts and Fort Laramie, Wyoming area. Travelers of the Oregon Trail would rest here and carve their names into the soft sandstone cliff.
Of course anything may or not be true. I found this statement in a blog:
"My name is Scott Serpa. I just ran across your blog and thought I would clear up a little history for you. Gordon “Tex” Serpa was my father. In 1959 Oregon celebrated its 100th birthday. A group calling themselves “The On To Oregon Cavalcade”, led by my father, reenacted the historic path of the pioneers by traveling by horse drawn wagon train from Independence Missouri to Independence Oregon. The carving my father made on the rock was originally dated 1959 only to be vandalized to read 1859 and then 1889."
Well, when you look at the 1889 inscription it certainly looks like it may have been 1959, then modified to 1859 and then again to 1889. And with a little Google searching I discover that Gordon 'Tex' Serpa actually was the wagonmaster for the 1959 wagon train reenactment.
So, that too is a nice story, and a bit of history. I like the picture just a much now as when I thought 'Tex' drove by in 1889. Ha!
That's fascinating, E.J. Thanks for the sleuthing! Most of the old inscriptions at Register Cliff are illegible; the softness that made it easy to carve the rock also makes it easy to erode, and there are no overhangs to protect it from the elements. So the vividness of the Tex inscription really stands out — suspiciously so, in retrospect. The granite of Independence Rock makes the similar carvings there more durable, although because it was so hard to chisel with 19th century tools they are terse and remain hard to read.
Great photos and story!!
Thanks, E.J.!
Hi John, Wonderful pictures and fascinating history lessons. Loved your furry guests and the video Les provided.
Jill
Thanks, Jill. That certainly was an entertaining morning!
Greetings J&L,
We continue to enjoy reading about your ongoing travel log on the Historic Oregon Trail?
Question:
Of the 1 in 10 who did not make it all the way west, I was surprised that you did not mention those pioneers, who may have perished in violent encounters with the native tribes, on whose land they were passing through.
Were the Santa Fe and California Trails more prone to the type of clashes that have been so ‘romanticized’ in the Western Movies we’ve been exposed to over the past 60-70 years.
Thanks for all the history refreshers!!!
Doug and Anita
Hi Doug. I'm actually planning to address that in one of the final pieces on the trip. It's a good question, and the answer would probably surprise most people. Violent conflict between indigenous groups and the westward-bound settlers was extremely rare in the early years of the great migration, becoming more common later on as the cumulative impact of so many travelers disrupted or destroyed critical food supplies and other natural resources relied upon by the natives.Still, according to the National Oregon/California Trail Center, only 362 emigrants were killed by Indians on those trails between 1840 and 1860. During the same period, pioneers killed 426 Indians.