Kathy Wing at wingk@pacinter.net, a Rutledge Family Researcher, was kind enough to donate the following information.

"I have a diary kept by my great grandmother, Ocenia Edmiston Rutledge, wife of William Luther Rutledge, on their trip from Twin Falls to Lebanon, Oregon. My father believed they left Ohio and spent the winter in Twin Falls before finishing their journey. This was 1910, and they traveled by wagon and team. They were living in Chitwood about 1925."

Left Twin Falls on Monday, May 2, 1910. Started 2:00 p.m. Camped for night one mile west of Filer.

Tuesday, May 3. Drove to Buhl until noon. Ate dinner, there began raining. Unloaded and shipped part of load. Stayed all night at Buhl. Papa and Herwin stayed at livery barn. Paul and Mamma at hotel.

Wednesday, May 4. Rained a.m. Left Buhl at 11:00 a.m. Drove to Moffits shack, ate dinner and thawed out. Drove to Riverside Ferry; camped on bank of Snake River where Salmon River empties into Snake.

Thursday, May 5. Left Riverside Ferry camp at 10:00 a.m. Ate dinner close to a little farm house on or by a little irrigating ditch. Another house nearby hid by trees, but could hear people talking. Very windy. Not far from Hagerman camped for night where Malad River empties into Big Wood River. Such a steep grade to Malad and the water roared and dashed and made a great noise.

Friday, May 6. Left camp 9:00 a.m. Drove throught Snake River Canyon all forenoon. Ate dinner along roadside near large rocks where advertisements were printed on large boulders. Adv. Hagerman business. Very hot day. Steep hill to climb before reaching Bliss Saw Ferry crossing over to Bliss. Camped for night 9 miles west of Bliss on large lake where Paul shot ducks. Ditches told of there being millions of rattlesnakes there. Banked up all around one tent for night. Slept fine.

Saturday, May 7. Left camp 15 minutes of 8:00 a.m. Sagebrush drive all forenoon. Hill climbing and going down crossed creek before beginning to climb hills where caught (eels). Ate dinner at King Hill. Camped 5 miles west of Glens Ferry. Hills all afternoon; drove on steep and narrow grade on banks of Snake River before reaching Glens Ferry. Paul killed rattlesnake. Newly married couple camped on same grounds on their honeymoon trip.

Sunday, May 8. Stayed in camp until 4:00 p.m. Baked, bathed, washed and cleaned up in general. Drove 5 miles and camped where we saw 2 (?) lovers courting. Bridge out and had to drive out of the way.

Monday, May 9. Left camp 8:00 a.m. Sagebrush drive almost all day. Ate dinner in sagebrush where Papa just happened to find a hole of water away from everybody and every living thing. Reached Mt. Home in afternoon. Got collar pads and provisions. Camped at Cleft 11 miles west of Mt. Home. Drove 33 miles that day.

Tuesday, May 10. Left camp 8:30 a.m. Sagebrush drive all day. Ate dinner at Orchard where there was a large prune orchard dying. Drove 3/4 miles from main road to get water; drove back to main road. Ate dinner. Camped for night at Owyhee pumping station.

Wednesday, May 11. Left camp 8:15 a.m. Drove to Kuna, ate lunch along railroad crossed tracks and stream. After dinner drove up into town and got grain and meat. Drove to Nampa. Got hay, eggs, rhubarb. Herwin got his box of candy, dainty little sticks. Camped for night 3 miles west of Nampa in man's lot where he run a pig and gave us sagebrush for our fire. Very kind people. Beautiful country. Close to nice large high school house.

Thursday, May 12. Left camp 8:30 a.m. Drove to Caldwell. A very busy town, lots doing. Passed through town and crossed Boise River and ate dinner on Banks of Boise and wrote letters. Camped for night east of Parma where Nick cut his leg on rope. Paul killed ducks. Nice three cornered lot for camping.

Friday, May 13. Left camp 8:15 a.m. Ate dinner on bank of Snake River before crossing Ferry at Nyra. Last meal in Idaho. Rag picker ate there too. Camped in deserted house and barn for night at foot of Malheur Butte. Very windy. Threatened rain.

Saturday, May 14. Left camp 8:15 a.m. Ate dinner west of Vale where the male calf was near irrigating ditch. Very windy. Drove on to Hot Springs for the night. Cut grass on mountain with butcher knife. Camped in canyon where wind struck us. Severly strong and cold. 14 miles west of Vale.

Sunday, May 15. Pulled stakes and drove on a little distance to more comfortable quarters. 3 miles distance on Cotton Wood Creek. Rested and cleaned up and baked and stayed overnight.

Monday, May 16. Left camp 8:30 a.m. All days drive through canyon. Ate dinner 1 mile west of West Fall on Bull Creek. Tried to catch fish. Suckers. No success. Found large towel. Camped for night west of West Fall where freighters horses run off for him in pasture. We cut grass from small field with butcher knife for our team.

Tuesday, May 17. Left camp 9:00 a.m. Ate dinner at stage station. Put team in barm. Fed hay paid $ .50 per feed for hay alone. Camped in Rendeer Mt. for night on Wilson Creek where we got milk. Very steep hill to ascend and descend. Lost Paul's knife.

Wednesday, May 18. Left camp 9:15 a.m. Up hill drive. Traveled behind freighter in Rendeer Mt. Ate lunch at Bulah where the man and crippled boy were camping on banks of Malheur River. Got provisions. Paid $ .25 a quart for vinegar. Camped at spring by farm house where we got rhubarb and onions. Pigs bothered our rest for the night.

Thursday, May 19. Left camp 9:15 a.m. Drove 11 miles to town of Drewsey until noon. Pet very lame. Got her shod, drove to Pacific Coast ranch and camped for the night. Got milk. Night the Comet was to burn the world up.

Friday, May 20. Left camp 9:30 a.m. Drove to Malheur River until noon. Ate lunch there. Boys fished and man came up with a large herd of cattle. Drove to Calamity Creek up canyon where Paul caught a fine mess of trout. Camped for the night.

Saturday, May 21. Stayed in camp all day, rested team, washed, baked, and all bathed and took a general clean up. Nicest camping. We had fine pasture on side of mountain.

Sunday, May 22. Left camp 9:15 a.m. Drove through Malheur Forest Reserve. Ate lunch in Reserve. Fine timber. Camped for night in Silvies Valley. Nobody lived there. Dreary, lonely, God forsaken country.

Monday, May 23. Left camp 8:30 a.m. Drove over mountains on long grade where man had to back down off the grade with his auto. Ate lunch under shade of pine tree in sagebrush. Camped for night in Deschutes Forest Reserve where the sheep trod the road we could hardly find it. Put our nice fresh butter to cool in creek that night.

Tuesday, May 24. Left camp 8:00 a.m. Steep high hills. Ate lunch at edge of forest before we met a man who wanted to hire us to work for a ranching outfit. Camped for night on John Day River west of (Izu) where we took some hay to feed with from old hay stack.

Wednesday, May 25. Left camp 8:00 a.m. Ate dinner close to where we got rye hay. Very cold day. Made a good fire at noon and warmed up. Camped for night where a man wanted to show us a homestead. Nice camping ground not far from a school house.

Thursday, May 26. Left camp 9:00 a.m. Ate lunch near little stream in sagebrush. Road had been changed. Met a cooking outfit. Drove 3 miles west of Paulina. Camped in Vanderbilt's field for the night. Luther bade them a very kindly farewell as best he could.

Friday, May 27. Left camp 7:30 a.m. Stopped very early and built a fire for to warm by. I was so cold. Put up blankets on sagebrush, stayed 2 1/2 hours to warm. Ate lunch also. Drove on in afternoon and camped for the night by the old school house. Saw deer cross the road just before stopping for the night. Bought some bread off farmer's wife before stopping. Paid $ .15 a loaf.

Saturday, May 28. Left camp 8:30 a.m. At 10 a.m. saw two fine fat deer in the road just ahead of us. Ate dinner on Crooked River. Boys caught fish (chubs). Camped for night at Eagle Rock. Mr. Clark and Roy had overtaken us. All camped on same grounds. Roy shot an owl.

Sunday, May 29. In camp all day. Cleaned up in general, washed and baked and rested. Went up to a sheep herders rendavou in the evening for some good drinking water. Snug place he had.

Monday, May 30. Left camp 8:00 a.m. Ate lunch at old bachelors along roadside east of Prineville. Camped for the night 5 miles west of Prineville. Paul was so sick. Did not eat a bite of supper or drink any coffee. People near by said if he got bad and we needed help just come and call on them. Man wanted Papa layover and work roads for them. Got eggs here. Paul felt much better in morning but was so weak after being so sick.

Tuesday, May 31. Left camp 8:30 a.m. Ate lunch where we got can of pickles and provisions. Saw man who told us of a farm near Junction City. Oneil name of store where we ate lunch. Drove on to Deschutes River and camped for night. I was so sick.

Wednesday, June 1. In camp sick all day. Papa bought fine mess of fish. He got most of supper. I ate and felt better.

Thursday, June 2. Left camp 8:00 a.m. Ate dinner where little ditch crossed the road. Boys pulled off shoes and waded and played in water. Passed through Sisters. Herwin got some fish hooks in Sisters. Camped for night in Cascade Reserve. In morning Mr. Clark, Roy and Paul shot mark (target practice?).

Friday, June 3. Left camp 8:15 a.m. Ate lunch before we got to Tollgate in the woods. Gathered flowers too. Passed through Tollgate and camped on Big Lake. Made ice cream out of snow. Gathered flowers standing in snow. Saw a crater. Boys both went down to bottom of it. Herwin gathered bleeding heart flowers out of it.

Saturday, June 4. Left camp 7:00 a.m. Drove to Fish Lake until noon. Lava bed ride all afternoon. Men went to Clear Lake and fished. Caught several messes fine trout. Rained them in. Put horses in barn. Paid $ .75 for standing them in the barn without feed.

Sunday, June 5. Left 8:00 a.m. Ate dinner on summit of Cascade Mountains. Drove to North Fork of Soda Creek and camped for the night. Gathered salmon berries enough for a nice pie and made a pie for dinner next day.

Monday, June 6. Left camp 7:30 a.m. Ate lunch near an old deserted house where Paul got a geography house made of cedar hand split. Ate our salmon berry pie. Gathered more salmon berries that a.m. and took on into camp that night. Drove 2 miles west of Foster and camped for the night where the man brought us out a nice pitcher of milk and a pan of lettuce and told us to sleep in his hay row.

Tuesday, June 7. Left camp 7:30 a.m. Drove on to Sweet Home. There Mr. Clark and Roy left us they taking the road for Roseburg and we for Lebanon. Drove to near Waterloo. Ate dinner at roadside near nice white farm house. Drove to Lebanon in afternoon. Got provisions and on out to H.O. Pearsons which ended our trip.

My name is Stephenie Flora. I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by. Return to [ Home Page ] All [ Comments and Inquiries ] are welcome.