its distance from the sea. A few were left there by the emigration of 1861, but it was the great company of 1862 which finally occupied the country. About two thousand, so the newspapers of the time declare, remained in the valley, while the rest, some eight thousand, went down the Columbia. The first winter was one of great privations; but the next summer a crop was raised on the newly broken lands, which furnished an abundance of provisions. La Grande was the principal town, and soon became the county seat of Union County, which included the Grand Ronde within its boundaries. From the first it was a place of considerable importance, being the supply centre for the valley until other towns, like Union, Summerville, and Oro Dell, divided the territory with her. A wagon road built in 1863 connected the Grand Ronde valley with Walla Walla for trading purposes, while other roads and trails made it possible for this upper settlement to send its products to the mines of Boise valley, Owyhee, and other places. The abundance of timber on the slopes of the Blue Mountains, and the fine water power of the mountain streams, promoted the building of sawmills, of which there were four in 1864. A description of the valley, written in the spring of 1868, indicates that excellent progress had been made in the first five years after settlement began. "The waste prairie has changed to fenced and cultivated farms, and in all directions the handiwork of intelligence and Industry is visible. Comfortable houses and outhouses have been built, orchards planted; from the poor emigrant has
