Leaves of Knowledge. Elma MacGibbon

I HAVE had the opportunity, during the last few years, to travel very extensively throughout the West, and considerable in the East, with my husband, and finding people in general greatly interested in my oral description of the numerous places I have visited, I decided to give a history of the many cities and their surroundings as I saw them during my visits, at different seasons of the year.

Realizing that it will be of interest and information to the reading public, I now present to you my Leaves of Knowledge.

Elma MacGibbon.

CHAPTER I. Salem, the Capital of Oregon.

Table of Contents

On the 28th day of September, 1898, I arrived in the City of Portland, Oregon, after a journey of eight days from the Atlantic coast, this being my fifth trip across the American Continent. My husband, or Mac, as he is usually called, met me on the banks of the Columbia river, at the town of Kalama, State of Washington. As the entire train is placed on the ferryboat, I got out to view the beautiful river, remaining there until we reached Goble, on the Oregon shore, where the train pulled off the boat for my destination. Arriving at the Union Depot, we took a coach and repaired to a suite of rooms, which Mac had secured for me on Seventh street. The rooms were splendidly fur-

furnished, but in the back room, sitting on a table was a little machine with a long rubber tube running from it to the ceiling; this arrangement was called a gas stove. I looked at this so-called stove with disgust. Being the first one I had ever seen I felt sure I never could cook anything on it. I only stayed here one day, and moved to a private boardinghouse.

And, Oh! ye people of this continent, what a boarding-house, for elegant rooms was all they had, and they all showed at this house that their main food was Oregon mist. However, as Portland is such a paradise to live in, I managed to exist one month. When, after being relieved of my purse and money, which has never yet been returned to me, I notified Mac that I would go with him up to Salem, or start back to that dear Montana home where I had lived for eight happy years, and as the courts of that state are known for their lenient divorce decisions, he at once complied with my request, came down for me and I moved next day to the Willamette Hotel, arriving there at 8:30 p.m.

After unpacking my trunks we retired, but had scarcely got to sleep when I heard such cries and pleadings, which seemed to be out in the yard. I sprang from the bed and on going out into our front room, I knocked my foot against one of the trunks, cutting my toe open, but was so excited just then I did not think of it until later on. After looking out of the window and not

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