Oregon-California Trails Association | Shurtliff, Luman Andros

Shurtliff, Luman Andros – My Grandfather 1807

Merrill J. Mattes Collection·

“Some of our horses were stolen by the Indians and the hills above us were like swarms with Indians watching our every move. About sunset some of them made their appearance and came up within one half mile and seemed to be holding a council, sat down and sat until it began to grow dark. I did not feel satisfied to let them stay there for I thought they meditated evil. I called on two of the brethren to go to them and invite them to come to camp and stay with us all night and if they would we’d let them keep all of their weapons until morning. I would give them supper and a breakfast and let them have a tent to sleep in.” ~ Luman Andros Shurtliff

4 Pages

The collection was begun in 1991 by the late Merrill J. Mattes, a co-founder of the Oregon-California Trails Association. That original nucleus was a result of a generous donation from Merrill and reflected his many years as an award-winning National Park Service historian and also included works of his own authorship. The collection is housed at the national Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Missouri. Here, you have access to many of the original trail diaries he collected in digital form.