Since I live in Oregon, I've done a lot of reading about the Pioneers who came across the Oregon Trail to settle here. I thought this was interesting:

The Legend of the Four Braves  (http://www.ncbible.org/nwh/OrStart.html#braves

Elements of this story surface frequently in the literature of mid-1800's. There were certainly many who believed it to be true. We reproduce it here in full detail from the Oregon Christian Church - a History by Charles Addleman.

The story begins with the Indians in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest in 1832 who had heard from the trappers about a white man's "Book of Heaven." As a result, some of the braves made the long journey to St. Louis seeking the book.

The story of this search is summed up in these words: "We came to you over a trail of many moons from the setting sun. You are the friend of our fathers who have all come a long way. We came with our eyes partly open for more light for our people who sit in darkness. We go back with our eyes closed. How can we go back with our eyes blind to our blind people? We made our way to you with strong arms, through many enemies in strange lands that we might carry back much to them. We go back with empty and broken arms.

The two fathers who came with us -- the braves of many winters and wars -- we leave them here asleep by your great wigwam. They were tired in their journey of many moons. Our people sent us to get the white man's book of Heaven. You took us to where they worshiped the great spirit with candles but the book was not there. You showed us the image of good spirits and pictures of the good land beyond, but the book was not among them to tell us the way. You made our feet heavy with the burdens of gifts and our moccasins will grow old with the carrying of them, but the book is not among them.

We're going back the long, sad trail to our people. When we tell them, after one more snow and the big council that we did not bring the book, no word will be spoken by our old men or by our young braves. One by one they will rise up and go out in silence. Our people will die in darkness and they will go on the long path to their other hunting grounds . No white man will go with them and no book of Heaven to make the way plain. We have no more words."

Even though two of the braves died in St. Louis and the other two sadly returned to the Northwest, the story was published in a newspaper, and Jason Lee, a recently ordained minister in the Methodist church, read the newspaper report and responded to the challenge.

   First Came the Preachers

C.F. Swander, quoting Harvey Scott, the editor of the Morning Oregonian says:

"It was not until the American missionaries entered and possessed the country that a foothold was gained for the occupation of Oregon by American settlers."