Oregon during the 1840s and 1850s, around the time of the gold rush and the great western movement in America. He had a reputation, even after he eventually settled around Wheatland, California, for being a very tough customer.
Family legend has it that on one of his expeditions as a wagon train 'Captain' he was guiding a bunch of tenderfeet when the train came to a river somewhere on the prairie. The river was in flood and when his train got there there was already a train of immigrants waiting for the river to subside so they could get across and continue their journey west.
"No problem!" Captain Findley told the two wagon trains. And he proceeded to show them how you could take the wheels of the big, wooden Conestoga wagons and turn them into miniature rafts. Captain Findley then, at great risk to life and limb, swam his horse across the swollen, rushing river pulling a rope. When he was on the other side he fastened the rope to a sturdy tree and one by one ferried his trains wagons across, using the rope as a guide and, I guess, a second rope to pull them over.
When his train was safely across and all hitched up and ready to proceed he looked back at the second train waiting on the other side and without a moments hesitation cut the rope and left the inexperienced settlers to figure out how to get across themselves. Members of his own train were shocked and upset at this callous act. "Why? Why did you do that?" they asked.
"Well," Captain Findley replied, "There's only enough grass between here and the mountains for one wagon train." There were no further questions.
They bred 'em tough in the 1840s.
Family legend has it that on one of his expeditions as a wagon train 'Captain' he was guiding a bunch of tenderfeet when the train came to a river somewhere on the prairie. The river was in flood and when his train got there there was already a train of immigrants waiting for the river to subside so they could get across and continue their journey west.
"No problem!" Captain Findley told the two wagon trains. And he proceeded to show them how you could take the wheels of the big, wooden Conestoga wagons and turn them into miniature rafts. Captain Findley then, at great risk to life and limb, swam his horse across the swollen, rushing river pulling a rope. When he was on the other side he fastened the rope to a sturdy tree and one by one ferried his trains wagons across, using the rope as a guide and, I guess, a second rope to pull them over.
When his train was safely across and all hitched up and ready to proceed he looked back at the second train waiting on the other side and without a moments hesitation cut the rope and left the inexperienced settlers to figure out how to get across themselves. Members of his own train were shocked and upset at this callous act. "Why? Why did you do that?" they asked.
"Well," Captain Findley replied, "There's only enough grass between here and the mountains for one wagon train." There were no further questions.
They bred 'em tough in the 1840s.
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