YOU GONNA FORD THIS?

WHEN Mr. and Mrs. Lee came West, bringing with them Mrs. Lee's two young brothers, Peter and Maurice Binford, the remainder of the Binfords stayed on in Indiana. Wallace Binford, lovingly called Wallie or Wall, lived on the Binford farm with a family named Johnson. lie was at that difficult age when boys are neither children nor men, and don know what they want, and since the Binford parents had both died several years before, this seemed a good solution for the growing boy.

But Wallie was not contented. He wanted to "go West." And so when he was eighteen in 1888, he decided to make the trip.

The Lees were living in Goldendale at the time, where Mr. Lee was running a newspaper, The Goldendale Tribune. Hence Goldendale was Wallie's destination.
Wallie was a shy lad, and we imagine he had many mis as he made ready for his journey.

There was no railroad to Goldendale at the time, so trains were met in Rufus, Oregon, by a stagecoach, drawn by four horses.

Wallie arrived safely in Rufus. The stagecoach drew up to the station and the tired travel stained young man got in.

Now, Rufus is on the bank of the beautiful Columbia River. High hills were beyond the river, and must be crossed to reach Goldendale.

The stage driver picked up the lines, spoke to his horses, and they were off. Right down to the edge of the river they went, and Wallie was getting worried. That was a lot of water. He spoke to the driver.

"Het, you're not gonna ford this, are you?"

The driver laughed and pointed out the ferry boat that was coming from the Washington side to take them across.

So that hazard was passed.

They started up the mountain. Roads were rough and bumpy, with no hard surfacing in those days.

The horses became tired, and the sweat steamed from them.

Wallie had never ridden over such roads in Indiana, and had never seen horses pull up such steep places. He felt sorry for them.

Again he spoke to the driver.

"Hey, you better let me get out and walk. This is too much for the horses."

The driver looked over the smooth-faced youth and asked,

"You're from the East, ain't you?"

"I thought so," when Wallie said he was.

"Out here, we don't walk when we have a four horse team."