THE YOUNG U.S. Cavalry captain was getting a little frustrated. He was explaining to the short, fireplug-shaped German man with the serious mouth and commanding eyes why he really, really should turn around.

It was the spring of 1855, you see, and the Oregon Trail had been going full steam for about a decade. The Sioux tribes, along with other Plains Indian tribes, had been nonplussed at first by the torrent of travelers, but by now they were really alarmed, and they had started attacking wagon trains.

The German man was Dr. Wilhelm Keil, and he was the leader of a particularly large wagon train.

Well, actually that wasn’t quite true — the man who was leading the wagon train was Dr. Keil’s 19-year-old son, Willie.

But Willie was dead. (Aurora Mills, Clackamas County; 1850s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2404b-1007c.aurora-colony-willie-keil-311.644.html)