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You Do - A formative assessment
An excerpt from It Happened in Washington by James Crutchfield
Prior Knowledge: Mullan arrived in The Dalles, on the Columbia Gorge, in order to build the railroad lines. Although he knew the going would be tough, he probably never dreamed hw would lose one of his men.
I regret to report the loss of one of Lieutenant White’s men by drowning while crossing the Snake River. He had been above the camp for wood, which he floated down the stream in the form of a raft; being upon which, the current, which is at the rate of five or six miles per hour, carried him so far below that, jumping off it, it was impossible to save him.
Mullan and his men labored through the winter of 1859-1860 amidst extremely unfavorable conditions. Below-zero temperatures, the deaths of animals, below-standard provisions, difficult work cutting trees and building bridges-these were just a few of the obstacles that stood in the way of Mullan’s mission. On August 1, 1860, however, the Mullan party finally reached Fort Benton, its objective completed.
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