The time is not far in the future when we as a body should begin to work on the Pacific Slope. We have reached out to Nebraska and Kansas as our extreme western limits. We have gone into these States following our brethren who have removed there. We did well in undertaking these missions, taking the households of our brethren as nuclei around which to gather churches. It is the old and the true policy, as had been repeatedly demonstrated. And now having started the work well, after a few years more of general co-operation in the missionary work of these States we shall want new fields in which to operate. Where shall we then go? Following our good old policy, we should go where our brethren have already located. In Colorado and Wyoming we have no brethren living yet, although some many remove to these States ere long. But in California and Oregon we have already brethren who would be glad to welcome our ministers among them. We are sending about a dozen copies THE CHURCH ADVOCATE to California, two copies to Oregon, to which State at least one more family will remove in the Spring, and one copy to Washington Territory. These to California are sent to the following counties: Yolo, San Mateo, Merced, Tulare, Placer, Santa Clara, Solano, and San Joaquin. There are two families in Ophir, Placer county; two in Vallejo, Solano county, and two in Woodbridge, San Joaquin county. This is a better Church representation than we had in Nebraska when we commenced operations there. And from all that we could see when on our visit to the Pacific, we judge it to be a pretty good field for missionary work.

[The Church Advocate 40 (May 5, 1875): 4.]

      Christian H. Forney's "The Pacific Slope" was first published in The Church Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 1 (May 5, 1875), p. 4. The electronic version has been transcribed from a copy of the article printed from a microfilmed edition of the newspaper held by the State Library of Pennsylvania. Thanks to Adams Memorial Library for arranging for the interlibrary loan, and to St. Vincent College Library for the use of its microfilm reader/printer.

      Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 28 May 1999.
Updated 13 July 2003.