NO OF PAGES: 180 SUB CAT I: American Jews SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: Toward the middle of the 19th century, Louis Fleischner and his younger brother Jacob were shipped off to America by their parents so that the boys could escape the stifling life of the ghetto in a city in Bohemia. Driven by his own thirst for adventure and by the general restlessness among young men in the New World, Louis persuaded his brother to move with him westward, first into Iowa and then, with a covered wagon train, to the Far West. The wagon caravan on the old Oregon Trail is beset with more than the usual hardships. The emigrants are not only plagued by thirst and mud and desert heat, but also by cholera, cattle thieves and the attacks of hostile Indians. But the Fleischner brothers reach Oregon and decided to settle in the lush, practically empty Willamette Valley. They opened a pioneer trading post which soon became a community center for all the neighborhood homesteaders. Through courageous service in the Rogue Indian Wars Louis earned the title of colonel. His later adventures included life in the gold rush, rough days in the wilderness of Idaho and in mining camps. He finally returned to Portland where he became one of its leading citizens. Through his efforts a beautiful synagogue was built--a symbol of the growing city and of the pioneer Jew in the conquest of America's last frontier.NOTES: SUBTITLE: The Story of Louis Fleischner