# Oregon: Her history, her great men, her literature/Epoch II

1805–1843
CHAPTER IV
OREGON COLONIZED
With the purchase of Louisiana, and the discovery of the Oregon Country, the United States of America claimed a vast territory in the west that was not occupied by white people. It was impracticable, therefore, at that time, to develop great farms, and thriving cities on the newly acquired possessions. But there was an excellent opportunity to extend the fur trade to the Oregon Country. This opportunity the Americans and the British sought to improve. Hence many incidents of historic value took place during Epoch II.
Efforts to Establish Trading Forts. The Oregon Country having been reached both by sea and by land, the settlement of the Columbia River naturally came to be a matter of public interest. The first attempt to establish a trading fort in the Oregon Country was made by the Missouri Fur Company, which founded a trading post on the Henry branch of Lewis River in 1809. It continued somewhat over a year and was abandoned because of Indian difficulties. The second attempt at establishing a trading post in ​the Oregon Country was a Boston venture planned by Abiel Winship, a merchant whose brother Jonathan as master of the vessel "O'Cain" had visited the Pacific Coast on a trading; expedition. It was decided by the Winship partners to form a stronger company, send a ship to the Columbia, and proceeding up the river find a suitable location for trading and cultivation, and there establish a settlement The ship chosen for the voyage was the "Albatross," which was placed under the command of Nathan Winship, a brother of the chief promoter of the enterprise. The "Albatross" sailed via the Sandwich Islands, where the Captain took on board a number of Kanakas and some supplies^ and then proceeded to the Columbia, which he entered May 26, 1810. Captain Winship went up the river forty miles to a point on the south side, where he caught sight of some oak trees, beautifully located; and he named it Oak Point. This was on the bank opposite the present village of Oak Point. He decided to build a two-story log house at that place to serve as a fort, as well as a warehouse; and it was his purpose to cultivate the land close by. The little company hewed logs and made other preparation for the structure, but the June flood threatened to overflow the locality, and the Indians grew troublesome; so the Captain "concluded not to build, but to trade with the Indians along the coast, and leave for future decision the question of building the fort." Thus were begun and thus abandoned the first two attempts to establish trading posts in the Oregon Country.
The "Tonquin" Enters the Columbia. The next attempt to establish a trading fort in Oregon was a New York venture. With the purpose of capturing the Oregon fur trade and establishing a trading fort on the Columbia, John Jacob Astor, of New York City, organized the Pacific Fur Company with the central station at Astoria. September 6, 1810, the "Tonquin" was given safe conduct from New ​York out to sea by the historic battleship "Constitution." She arrived off the mouth of the Columbia, March 22, 1811, JOHN JACOB ASTOR and three days later rode safely into Baker's Bay within shelter of the Cape-the ship having lost seven of her crew in a hazardous effort to find a channel across the bar.
Astoria Founded. "On the twelfth of April" according to Gabriel Franchere, one of Astor's clerks, "Astor's partners who had come on the 'Tonquin,' began the erection of a log fort on the south side of the Columbia River on a point which was christened 'Astoria,' in honor of the founder and chief promoter of the enterprise, a name now borne by a thriving commercial city, which marks the spot where America first planted her foot squarely
ASTORIA IN 1811
"I considered as a great public acquisition the commencement of a settlement on that point of the western coast of North America, and looked forward with gratification to the time when its descendants should have spread themselves through the whole length of that coast, covering it with free and independent Americans, unconnected with us except by the ties of blood and interest, and enjoying like us the rights of self-government."
Tragedy of the "Tonquin." On the fifth of June, before the fort was completed. Captain Thorne sailed northward to Clayoquot harbor, near the Strait of Fuca, to engage in trade with the Indians and to cultivate friendly relations with the Russian settlements. Like Christopher Columbus, Captain Thorne of the "Tonquin" was an able navigator; but, like Columbus, he did not know how to govern civilized men. and knew less how to deal with savages. Consequently while his ship was in Clayoquot harbor in search of fur trade, the Captain needlessly offended one of the leading chiefs whereupon the natives returned to their village. Early the next day, however, about five hundred came back, their pretended friendship concealing murderous designs. They fell upon the unsuspecting crew killing all but five. Four of these vs-ere captured upon making an effort to escape, while the fifth, who was wounded, remained on board ship. It is believed that like Samson of old, the wounded man in a final effort destroyed himself and his enemies; for the good ship, crowded with the enemy, was blown to atoms by an ignited powder magazine. Not ​one of the "Tonquin" crew was left to tell the story of the ill-fated ship.
The Ship "Beaver" Arrives at Astoria. The Astor Company promptly equipped the sailing ship "Beaver" to take the place of the lost "Tonquin." The "Beaver" landed at Astoria with abundant supplies May 10, 1812. The Com pany planned rival establishments to all North-West Company trading posts on the Columbia River and its tributaries; and it seemed for a time that the Astor fur traders would prosper in the Oregon Country. But as will be seen there was much trouble in store for them.
Astoria Christened as Fort George. Late in the year 1812, some of the Astor partners were told that a war was raging between Great Britain and the United States, and that the North-West Company expected a British ship to capture Astoria. Resolving to abandon the Columbia River, they sold the belongings of the Pacific Fur Company at a sacrifice to the North-West Company, October 16, 1813. On the 30th of November the long expected "Raccoon," a British sloop-of-war, was seen near Cape Disappointment; on the 12th of December, the American flag was hauled down to give place to the Union Jack, and the name of the station was changed to Fort George.
America Seeks Possession of Oregon. After the War of 1812 had ended, it was natural that America should desire Oregon's restoration. Americans were the first to enter the Columbia River. Americans had purchased Louisiana, which connected the states with the Oregon Country; had founded Astoria; had sent the Lewis and Clark expedition overland to Oregon; had looked upon Oregon as the territory of the United States; and had come to have a patriotic interest in the Oregon Country. Therefore, the American Secretary of State, in July. 1815, notified the British minister at Washington that the Americans would ​again occupy the Columbia. Two years later, September 1817, our government ordered Captain Biddle of the "Ontario" to go to Astoria and assert the claims of the United States to the Oregon country in a friendly an peaceable manner.
American Title to Oregon Acknowledged. At once the British minister registered objections to the request of the Americans. In the treaty of peace which was now signed, the two nations agreed that they would restore the territory they had taken from each other during the war. The British minister, however, claimed that Astoria was not taken during the war, but that it was purchased by British subjects. In answer, the American Secretary claimed Oregon: first, as a portion of the Louisiana Purchase from France; second, by reason of the discovery of the Columbia by Captain Gray; third, by reason of the Lewis and Clark expedition; fourth, the establishment by the Pacific Fur Company of the forts of Astoria, Okanogan, and Spokane, and by other rights. The Secretary further argued that the American traders sold their stock in Astoria through fear of a British man-of-war which threatened to enter the harbor. After a sharp conflict of words, however, the American flag was permitted to float over Astoria, October 6th, 1818. While American rights to Oregon were thus acknowledged, the north boundary line was yet to be determined.
Joint Occupation of Oregon. The Oregon Question was again discussed by the diplomatic representatives of Great Britain and America, October 20, 1818, the British claiming the Columbia as the north boundary of Oregon. and the Americans claiming the forty-ninth parallel as the true boundary. Therefore the Oregon Question involved the territory lying between the Columbia River and the present north boundary of the United States. The ​representatives of both nations were firm in their contention; and the American Government not being able to press her claims, accepted a provision for the joint occupation of Oregon for a term of ten years. This treaty resulted in enabling both nations to settle on land and to trade on equal standing in all parts of Oregon until the boundary question was finally decided and American right to the Oregon Country fully confirmed by Great Britain. The reader will find the account of the final settlement of the Oregon boundary question in Epoch III.
Hall J. Kelley Advocates Occupation of Oregon. A Boston schoolmaster by the name of Hall J. Kelley performed an important part in keeping before the American people the question of Oregon occupation and settlement. "As early as 1815 he directed public attention to the Oregon Country. He organized a land expedition in 1828, but which failed in its equipment. Then soon after he urged the formation of an expedition by sea with a view of colonizing the Puget Sound country. In this he also failed to secure the needful support." In 1828 he organized the American Society which was incorporated by the State of Massachusetts, for the settlement of the Oregon Territory Two years later the society presented a memorial to congress setting forth that they were engaged in the work of opening to a civilized and virtuous population that part of ​Western America, called Oregon; and they asked congress to aid them in carrying into operation the purposes of their institution; to grant them military assistance; to make it possible for settlers to get sufficient lands at the junction of the Multnomah (Willamette) with the Columbia and "to grant them such other rights and privileges as may contribute to the means of establishing a respectable and prosperous community."
The Multnomah Townsite Project. Congress having failed to encourage the scheme set forth by the society in 1831, the latter published an announcement which began as follows: "Oregon Settlement to be commenced in the Spring of 1832 on the delightful and fertile banks of the Columbia river." The expedition was to start in March 1832. Upon their arrival in Oregon a town was to be laid out at the juncture of the Columbia and Multnomah, and each emigrant was to receive a town lot and a farm in that locality; also a lot in a town at the mouth of the Columbia, these places being already platted on paper. But congress again failed to take action, and the plan failed. Kelley, in 1832, set out for Oregon by way of Mexico. "In California, he fell in with Ewing Young in 1834." They drove a band of horses to Oregon; but upon then arrival at Vancouver (October 15, 1834) they found themselves accused of horse stealing. Later they were exonerated by the Governor of California. But Mr. Kelley having lost his health and fortune in the effort to colonize Oregon returned to Massachusetts the following March.
Movement to Settle Oregon. At this time American right to Oregon consisted of a title without described boundary lines. Furthermore, there were not enough Americans in the Oregon Country to hold their territory. The situation, therefore, gave rise to much solicitude throughout the states. The Missouri Fur Company, in 1808, made St. Louis a center in fur trading. This trade gradually extended north and westward, in 1822 General William H. Ashley sent out ​bands of trappers strong enough to withstand the attacks of Indians. Later David Jackson, William Sublette and others extended the Missouri fur trade district to the Columbia River, where the trappers clashed with the North-West Fur Company.
Union of the Two British Fur Companies. Beginning with the year 1800 the rivalry between the North-West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company caused the reduction of dividends and tended to the demoralization of the Indians so that in June 1819, the question of rivalries and existing disputes was brought before the British parliament. Later a compromise was effected and the two companies merged into one. "In conjunction with this coalition" according to H. H. Bancroft, "an act for regulating the fur trade and establishing a criminal and civil jurisdiction in certain parts of North America was passed by parliament July 2, 1821, which consummated the union. The name of Hudson's Bay Company was retained in preference to the other by reason of its age, respectability and charter."
Doctor McLoughlin Sent to Oregon. "In 1824 the new organization, called the Hudson's Bay Company, sent out Dr. John McLoughlin to take charge of its business in the Columbia region. This remarkable man had a genius for organization and command. He was of a resolute character with great kindliness of disposition. He never tolerated the slightest disobedience in his ​wide domain and yet his subordinates seem to have mingled genuine affection with unbounded respect for him. In dealing with the Indians he first of all convinced them of his power to enforce his will. When they became submissive, as they invariably did, he treated them with a mingling of paternal severity and kindness which won their hearts and made them the loyal servants of the Company. Doctor McLoughlin was an excellent man of business, and an admirable ruler over the wild country which had been assigned to him and the adventurous characters who inhabited it, but he was much more than a mere man of business. He was a far-sighted statesman, enlightened in conduct and liberal in his opinions. He devoloped the fur trade in the Oregon Country until it became the most profitable part of the Company's vast domains. At Vancouver, where he established his headquarters, he introduced farming and stock raising, planted an orchard and built a saw mill and a gristmill."—C. H. Chapman.
VANCOUVER IN 1827
Chief Interest of the Hudson's Bay Company in Oregon. The entire Northwest was rich in fur-bearing animals. "There were bear, panther, lynx, muskrat, beaver, marten, mink, otter, fox, wildcat, and numerous other animals whose pelts ​could be obtained in vast quantities and which commanded extravagant prices in foreign markets. The Hudson's Bay Company, becoming aware of the great value of this fur
KIND OF GUN BARTERED BY THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY TO THE INDIANS FOR FURS. (Courtesy Oregon Historical Society)
supply, employed men—mostly French Canadians, who married Indian women, lived the forest life, and earned their maintenance by securing pelts at low cost. As a result, profits were so great that the Company tenaciously held its claims in Oregon until the rich harvest of pelts was practically exhausted. During this time only a few farms, homes, school-houses, churches or other colonial enterprises were developed, as the fur trade constituted the chief interest of the Hudson's Bay Company in Oregon."
"Settlement Begun. Doctor McLoughlin encouraged a number of men who had left the Company's service to settle in Oregon, and aided them to establish farms. Travelers, explorers, and men of science were always welcome at the Vancouver fort. Even rival traders like Nathaniel Wyeth were received politely, though Dr. McLoughlin knew very well how to guard his commercial interests against their encroachments. Finally, when the missionaries began to arrive and the trains of immigrants to follow them, although McLoughlin must have foreseen the inevitable consequences to the fur business and to the British Dominion, nevertheless he sold, lent and often gave them supplies, relieved their distress and encouraged them with wise counsel. Doctor McLoughlin was often misunderstood by the pioneers and sometimes maligned, but the verdict of history will be that ​he is clearly entitled to be called the 'Father of Oregon'."
LIEUTENANT BONNEVILLE Captain Bonneville. One of the early adventurers in Oregon was Captain Bonneville, whose experiences as related by Washington Irving are familiar to the average school boy. Bonneville was a native of France, a graduate of West Point, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains and far west, (1831-6). By driving wagons through the South Pass to Wind River, Wyoming, in 1833, he did much to establish the correctness of Senator Benton's prediction that Oregon would some day be connected by wagon road with the states. But, according to Washington Irving, Captain Bonneville's chief object in pursuing this exploration was "to make himself acquainted with the country and the Indian tribes; it being one part of the scheme to establish a trading post somewhere on the lower part of the Columbia river, so as to participate in the trade lost to the United States by the capture of Astoria." He reached the Hudson's Bay trading posts, Fort Walla Walla, (now Wallula), March 4, 1834. After remaining a few days at the Fort, "he returned to the general rendezvous for his various expeditions." In July of that year the Captain being well equipped with trappers and goods, started on a second expedition on the Columbia. "He still contemplated the restoration of American trade in this country. This time he passed through the Blue Mountains by way of the Grand Ronde Valley and the Umatilla River." But Captain Bonneville was not a match for the Hudson's Bay Company nor for the American fur traders, hence his venture completely failed. Although he was ​able to cope with these trading companies, his name has been given to a town on the Columbia and his adventures as a mountaineer have been chronicled in history and literature.
NATHANIEL WYETH Wyeth Journeys Overland to Oregon. Among those who became interested in the Oregon Country through the literature circulated by Hall J. Kelley was Captain Nathaniel J. Wyeth of Boston, who organized an overland expedition to Oregon in 1831. Also that year he sent a ship around Cape Horn to Oregon. In the spring of 1832, Wyeth started overland from Boston reaching Vancouver on October 29th of the same year. The ship which was to bring trade supplies having been wrecked, he was compelled to return to Boston to provide another ship and secure another cargo.
Wyeth's Second Visit to Oregon. In the fall of 1833 Wyeth sent the Boston ship "May Dacre" with supplies for the Columbia River. In 1834, he made his second overland journey, reaching Vancouver in September. The "May Dacre," having arrived too late for the salmon fishing season, was sent with a cargo of timber to the Hawaiian Islands. His trading expedition failed, and Wyeth returned to Boston.
Annual Indian Fairs. While Wyeth and other fur traders were putting forth strenuous efforts to traffic with the Indians, the natives were bartering extensively among themselves. We learn from no less authority than Doctor William McKay and Alexander Ross that when the first ​trappers and traders came to Oregon, the Indians held great hm annually in the Yakima Valley, also at The Dalles and at Yainax, which is near Klamath Lake. Various tribes sent delegations to these fairs for the purpose of trade and festival in such numbers that Ross reported as having seen in the Yakima Valley a camp of native lodges covering six miles square and containing three thousand people; Also Samuel A. Clarke tells us in his "Pioneer Days of Oregon" that at these lairs the Indians exchanged products, sold horses and slaves, and carried on all manner of native commerce. Everything that was for sale was placed on the market at these annual gatherings where the natives gambled with all the ardor of Indian nature. Trials of archery were held, and there were races—on horse and afoot—the tribes wagering their money, their horses, and sometimes their wives. Feasting, orgies, and dancing took place. The heart of some fierce enemy was exhibited with commendable pride. It might be dried like a mummy encased in a deer skin cover embroidered with bead work and porcupine quills. Scalps were proudly displayed and the scalp dance was planned regardless of expense The most accomplished warriors went through the maneuvers of battle, in a space surrounded by a circle of drummers beating the time to barbaric music. Around the fire, which was in the very center, the principal warriors went through various evolutions, uttering horrid cries, flourishing their arrows, hurling their spears, brandishing their tomahawks, or performing the pantomime of scalping their victims—every one participating, except the chiefs who were looking on with dignified appreciation from their elevated canopies. I hen the young chiefs were paired off with the forest belles, who were chosen to be brides and who were adorned with feathers, beads, paint, nose quills, and rings for their fingers, ankles anti wrists. These were some of the features of the Indian fairs that were annually held in the Oregon Country before it was occupied by the white race.
​First School in the Pacific Northwest. We now consider for the first time the education of children in the Oregon Country. The first school in the Pacific Northwest was taught by John Ball, of Boston, Massachusetts, who was a graduate of Dartmouth College. Mr. Ball arrived with Nathaniel Wyeth at Fort Vancouver in November, 1832. Here, at the request of Doctor McLoughlin, he taught school beginning the following January 1. Later he was a prosperous farmer at Clatsop, where he died in 1890, aged 94. In a letter to Elwood Evans, author of the "History of the Northwest," Mr. Ball gave an account of that school:
John Ball, First School Teacher In the Pacific Northwest.
"The scholars came in talking their respective languages—Nez Perce; Chinook Klickitat, etc. I could not understand them, and when I called them to order, there was but one who understood me. As I had come from a land where discipline was expected in school management, I could not persuade myself that I could accomplish anything without order. I therefore issued my orders, and to my surprise, he who understood, joined issue with me upon my government in the school. While endeavoring to impress upon him the necessity of discipline and order in the school, and through him making such necessity appreciated by his associates, Dr. McLoughlin, chief factor, entered. To the Doctor I explained my difficulty. He investigated my complaint, found my statements correct, and at once made such an example of the refractory boy that I never afterward experienced ​
any trouble in ^^overning. I continued in the school over eighteen months, diirin<^ which the scholars learned to speak English. Several could repeal some of Murray's grammar verbatim. Some had gone throu<>h arithmetic, and upon review copied it—entirely. These copies were afterward used as school books, there having been only one printed copy at Fort Vancouver. The school numbered twentyfive pupils."
Indians Ask for the White Man's Book of Hmmu Lewis and Clark also French and English fur traders and poaribly native missionaries from eastern tribes had told the Nez Perces that the greatness of the white people was due * to their religion. Hence some of the more intelligent Indians naturally wanted to learn of thei white man*s God. These facts reached the attention of churches in the states and accounts like the following' were published so extensively diat missionary acttvi^ was greatly stimulated:
'The Nez Perces sent five of their leading men toward the rising sun for the White Man's Book of Heaven. Though one of their number soon returned, the other four continued their journey to Sl Louis where they were kindly received. For a time they experienced much difficulty in making their wants known. When General Clark came to learn the purpose of their visit, he reminded them that they had not yet learned to read the Book, but that teachers would be sent to their people,—^ promise which was soon made good by churches and later by the government. The Indians were treated as guests by General Clark; but being unaccustomed to indoor life, two of them died during the winter. When spring came the remaining two departed for their tribal home. But on the journey another died, leaving only one to return to his people with the White Man's Book of Heaven.**
While historians 'differ somewhat as to the accural of this and similar accounts, it is known that untutored Indians from the Oregon Countiy visited St Louis at van ​
ous times, dating as early as 1831, when this incident is said to have taken place, and that these visits were freely mentioned by churches in the development of the missionary spirit which was influential in bringing the first permanent white population, and in laying the foundation for public education and for the present social system of Oregon.
The First Methodist Missionaries to Oregon. Newspapers throughout the nation published accounts of the visit made by the Indians to St. Louis. Also it was explained that these Indians desired to be taught the arts of peace. These accounts appealed to the churches, which had enthusiastically accepted **From Greenland's Icy Mountains," written by Bishop Heber, and a tremendous missionary spirit was aroused. Soon the Methodist denomination sent Rev. Jason Lee to the Flathead Indians. He with Rev. Daniel Lee, Cyrus Shepard, P. L. Edwards, and C. M. Walker, joined Wyeth's overland party in 1834, sending their freight by Wyeth's ship "May Dacre." Instead of going to the Flathead Indians as directed, the missionary party under the advice of Doctor McLoughlin, went to the Willamette Valley, locating a mission on the Willamette River about sixty miles above its confluence with the Columbia. Immediately they set about building a house, a barn, fences and other things necessary to the home life of people in a new country. BEV. JASON LEE ​Found White Settlers in the Willamette Valley. Here the missionaries found about a dozen Canadian settlers with Indian wives. The white settlers had been in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company; and, following the exsunple of Doctor McLoughlin, had chosen wives from among the native women. In accordance with the policy of the Company these settlers received much encouragement from the Doctor, who desired their half-caste families to become useful men and women. Also the Doctor gave much encouragement to the missionaries while establishing their educational work among the people. JASON LEE'S BaSSION—1834
First Mission School in Oregon. Soon after Rev. Jason Lee arrived in the Willamette Valley he established the Indian Mission School in a big log cabin on the east bank of the Willamette River opposite what was later called Wheatland. Thia was the first school south of the Columbia. It was taught by Philip L. Edwards. Commencing with only a few pupils, twenty-five more were brought in from the settlers on French Prairie, and from native Indians, on either side of the Cascade Mountains, until all the persons at this mission amounted to thirty in number. These people were all placed in one small house. None of them were ​
acciutinned to auch confinement; all- having been brought up In tents, tepees, or the open air. Some were diseased; many became ill from change of diet, and soon an epidemic similar to diphtheria broke out, and instead of a school, the place became a hoq;>ital ivith sixteen children lying sick at one time in one small room. According to Doctor Mo* Looghlin, the school was continued until 1838 amid discouraging circumstances, the missionaries doing eveiirdiing in their power to remedy the ¥rant of proper buildings*
The Pint School Teadicr in Ongon. Philip L. Ed¥raunds ¥ras a Kentuckian by birth. He came from Richmond, Missouri, to Oregon, when he was twenty-three years of age. Of more than ordinary attainments, he loved order and refinement. A frontiersman, he knew how to accom* modate himself to the rough condition of pioneer life. While possessed of high moral sense, he was not a missionary. After teaching thiy school, he returned to Missouri, studied law and married. In 1850 he went to Calif omia. - set tling in Nevada county, taking an active part in- politics and dying in May, 1869.—**Centennial History of Oregon.**
Methodist Reinforcements. In 1 83 7, eight persons were brought on the ship * 'Hamilton** from Boston via the Sandwich Islands as a reinforcement for the mission of which Jason Lee was the head. Among them was Elijah White who was to be the physician of the Mission. He brought with him his wife, an infant son, and an adopted son fourteen years of age. There were also Alanson Beers, the blacksmith, who was later member of the first Executive Committee of the Provisional Government; the kmdly W. H. Willson, who Uved to locate the Salem townsite; Miss Anna Maria Pittman; also Miss Susan Downing and Miss Elvira Johnson. In October, 1839, another reinforcement came on the "Lausanne" from New York, increasing the missionary family to sixty persons. A hospital was at once built and the work of the Misuon enlarged and intensified in eveiy way possible.
​The Dalles Mission. "On March 22, 1836, Daniel Lee and H. W. Perkins, under the superintendency of Jason Lee, established "a Methodist mission to the Indians at The Dalles of the Columbia." It was commonly known as "The Dalles Mission" among the whites, but it was called "Wascopam" by the Indians. "Wascopam" was the name of the
REV. JASON LEE PREACHING TO THE INDIANS
fine spring of water which the missionaries used, and which is now the source of water supply for the high school that occupies the site of the old mission. "Wasco" is the Indian word for a "basin," and "pam" means a "place"; hence "Wascopam" means "the place of a basin." Also from this basin the County of Wasco received its name. At Wascopam the missionaries cultivated a farm of thirty acres, and carried on their work successfully until 1847, when the Mission was sold to Dr. Marcus Whitman, of the Presbyterian Mission near Walla Walla. His untimely death soon after, resulted in closing The Dalles Mission as well as the other three protestant missions which had been established between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range."—Mrs. F. C. Crandall.
by Nature long before the advent of the white man in America. Pulpit Rock, which is about twelve feet high, overlooks an open air auditorium of sloping ground where the Indians assembled to hear the missionaries preach, much after the manner of the Greeks who gathered about the Pnyx to hear Demosthenes deliver his orations. This ancient pulpit was, therefore, very sacred to the more devout Indians. Seated on Pulpit Rock, as shown in the accompanying view, is Joseph Luxillo, an Indian who was baptized by the missionaries with water from Wascopam Spring and who later became an influential preacher on the Simcoe Reservation. He was one of the many Indians who made pilgrimages to this shrine to renew their vows long after Wascopam Mission had been abandoned by the whites.
'Marriage Rite First Observed in Willamette Valley.On Sunday, July 16, 1837, religious service was held in the beautiful grove near the Lee Mission. Jason Lee delivered a sermon on "The Propriety of Marriage, and Duties Devolving upon the Married." In conclusion he added, "What I urged by precept, I am about to enforce by example;" then he offered his arm to Miss Anna Marie Pittman; and Rev. Daniel Lee read the service for two couples instead of one, as Cyrus Shepard and Miss Susan Downing were also joined then in wedlock. Yet another wedding occurred the same day of two people living on French Prairie; thus the marriage rite was first observed in the Willamette Valley. ​Before that, marriage had been a civil contract, and there was considerable laxity as to native unions.
Copyright, Gifford and Prentiss.
Other Denominations Come to Old Oregon. When it became known that Jason Lee had established the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley, other religious denominations soon became interested in the Indians of the Northwest. Finally the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions became active. In 1835 Dr. Samuel Parker and Dr. Marcus Whitman were sent west to explore the field. While on their journey they learned that missionaries would receive a welcome among the Indians west of the Rocky Mountains. Doctor Whitman forthwith returned to the East to procure assistance, but Doctor Parker continued his journey to the Oregon Country, and lived at Fort Vancouver the following winter. In the spring, he visited the Walla Walla valley and reported it to be "a delightful situation for a missionary establishment." He explored the Lewis and Spokane Rivers, becoming greatly interested in teaching the Indians whom he found. Later that year, he returned to Vancouver, whence he sailed to New York.
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health, she was carried in a wagon or cart to Green River, but from here she was able to travel on horseback. New Missions. Leav- ing the women at Fort Vancouver in Septem- ber 1836, the men re- traced their journey up the river to Waiilat- pu, which is seven miles from the present site of Walla Walla. Here Doctor and Mrs. Whitman were to la- bor. Hence it was called the Whitman Mission. In the Nez Perces country on Doctor Whitman't Re- turn. When Doctor Whit- man arrived in New York with his story of the In- dians and their needs the Board at once placed him in charge of a mission to be organized in the new country. The following year Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Spalding and Mr. W. H. Gray accompanied Doctor and Mrs. Whitman. They traveled with the fur trad- ers from Missouri to the mountains. Because of Mrs. Spalding's feeble
Spalding were placed in charge of the work. In 1838, Rev. Gushing Eells and wife, Rev. Elkanah Walker and wife, Rev. A. B. Smith and wife, and Mr. Gomelius Rogers occu- pied the Spokane mission. Adobe houses were built, land was fenced and ploughed, crops were sown and harvested, cattle were imported, portions of the Bible were translated and printed in the Nez Perce language on a little press that was sent; and an effort was made to interest the Indians in. domestic life as the shortest way to civilization. The Steannship "Beaver." Among the most memorable ships to enter the river now called the Golumbia were the
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THE S. S. BEAVEB
"Columbia," the "Tonquin," and the steamship "Beaver." The first two have already been mentioned — the "Golum- bia" as the first to enter the river named for the ship, and the "Tonquin," which brought the Astor partners who estab- lished the trading post Fort Astor, now Astoria. Because of the growth of the Oregon fur trade, there soon came a demand for rapid river transportation. This called for craft ​
propelled by •team. To meet die situation, the Hudaon'e Bay Company on August 27, 1656, ttarted the eteamAip "Beaver * from Graveeend, England, to Vancouver on the Columbia River. The**Beaver** ¥rae built on the Thames River in 1 635t and should not be confused with the Ameri* can sailing vessel of the same namei which was brought into the Columbia River in '1812 by die Astor Company. Because die S. S. "'Beaver** was unable to cany sufficient coal for so long a journey by steam, the prindpal part of the vojrage was made under sail; but there is proof diat she used her engine in oroastng the "doldrums,** the belt of calms between 3^nordi and 4* south of the equator. After a voyage of 1 75 days, she arrived in the Columbia, viith the record of being the first steamship to cross the equator in other ocean. The. **Bcaver * then steamed up the river, where she did valuable service for the Hudson** Bay Company. This wae die beginning of steam, navigation on the Columbia River.
President Sends Comn^issionefs to Oregon. In order
that he rni*^hf know fioni more reliable sources, the wisest policy to pursue in the rlcvelopment of the Northwest, President Jackson, m 1636, sent Mr. W. A. Slacum to secure such information as he could concerning OreLron. On this journey which extended up the Willamette river as far as the present site of the capital, he was careful to note all matters of import;\nre. At that time the country was new and particiihtrly rich in pasture grasses. This fact appealed to Mr. Slacum, and he encouraged the settlers to procure herds of cattle. These could he puTchasecl Irom the Mexicans in California, who were in the habit of slaughtering cattle merely for their hides:\n(\ tallow. To enrourage the project, Sinrum trave a nurnljcr of the settlers free pa.ssage on his ship to California, where the party under the direction of Ewing Young and P. L. Edwards bought eight-hundred head of cattle at three dollars each, and forty horses at twelve dollars each. In the fall .of 1637, their stock was ​
7ft
brouiJit overland to Oregon witb a lots of one-fowrtb of tbe mimber piurduMecL It is eatuaated therefore diat a cow coit the Mttlers about $3.75» and a home $15.00. Within a lew years c€»ws were regularly told in the WtHamette Valley for $50 each and oxen at $100 to $150 per yoke, such the demand for them after settlers increased in number.
SlacuTT! Creates Further Interest in Oregon. In 1837, Mr. Siacum, who had returned to the United States, made a report to the government in which he insisted that the Oregon Country should extend to the 49 th parallel. In re^ citinx the story of the Willamette Valley settlement, he impreised Congress with the gravity of the Oregon houndaiy questi«m which had occupied the attention of that body at different times since 1820 and ¥rhich was yet to be the subject of much contention between the United States and Gr^t Britain.
Lrnot Lee, and Famliani. By this time Oregon had many influential friends throughout the Nation to espouse her causes Pkominent among those who championed Oregon in Congreis was Senator Lewis F. Linn, of Missouri, who, in die year 1636 proposed to recognize Oregon as a territory. Although Scaoator Linn*s bill faOed to become a law, the information it contained was distributed fay various means throughout the United States, and in that way developed renewed interest in the West. In that same year Jason Lee canvassed Missouri and Illinois asking aid for the Willamette mission; and he carried with him a petition to Congress^ which Senator Linn presented the following year. Mr. Thomas J. Famham carried to Congress a petiticm asking protection for the Oregon settlers. The substance of his argument for this petition was that * 'Oregon is ' the geim of a great state."
Jason Lee Returns to OrcEjon. Jason I .ee impressed the people of Missouri and liliiioia wilii his devout canie ​st 1 FIBST IfANSION IN SAI.EM nes8 and the worthiness of the cause he advocated, and weis, therefore, promptly supplied with forty-two thousand dollars; and fifty persons were assigned to assist him in carrying on the missionary work in the Oregon Country. These workers were distributed among six missions,—Mouth of the Columbia, Willamette Falls, Umpqua, The Dalles, Puget Sound, and the Central Mission on the Willamette.
Archbishop Blanchet and Vicar-General Demers. The presence of the Methodist Missionaries encouraged devout French Canadians of the Willamette as early as 1834 to ask
the Catholic Church to
send missionaries to them.
In 1836 the request was
repeated. In answer to
the call, the Hudson's Bay
Company, two years later,
conveyed two priests from Montreal who were instructed to "establish a mission in the Cowlitz Valley, the reason given being that the British sovereignity south of the Columbia was still undecided.'* Hence for a time those were denied who first applied for religious instruction. Rev. Francis Norbert Blanchet was appointed vicar-general of the Oregon Mission, and the Rev. Modoste Demers was chosen as his assistant. Along their journey to Oregon the ARCHBISHOP F. N. BLANCHET ​missionaries were well received by the natives,many of whom were baptized at Forts Okanogan, Colville and Walla Walla. At Vancouver mass was celebrated for the first time. After visiting the Willamette Valley the Vicar-General established himself (1639) among the Cowlitz Indians, in a log house twenty by thirty feet which was used as a residence and a chapel. Here the activities of the church were instituted at once. The Hudson's Bay Company finally conceding to the missionaries the right to operate in the Willamette Valley, the Vicar-General took up his residence in a Canadian settlement— now St. Paul— where a log chapel had been built in 1856 on a site essentially the same as that occupied by the present church. Here January 6, 1840, "Mass was celebrated for the first time in the Willamette Valley. On the 14th of the preceding October, Rev. Demera, who had been left in charge of the Cowlitz establishment. Installed and rang the first church bell ever heard in the territory. Rev. Pierre J. DeSmet and other missionaries soon came. The Catholic church prospered, and Oregon on December 11, 1843, was erected into an apostolic vicarate by Pope Gregory XVI, who appointed Blanchet archbishop of the territory, Demers succeeding him as vicar-general."
Chinook Jargon. When Lewis and Clark came to Western Oregon they found as many Indian languages as there were tribes. Later there were two languages which were understood by all of them—the Indian sign language and the Chinook Jargon. The sign language was familiar to Indian tribes from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific. It was very interesting when gracefully rendered, much of it painstaking of the nature of beautiful pantomime. The Indian sign language has gradually gone into disuse until it is almost forgotten, yet there are some who can communicate intelligently by means of its signs and symbols. ​
The Chinook Jargon was the commercial language used by the fur traders and Indians aicmg' the Oregon coast. Later it was popularized aomewhat by missionaries vtho translated hymns and portions of the Bible into the Jargon for the benefit of the Indians. According to the "Centennial History of Oregon,** "the origin of many words in the Chinook Jargon is unknown. - This jargon is supposed to have been introduced by the first voyagers to the Oregon coast in search of furs, and was added to from time to time by Indians, travelers and fur traders. It contains some Indian, words and some corrupted French and KngliA words, and . some of it is pure fiction." There are nearly sevenrhundred words in the Chinook Jargon, only few of w{iich have found their way into literature. The once popular Jargon has subserved its purpose and gradually disappeared upon the. approach of the comprehensive English, so that there are comparatively few who* wpeak. the barbarous dialect at the present time.
The following interlinear copy of the Lord's Prayer is given as a sample of this lingua franca:
Nesika papa klaxta mltllta kopa Sabalee Uoahe • Our Father who dwellest Ja the Aboye Bsmd
kopa nesika tumtum • mflca nsm. Nesika hiyu .tikeh in our hearts (be) Thy name. We greatly long for
chahco nilka illahee. Mamook Mika kloshe tumtum kopa the coming of Thy kingdom. Do Thy good will with
okoke illahee kahkwa kopa Sahalee. Potlach konoway this world as also In the heavens. Give (us) day by
sun nesika muckamuck; pee mahlee konoway nesika mesahchee day our bread; and remember not all our wickedness
kahkwa neska mamook kopa klaska spose mamook mesahchee even as we do also with others if they do evil •
kopa nesika. Wake lolo nesika kopa peshak, pee marsh unto onrselTee. Not bring m Into danger,, but put siah kopa nesika konoway mesahchee. Kloshe kahkwa: faravay tram us all evil. So may it be. . .
iTranslatioA from Oill's "Chinook Jargon Dictionary*" ​
CHAPTER V. MCRATION AND DEVELOPMENT.
They crossed the desert, as of old Their tethers crossed the see; To nmke the West as they the East, The homestead of the freeb— ^Whittler.
Ne ceitlly for the Coloniiatioii of Oregon. Oregon was Uie lirtt Pacific Co««t region to nvhicb there was coosiilenible migration from the States. Several reasons were now apparent why it should be rapidly settled, namely:
1. If the Americans were to dominate in Oregon, it waa neceesaiy for them to he in the majority*
2. There was much uneasiness throughout the United States as to die Oregon Boundary Question, the decision of which many helieved would be influenced somewhat by the presence of Amoiean setden^
3. It was the American policy to send colonists to Oregon so that they might develop the resources of die country, and incidentally replace savagery with civilization.
4. Lawlessness was becoming prevalent so that livestock and other property were frequently stolen. Also the Indians, who were acquiring civilization and were dependent upon the vdiites for government, required better protection for their families and their proper^. Furthennore^ the Americans wanted a government of their own, the out* growth of their desire bang a demand for law and order^ To meet this demand there must be enough Americans to enforce such lavrs as might be made.
5. But above all was the opportunity for men and women to come west and improve their condition.
The Emigratioa of 1839. Mention has been made of whites who came to Oregon to trap and trade, and of those who carried on misrionary work among the Indiana* Various parties had crossed the plains but die first serious attempt at migration to Oregon was in 1 839. This movement resulted from lectures given by Rev. Jason Lee in Peoria, « ​
Illinois, during the winter of 1837-1838. In the spring of 1839, nineteen men took a two-horse wagon and a band of horses as far as Independence, Missouri. Here they transferred their luggage to pack horses and turned their course toward Santa Fe, where there was abundance of grass and many buffalo. By the last of September they reached Green River where they met Joe Meek and other well known trappers. Their suffering was intense as they traveled through deep snows with only dog meat to subsist upon, and nothing but cotton wood boughs for their horses to eat. Of this party only tive reached the Willamette Valley.
First Protestant Church on Pacific Coast With the migration to Oregon there grew a demand for churches and schools, and to meet this demand a Methodist church edifice was begun at Oregon City in 1 842, and completed in 1844. This was the first protestant church on the Pacific coast. However, the chapel of the Oregon Institute of Salem had been used for religious services as early as 1841. Prior to that time the Methodists
held religious meet- first church west of rocky moun ingS in homes, in tains. Built at Oregon city 1841-184»
groves, and in the Mission building, their missionary work having been begun by Rev. Jason Lee in 1834.
Willamette University. The missionaries aboard the "Lausanne" on their voyage from New York to Oregon celebrated the centennial of Methodism (October 25, 1839), by starting a fund with which to establish a school in the ​Willamette Valley. A sermon was preached by Rev. Gu«tavus Hines, and $650 was contributed by less than twenty feunilies; and out of the prayerful dream of the "Lausanne" missionaries came forth the first university of the Pacific OLD OBEOON INSTITUTE
Coast. But the university was a long time is materializing. Meanwhile these were some of the things that took place:
The Indian Mission School, which has been mentioned, was moved (1842) to what is now the campus of Willamette University, where it was conducted in a $10,000 frame building. At about this time the white settlers planned a school for their own children, elected a board of trustees, subscribed funds, named the school The Oregon Institute, resolved that it should grow into a college, and began to look about for a suitable location. Their investigations resulted in the purchase of the Indian Mission School property. The Oregon Institute was formally opened as a school for white children, on the present University Campus in Salem, August 1 6, 1 844, with Mrs. Chloe Clark Wilson as teacher in charge of nineteen pupils. Mrs. Willson, who came to Oregon for the express purpose of teaching the children of 1
the white settlers, was present when the $650 was subscribed on the * 'Lausanne*' for the establishment of a school in the Willamette Valley. As soon as fhm Oregon and California Conference^ of the M. £. Church completed ill organization in f 649, it assumed entire control of the school, which vras incorporated as Willamette Untverstty in 1851. The Con** f erence also designated the Oregon Institute as the prepara* tory school of the Univerdity.
Waller Hall, the oldest building on the campus, was begun in 1864, Governor Gibbs delivering the address at the laying of the comer stone. The Greek cross form of . the building was suggested by Bishop Janes of the M. £. Church. The College of Medicine after giving ​ ​instruction, two ycsars was formally organized in 1867, and the College of Law was established in 1 864. Since there were no high schools in Oregon to prepare students for the University, a number of academies were organized for that purpose. The first of these was Wilbur Academy, named in honor of Rev. James H. Wilbur, whose name has become inseparably linked with Willamette University and with the town in which he located the Academy. There were also Sherida*Academy, The Dalles Academy, Santiam Academy, and Portland Academy and Female Seminary. Also there was a seminary organized jointly by the Methodists and Congre. gationalists, at Oregon City, in which many students were trained for the University.
Among the most prominent educators who gave to the institution its standing as a university in the earlier days, were Presidents Francis S. Hoyt and Thomas M. Gatch. Dr. Hoyt resigned the presidency m 1 660, after serving ten iBishop E. R. Ames organized the Methodist annual conference at Salem, Mareh 17, 1853, inclYidliLg the territory of Oregon and Washington. The second annual conference was held by Bishop Matthew SlmpBon, at Belknap settlement. In Benton Comity, the following year. ​years in that office, and Doctor Gatch, who succeeded him, gave the University two administrations.
THOMAS MILTON GATCH, A.M. Ph.D., President of Willamette University, State University of Washington, and the Oregon Agricultural College.
In recent years the friends of Willamette University have raised a cash endowment of a half million dollars; also generous gifts of from $10 to $10,000 have been tendered the institution, enabling the oldest university on the Pacific Coast of North America to maintain an important rank among standardized schools of higher learning.
The Emigration of 1843. Early in the spring of 1843, almost simultaneously, migration began from Missouri, and in less numbers from Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennesee, Iowa, and Texas. This was called the "Great Emigration" because it embraced nearly a thousand persons. All the settlers of Oregon who preceded this emigration did not equal half as many as were added by this train. At Kansas River, Peter H. Burnett, later first American governor of California, was chosen captain; and James W. Nesmith, a young man who was to become prominent and influential in Oregon, and who later represented the young state in the United States Senate during the Civil War, was orderly sergeant. Burnett held command only eight days, and was succeeded by William Martin who retained leadership until the emigration broke into smaller parties. When Whitman, who was with the rear of the emigration, reached Fort Hall, he found the leaders doubtful as to what plan to adopt. It had been customary to leave wagons at Fort Hall and go ​through to the Columbia with pack animals. But S. A. Clark tells us in "Pioneer Days of Oregon History" that Whitman encouraged them to continue, with the assurance that he could lead them to the Columbia with their wagons. After the settlers had halted for a few days to recuperate and to rest their weary teams, they decided to continue their journey with Doctor Whitman as their guide since he was well qualified to select the best route for the wagons to follow. They reached Fort Boise on the twentieth of
​Oregon Hills of Glass. Emigrants as early as 1843 announced the discovery of natural glass along their route of travel in Eastern Oregon. In appearance the glass so closely resembled pieces of dark bottles that it was frequently mistaken for fragments of artificial glass. They soon learned, however, that it was obsidian, a natural rock and form of lava which cooled so quickly that it hardened into glass. Usually it was of a dark or black color; but occasionally phases of it were variegated with streaks of brown, and often vivid red, which gave to it an appearance that was very attractive. And when the Indians showed them spear heads, primitive knives and other useful articles made of this substance, the emigrants became more and more interested in their new discovery.
Afterwards it was ascertained that obsidian exists in vast quantities in various sectons of that porton of Oregon which lies east of the Cascade Range, and that most of the scattered fragments originally came from a group of glass buttes, near the northeast corner of Lake County. The buttes can be recognized from afar because of their dark barren sides with broken glass here and there glistening in the sun.
* ↑ For fuller account of the "Tonquin" disaster see Irving's "Astoria."
* ↑ Also "Okanagan."
* ↑ Binger Herman in "Louisiana Purchase and Our Title west of the Rocky Mountains."
* ↑ "The Story of Oregon."
* ↑ "Pioneer Days of Oregon."
* ↑ "One of the first steps taken by the Catholic fathers was to separate for a short time the Canadians from their Indian wives, after which this couples were married according to the customs of the Catholic church."-Bancroft.