Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-03-25

al InselliQencer OF last weeS, me borrowing at
trsciive sketch Of the Territory beyond the
Rocky Mountains, which is now the theme oil
debate in the U. S. Senate:
| Within few years several Americans. of
whom the writer of this notice Is one, have
crossed the Rocky Mountains to The mouth OF
the Columbia, with objects entirely nnconnec.
ted with trade or commerce. Mine was The
desire TO see new country. lover Of adven-
tore for lis own sake, and an enthusiastic fond
ness for natural history.
The party with which travelled left INDIE
pendence, Missouri, about the latter part OF
April, 1884. and arrived at the Brush Fort.
Vancouver, in September, having performed
the whole journey on horseback. From this
time until October, 1886, with the exception
Of the first winter, which lpassed at the Sand.
witch Islands. my residence was 10 the Terri
tory of Oregon. DR.. Mclaughlin. the chief
factor, treated me with uniform and singular
kindness. supplying all my wants, and furnish
| ing me with every facility in the prosecution
| of my plans. This is. believe, the uniform
character of the superintendent OF British forts
in that country. Travellers. naiuralisis, and
all who are not traders, are kindly and most
Hospitality treated. but the moment the visitor
| is known to trade beaver skin from an In.
dian, that moment he is elected from the COM
munity. The company has sum Of money,
amounting 10 several hundred thousand pounds
sterling, laid aside at Vancouver, for the sole
purpose of opposing all who may come 10 in
Ierfere with its monopoly. by purchasing at
exorbiant prices all The furs in possession Of
the Indians, and thus forcing the settler to come
10 terms, or driving him from The country. II
il be an Individual who is thus starved into
submission. he then usually clears piece Of
land on the Walzmmet river, lakes an Indian
wife, and purchases furs of the natives. which,
BY previous contract, he is bound 10 sell 10 the
/ Company at an advance which is fixed by the
Governor.
! Fort Vancouver, the principal trading post
of the Oregon, stands Oh the north bank OF the
river, about ninety miles from its mouth. The
for, consists of several dwellings, siorehouses.
workshops, &c., all IF frame, arranged ioge,h
er in a quadrangnlar form, and surrounded by
stockade of pine logs, about twenty feet in
height. The fort has no bas.ions, and contains
no armament. There are, to be sure, four great
guns frowning in front Of the Governors man.
sion. two long eighteens, and two nine pound.
ers, bat two Of these have long been spiked,
and the others are unfit for service.
/ The rainy season commences here about the
middle of October. and continues until about
the first Of April. During this period the
weather is almost uniformly dull, foggy, OF
rainy. Sometimes rain falls necessarily for
the space Of two or three weeks. Occasional.
ly during the winter months. there will be a
light fall of snow. and in the winter of 1895
and g, the river was frozen over. This in
tensity of cold. however. con';-"~a sus rev
days, and was said 10 be very unusual. The
general range ofthe Thermometer (Fahrenheirs)
during that season was from 36 deg. to 4s
deg, but for three or four days the mercury was
as low as 25 deg.
In the vicinity Of Fort Vancouver, the cattle
grazed during the whole winter; no slablng
or stall feeding is requisite. as the extensive
plains produce the finest and most abundant,
crops of excellent prairie grass.
In choosing a site for settlement on the
main river. it is always necessary TO bear in
mind the periodical foundations. Fort Van
couvre itself. although built upon high piece
of land. at the distance Of six hundred yards
from the common rise of the tides. is some.
times almost reached by the fresheis in early
spring. The soil here on both sides of The
river is a rich black loan, the base being ba.
saiic rock.
The face Of the country from Fort George
| (Asioria) TO Vancouvre..-a distance of eighty
miles-..is very much of uniform character, con-
sisiing Of alluvial meadows along the river
banks, alternating with forests Of pine, oak,
&C.; while behind are extensive plains, some
of which receive estuaries of the river, while
others are waiered b. lakes or ponds. The
pine forests are very extensive, the trees being
Of great size. and the timber extraordinarily
beautiful. All the timber of the genus pinus,
of which there was great number Of species,
is gigantic. | measured with Dr. Gardner,
surgeon Of the fort, pine Of the species Dsug-
las, which had been Frustrated by the wind.
lie height was above f,co hundred feet, and
its circumference forty fpe feet. Large as
was this specimen, It's dimensions are much
exceeded by one measured by the late David
Douglass. The heigh, Of this tree was nearly
three hundred feet. and its circumference .fffy-
sic feet. The cones Of this pine, according 10
| Mr.. Douglass, were from twelve TO fifteen in.
ches in length, resembling IN size and form
SUGAR loaves. Oak timber of various kinds.
lis abundant along the river. as well as the but
tonwood. basam, poplar. ash. swee, gum,
beach, and many other useful kinds, bot no
/ hickory or walnut.
The Governor Of Fort Vancouvre. who is
an active agricultu.ist, has exeried himself for
several years in raising whatever appears a.
dap,ed TO the soil. Wheat. we. barley. peas.
and culinary vegetables of all kinds are raised
in ample quantity.
FRUITS OF various kinds. apples, peaches,
plumbs. &c. do remarkably well. remem-
her being particularly struck, on my arrival a,
\ yancouvre in the autumn. with the display oil
| apples in the garden Of the fors. The trees
4 were crowded with fruit. so tina, every limb
required to be sustained By prop. The ap.
Plies were literally packed along the branches,