Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-03-10
American Settlement.

Previous to the establishment of
the Oregon Methodist mission in the
Wallamet valley, exclusive of those
whose presence might he attributed
to the Hudson's Bay Company, there
were not to exceed fifteen white in
habitants, i'll ali that region lying
west of the Rocky mountains and
between 42' and 54o ~ North lati.
tude. Those were persons who had
remained from vessels which had
entered the Columbia river, or had
come from Rocky mountains or Cali
fornia. They were mountain-men,
trappers or advcnturers and sailors.
As n general rule they were mar
ried to native women.
QS32.) Of the overland party of
Capt. Nat. j. "yeth, of Mas. some
ten remained after tho return in
1888, OF Wyeth to Boston, of whom,
Solomon II. Smith, John Ball and
Calvin Tibbe.ts settled in the Wal
lamet Valley. 1t is worthy OF note
that on the LIST of January, 1888,
John Ball opened at Fort Vancouver,
school for Indian and half-breed
children. He continued teaching
until March, when succeeded by
Solomon II. Smith. This was the
first school taught west of the Rocky
mountains.
QS34) OF Wyeth's party of 1884
there settled i'll the Wallamet, James
\. D Neill. Thomas j. Hubbard and
Courtney NJ. Walker. In Novem-
Der, came Ewing Young and Hall j.
Kelly, with a party of eight others,
among whom was Captain Joseph
Gale, afterwards one of the Execu-
tive Committee or Board of three
Governors Of Oregon under the first
Provisional Government, who SO
recently died, full of years and re-
spected by all.
OF American names connected
with the prehistoric period of Ore
gon, mono are more notable than
those of Ewing Young and Hall J.
Kelly.
Ewing Young was an adventurer
OF great !orce of character. Kelly
was visionary enthusiast. The
latter en- route to Oregon ria Mexico
and California, meeting Young at
Monterey, had induced him to come
to Oregon. Young brought with
him n herd of California mares and
horses. He erected dwelling on
Wallamet river, opposite Champoeg,
the first house built upon the west
side by an American. He entered
Oregon under a cloud, to be at
tributed perhaps entirely to the
presence among his party of some
reckless characters, who after the
California settlements had been left,
returned to the ranches and drove
off number of horses. When these
depredations had become known,
together with the fact that the des.
tination of Young and bis party was
Oregon, Figueroa, Governor Gener-
al of California, determined to de-
nounce the party as horse thieves.
The Hudson's Bay Company sloop
Cadb0rO was then at Monterey, bound
for Fort Vancouver. BY this vessel,
Gov. Fisueroa notified Gov. Nc
Loughlin of the coming to Oregon
of this party, and accusing them of
having stolen horses. The sloop
had arrived at Fort Vancouver be-
fore Young and his party; the charge
had preceded him. In memoranda
from the pen of DR.. Mclaughlin, he
says: " 1 refused to have communi-
cation with any of the party. Young
maintained he had stolen no horses.
but admitted that others had. /
told him that might be the case, but
as the charge had been made, L
could have no dealings with him till
he cleared it up. But he maintained
TO his countrymen and they believed
that, as he was a leader among them,
| acted as l did from a desire to op-
pose American interests"
Courtney NJ. Walker, herein be-
fora named, now residing at Tilla-
nook, Oregon in a most interesting
paper found among the proceedings,