Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1889-12-09
EARLY HISTORY IN A NuTsRELL.

Eat Orsgo.ias: The celebrated Co
lambia was ahristened (as everyone
| nearly knows by Captain Robert Gray,
| In his vessel 3 name, on Msy II, 1g32.
he ship Columbia, hailing from Bos-
ton, lay n She rivers mouth. and for
| nine days battled with the breakers. a
naIlv getting through and lying IN un-
raIiied waters. After nine days therein
he sailed on: and finished his cruise 70
China.
Before Captain Gray sailed through
the dangerous breakers of the Columbia
many navigators searched ia \. Nv
The Straits OF Fuca were 1.sit'o by
Greek sailor whose name they bear, in
l6S2, pioneer date in Pacific travel.
The Columbia was sought in IT'S, by
shs Spanish Bruna Heceta, who sailed
With an early expedition from Mexico,
but be got to the mouth of the river
without learning anything Of it. Cap
tain Cook passed and missed il in LIS,
Lieutenant John Mears, sailing under
the tag of Portugal, rode into the rivers
mouth and called il Deception Bay.
Cape Disappointment Is another name
left to mark his chequered career. Cap
tain Vancouver, from England, began
search for the river in 1890.
1905 sent Captains Lewis and Clark
with overland expeditions to the Co.
lumbia, which they traced from its
source to the ocean, arriving at Cape
Disappointment November 18th Of that
year. The profitable fur trade induced
John Jacob Astor to send out an expe-
dition to Oregon. The vessel TonQuin
was supplied with stores and carried
four of AstOr's partners, eleven clerks
and thirteen Canadians, all of whom
landed some thirteen miles from the
mouth of the Columbia on March "a,
1911, and founded Astoria, the first set
tlement made by Americans west Of the
Rocky Mountains.
The TonQuin was doomed ship.
She was captured by Indians, all on
board murdered, and by an explosion of
the magazine number of the Indians
were also waited to their happy hunting
grounds.
Canada had Northwestern fur COM
pany, which regarded Astor's enterprise
with deadly hatred, and ere the ION
gum started from the Atlantic coast,
David Thompson WAS given Canadian
command with full Illustrations to reach
the mouth of the Columbia at all haz-
ards, III advance of Astor's ship. The
Rocky Mountain SHOWS checked the Ca
nadIan's advance, and the day Astoria
was founded they had just reached as
far as Spokane Falls. Possession of
the country was taken by Thompson for |
Great Britain. by supplying the Indians
along his travelled route with small Eng |
ilsh flags. The peculiar war between |
the Northwestern and Hudson Bay fur |
companies soon followed. Robberies |
and murders were of frequent occur |
renee. England adjusted their difficult |
ties, and the two companies united |
their interests for twenty-o one years, |
during which time almost bound.ess au- |
thorIty was allowed the monop0lies. |
The chief factor or Governor of the |
whole of Oregon and Washington Ter
ritory, was DIR. John Mclaughlin, who |
was an Irish gentleman of good execu- |
estly for the interests of the whites and
the Indians. |
Several years after Oregon (since di- |
vided into Oregon and Washington Ter
ritOry) was claimed by both England |
and the United States. Difficulties rose
and war was threatened. The Lion" |
had felt the eagles" claws dig into
her very vitals on two occasions before; |
therefore ''Johl Bull" did not want |
"Uncle Sam to play any more of his |
little games" As the star-striped "Un-
Gle" was too wide awake. Peace was |
consequently effected by the Oregon
Treaty, ratified at Washington June |
18th. 1912, and in London July 18th, of |
the same year.
.Oregon's first Territorial Governor
was George Abernethy, elected in the
spring of 1915. A regular election was
held, independent of either the Ameri-
can or English Governments. 1t was
not until the spring of 1S47 that the |
people of Oregon knew of the couces-
sion of the Territory to the United |
States.