Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-07-07
OF
THE COLUMBIA
HOW IT WAS MADE BY CAPTAIN
ROBERT GRAY IN
1892.

The opening of the Lewis and Clarl
exposition at Portland, Ore, las
Thursday gives timely interest to the
publication of two odd drawings IL
Illustrating the discovery of the Co
lumbia river in 1892. These pictures
now first published, are in the posses
sion Of Mrs. A. s. Twombly, of New
ton, Mass, granddaughter of Cap
tain Robert Gray, who discovered the
Columbia. They were made by Geo
Davidson, member of the exploring
expedition.
The discovery Of the Columbia by
an American navigator was of high
importance, inasmuch as it furnished
the United States it's original basis
OF claim to what is known as "the
Oregon country out of which the
states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and parts of Montana and Wyoming
have been carved.
Sailed in 1887.
Nearly two years before George
washington was inaugurated as the
first president of the United States.
Captain Robert Gray started upon a
voyage on which he visited the Pa.
c1flc coast at the mouth of the river
now named the Columbia, although he
did not make sure at the time that
he came SO near discovering a great
river. Two American vessels, the Co.
lumbia Rediviva, Captain John Ken.
drick, and the Lady Washington, Cap.
tain Robert Gray, sailed from Boston
September 80, 1887, with cargoes of
goods for the Indians. They rounded
the Horn and sailed up the Pacific
coast to Nootka sound, their object
being to engage in the fur trade of
the great northwest. The two YES.
sells, however, were separated by a
storm soon after passing Cape Horn,
and the Lady Washington reached the
Oregon coast in August, where, near
the 46th parallel Captain Gray ran his
ship aground in attempting to enter
an arm Of the sea which he already
had explored in small boats for some
miles. and which he believed to be
the stream then vaguely known as the
River of the West-now the Columbia.
The ship was attacked by Indians and
one seaman was killed and the mate
was wounded. This attack caused the
ship to put out to sea again. Histor-
lans differ as to whether Gray actu.
ally visited the mouth of the Colum.
bia on this voyage. Greenhow holds
that the fight with the Indians took
place in the Columbia, but Bancroft
is inclined to the belief that it was
TillamOok bay. The Columbia and
the Lady Washington both anchored
in NOOtka sound until the next spring,
returning to Boston on August 10,
1890.
Adventurous Navigators.
1t should be remembered that at this
time there were many adventurous
navigators who were eager to discov-
err the mouth of the great river of the
west. They believed it to be the
Pacific end of mythical northwest
passage" extending acloss the con-
tinent from Hudson's bay. Many
years before, the British government
had offered prize of 10000 pounds
to the navigator who would discover
this passage, which for century had
been supposed to exist. The Hudson
Bay company which held the crowns
charter granting it exclusive right to
trade in the whole of interior and
western North America above the
Spanish possessions discouraged any
attempts to find this passage from
the Hudson Bay side, and the nav
fgators made search for it on the
Pacific coast.
Captain James Cook, the most IA
nous British navigator of his time,
had sailed only eight days after the
declaration of American independence,
in the shape of discovering the imag.
mary passage. On the 18th of Jan.
uary, 177S, he discovered the Hawai-
ian islands, which he named the Sand
witch islands in honor of the first lord
of the admiralty. Resuming his east
ward course, Captain Cook encounter.
ed the coast of New Albion" other
wise Oregon near the 44th parallel, far
south of the Columbia Severe storms
drove him far out to sea and he did
not reach land again until he was
2 degrees north of the mouth of the
Columbia.
The New Country.
Cook returned to England after four
years of voyaging, and the accounts
of his expedition aroused great in
terest, Great Britain being eager to an
mex the new country on the Pacific
England, Russia and France each dis.
patched expeditions to explore the
region more thoroughly and to share
in the fur trade of NOotka sound. Cap
tain John Meares. British navigator,
sailed in vessel to engage in the
fur trade on his own responsibility.
and during his voyage he found an
opening in the coast which he named
Deception Bay" but which undoubt-
eddy was the mouth of the Columbia.
Meares, however. did not discover that
1t was river and sailed away. Had
he made the discovery, Great Britain
might now be the pOssessOr of all the
rich territory surrounding and includ-
ing the Lewis and Clark exposition
site.
But Captain Gray remained only six
weeks in Boston after returning from
the first voyage. starting for the North
Pacific aagin on the 2Sth of Septem-
Der, 1890, this time in command of
the ship Columbia Rediviva. Gray
reached Vancouver island the next
June. About the same time Captain
George Vancouver of the British Roy