East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1920-09-25

IL and Catholics planted their missio
I'd stations In the Oregon country, an
al about some OF these missions, like III
a, one established In the Willamette va
X ley In 1894 by the Methodists unde
r. Reverend Jason Lee. were gathere
" gradually small settlements OF Amer
n can farmers.
I How Oregon Was Saved 10 the Unite
" States
70 The immigration OF the pioneers be
Z came important in 1912 when one hun
! dred and twenty persons came TO ore
. gon with Elijah White, who was ap
pointed by the United States govern
ment subagent for Indian affairs ives
. OF the Rocky mountains. The firs
. great immigratton--perha nine hun
y dred persons-came In 1S43 undel
leaders like Jesse Applegate, Peter II
!, Burnett, J. w. Nesmith. and others
This company was followed in 1874 By
company nearly twice as large, ano
this one by a still larger company In
, 1S45, SO that the Willamette valley
the pioneers land of promise was
! by the fall Of 1876 largely occupied by
: the American settlers. Some Ameri-
, can settlers had even penetrated the
forest north OF the Columbia as far
as Puget Sound. This was the situa-
ton when. after long period of dis
cussion between Great Britain and the
United States. the British government
In the spring OF 1845 decided to in
vestigate the conditions existing In the
Oregon country. itself. Their agents
found the Willamette valley already
, well planted and also found beginnings
of settlements near the present site
OF Olympit. in Washington. The gov
ernment became convinced that the
boundary question. whose settlement
had been deferred from time to time
since the year 1913. must now be set
tied.
The United States was prepared as
far back as 1918 to accept as boun-
dary between the British and Ameri-
can territory west of the Rocky noun
tains the forty ninth parallel of lati-
tude. The British were not satisfied
with that boundary and later, on sew
eral occasions. demanded that the
Columbia river itself be made the
boundary from the ocean to the point
where the fortyininth parallel, extend
ed westward from the crest of the
Rocky mountains. would touch the
river. So firmly rooted were the Brit
ish government and people In this de-
mand for the Columbia river bound
ary, that IL required the eviSence of an
unmistakable tendency among Ameri-
cans to take adverse possession of the
country to convince the British parlia-
ment and the public of the necessity
of abounding Ii. The British cabinet.
under Sir Robert Peel, final decided
to offer the forty-ninth parallel of lat
itude drawn to the sea, but running
south and west around the south end
of vancouver's island and through De
Fuca's strait to the ocean On this
basis the boundary question was set
tied in June. 1876. and Oregon became
4 part of the United States
The Oregon Provisional Government
For many years there was no civil
government in Oregon other than that
exercised by the Hudson Bay Com
pany; some OF these men had the pow
err Of Justice under the laws of Canada.
When Americans began coming to the ,
country, a different government was
soon demanded. In 1S41. on the death
Of a settler, Ewing Young. first at
.empt at provisional government was
made by the American settlers. The
.hicf need felt was for a probate court
which could take care of the property
If the deceased. SO these American
schooled to self-govern-
nen in the western states, met togeth-
n and appointed a supreme judge
With probate powers" Two years
ater, on the second day of May, 1s43.
| more complete government was or
yanized b ythe American part of the
settlers in the Willamette valley, The
Meeting at which this government was
ramed was held at Champoeg. a place
rear the Willamette river a few miles
below Salem. A full set of officers
vas elected at this meeting and the
business of government set in opera
ion under a constitution or compact
lgreed to bby the settlers. But the
-ote in favor of an organization was
close. Fffty-two persons,
I Is said, were counted in favor while
ifty French Canadian settlers were
opposed. The latter were under the
influence of the Hudson Bay Com
,any, which was unwilling to foster
my movement that might tend to FIX
he hold OF the Americans upon the
The following year the Hudson Bay
company, seeing tho need of some sort
II effective government, withdrew its
opposition and now the Canadian set
/
annette valley in reorganizing their
government. A further re-
occurred in the year 1S45.
1t this time the officers and members
# the Hudson Bay Company themsel-
res, headed by Doctor John McLough-
In, agreed TO come under the jurisdie-
ion of the government set up the Am
,rican settlers-to abide by the laws,
o pay taxes toward its support, and
o seek the protection of the courts
under the new constitu-
ion. To Mr.. Jesse Applegate, a pio-
leer of 1S4s and man of great per-
,onal energy. intelligence and worth.
belongs the credit of effecting this
new organization and of bringing the
English companE's leaders into 1t.
The Territory of Oregon
When in June. 1s46, the treaty with
Great Britain gave oregon definitely
20 the United States. 1t was supposed
hat a territorial government would
be- at once formed by congress. This,
however, was not done for more than
TWO years. Meanwhile, the provision
al government established by the set
49,. 4t.o,,sot,,,x, ,afntafpad neare and