Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1922-02-15

eSsotNos ~ 10 otobNshOi PAoPOi ohN
fitting that we note some Of the
events Of the early Oregon days uI
to the time that our wonderful state
was made one Of the United States.
The first record that We have of q
white man setting foot on Oregon
soil is in the year 1892, when Cap
tain Gray. an American fur trader
from Boston, entered the mouth OF
the Columbia river in his ship, nam
ing the river after his ship. the "Col-
umbia." During the same year, Cap
tain Vancouver of the British navy
explored 80 miles up the Columbia
and named many of the prominent
places In Its course. Near the same
date Oregon received Its name from
a traveller by the name of Captain
Carver, who spent winter among
the Sioux Indians. On his return,
he spoke OF great western river and
called II the Oregon However. the
state retained the name and the river
kept the name of the ship.
At the time that the United States
purchased the Louisiana Territory,
the entire northwest country was
practically unknown, and President
Jefferson Immediately sent Lewis
and Clark on an exploring expedition
which brought them to the Pacific
coast in December, 1906. In 1911,
John Jacob Astor, a New York fur
trader, landed and established post
at the mouth Of the Columbia, NAM
ing II Astoria, thereby establishing
the first settlement In the state OF
Oregon.
In 1924, DR.. John Mclaughlin ar
rived on he coast to take charge OF
the Hudson Bay company's fur inter-
est and changed the post from AS
toria to Port Vancouver, and lie con-
Ired In charge of tho post To- 20
years. Through his firm control over
the Indians, his kindness and hosp'-
tally to traders and missionaries,
adventurers and colonists he rightly
deserves the name of the Father Of
Oregon"
The first emigrants for Oregon
crossed the plains In 1889, and they
continued until the year 1S4S, when
the gold fever struck the entire coun-
try and drew a great number of emi-
grants from Oregon. In 1850 the
land donation law was passed, and
had the effect OF registering 5000
people in the state OF Oregon.
Captain Nathaniel J. Wyeth, Of
Boston, came overland about the
year 1928, sending his supplies
around by ship, but the ship was
lost, and Captain Wyeth and II men
arrived in Oregon. The captain re-
turned east in 1888, leaving some Of
his men to look after his interests
in Oregon, and these men were the
first to be tillers OF the soil In our
state. 1t was also this captain who
first saw the wealth In salmon fish
ing, but owing to the enormous
wealth and power Of the Hudson Bay
company. he was unable to compete
with them, and was compelled to
give up his project as a failure, but
from It came the first colonization
of the state.
The Methodists lay claim to the
first mission In the state among the
early settlers who were financed and
helped by DR.. Mclaughlin. DR.. Mar
Gus Whitman was sent to Oregon in
1885 to take charge Of the work and
continued with the work until 1912.
when, owing to the agitation about
the bOundry line between the British
possessions and the United States, he
started on horseback and made
5000 mile ride to Washington, d. z.
In the interests of the settlers Of
Oregon and OF laying before congress
the facts about the great northwest,
and It can be said that DR.. Whit
mans ride saved a great share of
the northwest to our United States.
DR.. Whitman returned to Oregon In
1843 at the head of about 1000 emf
grants and again took charge of the
missionary work, but from that time
on, his influence over the Indians,
which had been so complete before,
began to wane. Finally measles
broke out among the Indians, and It
proved very fatal and gained the fur
ther enemity of the Indians, as they
thought that he was poisoning them
and resulted in the Whitman mas
sacre November 29, 1847, in which
the doctor, his wife and seven others
were killed. This resulted In the
Oregon leaders sending ringing me-
mortal to the national congress, and
when the word reached st. Louis of
the Whitman massacre, the whole