Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-05-02
MLOUGHLN WAS
ONE OF VESTS
TRUE CHRISTIANS
HUDSONS BAY FACTOR RULED
OVER VAST DOMAIN; HELPED
AMERICAN SETTLERS

In all the early history Of Montana
there is no more outstanding and In
teresting figure than DR. John nc
Loughlin, whose sway was absolute
from California to Alaska, and from
the Pacific to the summit Of tbs
Rockies, including the northwestern
part Of what Is now Montana He was
kindly despot, and but for his toler-
ance and humanity the Americans
could not have settled old Oregon, nor
would the country north Of the Co
fumbia, now a part Of the United
States, have belonged TO us.
1t was this Hudson's Bay chief fac
tor, who, with the coming Of the set
tiers. fed the hungry and clothed the
naked. A Catholic, he aided the
Protestant missions. While word from
him would have been sufficient to
have wiped out all OF the Yankee set
Elements, he used that word for their
protection by giving the Indians to
understand that he would tolerate no
III treatment Of the "Bostons." as the
Americans were called by the natives.
Often DR.. Mclaughlin was accused
of Partially to Americans, by his
company and others; to which he re-
piled that he was born but 80 miles
from the Maine line.
Some authorities claim that he was
Irish. If so, 1t was on his fathers side.
his mother being the daughter Of
Colonel Malcolm Fraser, with whom
John, and his brother, David, lived
after the death Of his father, and
until they went abroad to study medi-
cine. David became a physician In the
British service; but John declined to
follow his example, because England
vas then at war with France and this
young Canadian openly admitted that
ne admired Napoleon too much to
fight him.
More American Than British
Born in 1874 in Canada, DR.. Nc |
loughlin was always more American /
han British. His early environment !
made him lover Of freedom, and he /
had no trace Of snobbishneSS It is !
old Of him that when young man,
he was walking with a lady in /
quebec street, when, in crossing a
blank laid over a muddy place, the
ady was pushed from 1t by an arro-
amt British officer Young McLough-
IN sent the man sprawling In the mud
Iole, to the sad detriment of his brill
Iant uniform. But this act Of speedy
1stice made the east an unsafe abid
ng place for the choleric doctor, and
e went west, where his Fraser con-
ections helped him to a position with
be Northwest Fur Co., the company
hat enlisted most Of the ambitious
Dung men, because Of its progressive
olicy.
When the union Of the two COM
anies was being considered In London,
LcLoughlin attracted attention by his
riticism of Hudson's Bay methods,
nd his revolutionary proposals. After
ting what the Northwest company
ad accomplished, he said:
when the profits began to flow in,
le Hudson's Bay company began to
ID its sleepy eyes and claim the fruits
our toll. They claimed our trading
eldS and shot our traders. To OBJ
ruct our work they threw the Red
yer settlement across our path, cut
ng communication with Montreal
Id blockading our supplies. They
'ohibited their settlers from selling
and tried TO starve us out.
hey used their money to bride our
aders, and when brides would not
ffice they shot us tn the forest. And
w you ask US 10 share equally the
Gifts Of the trade. I do not object