OREGON Territory, a vast extent of country belonging to the United States of North America, and situated to the west of the Rocky Mountains. It is bounded on the north by the British and Russian possessions, the limits of neither power having been very clearly fixed. On the west it is bounded by the Pacific; on the south by Mexico and on the east by the stupendous ridges of the Rocky Mountains, situated in the territories of Arkansas and Missouri. It may be assumed as stretching between the forty-first and fifty-fourth parallels of north latitude, and the thirty-fourth and forty-eighth meridians of west longitude. The waters which rise on the western declivities of the gigantic mountain chain bounding Oregon on the east, flow into the Columbia, the Multnomah, and the lake Buene-ventura. In general the elevated summits of the Rocky Mountains rise above the line of perpetual congelation. Beyond the mountains the country descends by regular belts, in the form of immense terraces, or descènding plains, disposed regularly, the one below the other. Beyond the first plain, and between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific, is another extensive and high chain of mountains, in which are the great falls of the Columbia; still farther to the west, running parallel with the coast, and at the distance of one hundred and fifty miles, is the third and last chain. The peaks of all these mountain ridges are covered with perpetual snow. The loftiest of them have been named Mount Baker, Mount Regnier, Mount St Helens, Mount Hood, and Mount Jefferson.

The Columbia and its branches are the only rivers which have been explored to any extent in the region of Oregon. This noble river, sometimes named after the territory, has its head waters near those of the Missouri, and it collects innumerable tributary streams throughout a great extent along the western ridges of the Rocky Mountains. Immediately after it emerges from these, its current becomes broad and deep, and having received Clarke’s and Lewis’ Rivers, which flow into it on the south-east side, its breadth is enlarged to nine hundred and sixty yards. It there takes a great bend to the south, and penetrates the second mountain barrier. One hundred and thirty-six miles lower down are the great falls, where the river descends fifty-seven feet in one rapid; but none of the cataracts singly are above twenty feet. Below these falls it winds first to the northwest, and then to the south-west, and intersects the third [7:16:524]chain of mountains, where it is again compressed to one' hundred and fifty yards in breadth. Below this rapid, which is distant one hundred and eighty miles from the Pacific, it meets the tide, and from this point it has a broad estuary to the sea. Sixty miles below the rapids, the Wallamat or Multnomah, a large tributary, flows in from the north-east; and this river, together with those of Clarke and Lewis, constitute the three great tributary streams of the Columbia. Vessels of three hundred tons may reach the Multnomah, and large sloops may ascend as high as the tide. Above the rapids the navigation is good for sixty-five miles, when it is interrupted by the long narrows; and higher up it is also interrupted by falls, which renders about five miles of portage necessary to obviate these obstructions to navigation. The river at the narrows, for upwards of three miles, is compressed into a strait, not exceeding sixty or seventy yards in breadth, the whole of which is a succession of boiling whirlpools. The Columbia flows into the Pacific Ocean in latitude 46. 19. north, and longitude 123. 54. west; and although its main sources are estimated at only eight degrees of latitude from this, yet if we take into calculation its serpentine windings, its course cannot be less than fifteen hundred miles. The mouth of this great river is upwards of four miles wide, and, to the distance of thirty or forty miles from its entrance into the sea, it is, properly speaking, a mere estuary, indented by deep bays, so as to vary from three to seven miles in width. It is rendered extremely intricate and dangerous by shoals reaching nearly from shore to shore, on which at times the winds and currents produce foaming and tumultuous breakers. The river proper, however, is only about half a mile wide at its confluence with the sea, being narrowed by the contracting shores of the estuary. The entrance from the Pacific is bounded on the southern side by a flat sandy neck of land, stretching into the ocean, and commonly called Point Adams. The opposite or northern side is Cape Disappointment, a kind of peninsula, terminating in a steep knoll or promontory, crowned with a forest of pine-trees, and connected with the mainland by a low and narrow neck. The Columbia River is, for a considerable distance, seldom less than a mile in breadth; in some places it is from two to five miles wide, and in others it forms lakes of very considerable magnitude. The shores are generally bold and thickly wooded. Pine in all its varieties predominates, and is mixed with white oak, ash, beech, poplar, alder, crab, and cotton wood, with an undergrowth of briars and other shrubs. Up to the rapids the river is covered with numerous islands, from one to three miles in length, some of which present fine meadows, and others are well wooded. Sand banks also prevail, and these, being so large and high as to be laid bare at low water, materially obstruct the navigation of the river. In the neighbourhood of these the shores are generally low, and present some fine flat “bottoms” of meadow ground, bordered by a profusion of blackberry and other wild-fruit shrubs; in the deep and narrow parts of the channel the shores are bolder. The pine-tree declines considerably above the rapids, and is much more equally mixed with other trees, amongst which the hazel occasionally predominates. But in regard to size, the pine and the cedar are as gigantic at the very source of the Columbia as they are on the shores of the Pacific. The Columbia and its tributaries abound with the finest salmon, which seem in fact to constitute the principal article of food of the savages who inhabit the country to the west of the Rocky Mountains. Seals and other aquatic animals are likewise abundant in this river, and the skins, which are exported to China, constitute the chief article of trade. A number of the head streams of the Missouri interlock with the waters of this river, as Wisdom River with Clarke’s of the Columbia; and Jefferson of the Missouri with Lewis’s of the Columbia. Clarke’s River has a course of between two and three hundred miles before it unites with the Columbia. Lewis’s River is also a large and long tributary, receiving in its course the North Fork and Kooskooskee, and, after winding six hundred miles, it joins the Columbia by a mouth upwards of six hundred yards in width. The current is very rapid. Its waters are deep, of a white colour, and slightly tepid, in which respect Lewis River forms a marked contrast with the Columbia, the waters of which are quite clear and cool. The latter river at this place is upwards of one thousand yards wide, and the current descends at an even rate of about four miles an hour. The two most important rivers which join the Columbia below the rapids are, the Multnomah, which has been already mentioned, and the Coweliskee. The general course of the former is a little to the eastward of south. It runs through a low, well-wooded country, for upwards of sixty miles, when the navigation is interrupted by a considerable fall, above which the channel contracts, and the banks become higher and less wooded. The climate on the shores of this river is remarkably mild, and not so moist as it is on the coast. It possesses a rich and luxuriant soil, which yields an abundance of fruits and roots; and amongst other herbs the tobacco plant has been discovered, and found to be of excellent quality. The Indians here are of a pacific character. There are no noxious reptiles, and beaver, deer, and elk are plentiful. Indeed it is anticipated, that when Oregon shall become generally colonized, the country about the Wallamat will be rendered one of the most delightful districts to the westward of the Rocky Mountains. Little is known of the Coweliskee. It enters the Columbia from the northward, about half a day’s journey below the Wallamat. Its banks are high and thickly wooded, but its current is much interrupted by rapids.

Little information has been obtained regarding the geological features of this vast expanse of country; but it is presumed that the western declivities of these mountains are of primitive formation. The territory must have an abrupt slope towards the Pacific, as it descends as much in six hundred miles to the west, as it does in one thousand five hundred miles to the east. The summits of the mountain ranges, being rugged rocks, the only covering of which is snow, that remains during the greater part of the year, are necessarily sterile; but these rocky chains embosom and shelter valleys of considerable fertility. The timber which clothes the mountains consists of pine, spruce, fir, and the other terebinthines. The terrace plains below have in general a fine soil, but they are very scantily furnished with timber, except on the banks of the rivers. The prairies are covered with grass and a profusion of beautiful flowers, the same as on the eastern sides of the mountains. Amongst the prairie plants are found various species of edible roots, which are used by the savages, in addition to the immense quantities of salmon, which constitute their staple article of food. Wild sage is not only a most abundant herb, but it grows to so large a size that it is used as the chief article of fuel on these extensive plains. Deep and thick forests of such evergreens as pine and hemlock stretch along the shore, and extend a considerable way into the interior; and altogether it appears that the region which lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean possesses in many parts a fertile soil, besides enjoying an agreeable climate. Its southern, border, where it joins with Mexico is indeed remarkably mild. In the year 1805 this region was explored by order of the American government; and from the tables which were drawn up by Lewis and Clarke, the persons employed on that service, a pretty correct idea may be formed of the meteorology, and consequently of the climate, of the country in question. From September it gradually became colder till the end of January, after which the rigour of the winter abated, and by the end of [7:16:525]February it was “quite warm.” By the middle of March plants appeared above ground, and put forth their leaves; and on the 30th of that month, “grass was sixteen inches high in river bottoms.” It is not, however, till the end of May that snow disappears from the high plains; and about the beginning of June the river Columbia is at its greatest height, being swelled by the melting of the snow on the mountains. Strawberries are ripe at the end of this month, and July and August appear to be the season when fruits and flowers arrive at full perfection. From other and more recent authorities we learn that the summer is reckoned temperate, the thermometer never rising above eighty degrees. Westerly winds prevail during the spring and early part of summer, and they are succeeded by fresh breezes from the north-west. In the month of October the southerly winds set in, bringing with them frequent rain. The rainy season, which commences in this month, continues, with little intermission, till April; and although the winters, as we have already observed, are mild, the mercury in the thermometer seldom sinking below the freezing point, yet the tempests of wind and rain are terrible. The sun is said to be sometimes obscured for weeks, the brooks swell into roaring torrents, and the country is threatened with a deluge.

The foregoing observations regarding the climate, soil, and productions of Oregon, apply chiefly to that part of the country which lies between the rapids and the Pacific Ocean. Mr Ross Cox, who spent several years in this region, informs us, that from the falls to the land of the Spokans, a distance of about five hundred miles, the summers are excessively hot, and the winters intensely cold, yet the climate is withal remarkably healthy, and, during these seasons, subject to but little variation. The soil is unproductive, consisting chiefly of a light yellowish sandy clay. The plains are covered with a short kind of grass, mixed with prickly pears, wormwood, and tufts of long, coarse grass, from three to five feet in height. Patches of clover are here and there visible, and in their vicinity the chappallel and the camas or quamash roots are found. Wild onions grow in considerable quantities along the banks of the river above the falls. Cotton wood, small willow, sumac, furze, and sarsaparilla, are also occasionally found; but from the falls to Spokan River, none of the larger trees are met with. The principal animals are horses, small deer, prairie wolves, red foxes, badgers, polecats, hares, and dogs. Otters are sometimes seen; but the great staple animal of the American trapper, the beaver, is a stranger to this particular district, whilst in other parts of the country it is frequently found. The Indians affirm that buffaloes were formerly numerous, but, together with the elk and the sheep, they have long since deserted the plains. No rattle-snakes are seen below the falls; but at a short distance above them they make their appearance, and are in some parts very numerous, as are also horned lizards and grasshoppers. Within the region of the Rocky Mountains vegetation on the Columbia is rich and luxuriant, including all the varieties, from a profuse growth of blackberry and wild cherry, to the stately pine and majestic cedar. On the eastern side of the mountains, the reverse of this is observed, vegetation being dwarfish and stunted. The difference is supposed to arise from the great humidity of the atmosphere on the Columbia. There, westerly and south-westerly winds prevail during eight months of the year, and are loaded with exhalations from the Pacific. Such of the clouds as are not arrested by the high lands on the coast, are stopped in their progress eastward by the lofty chain of the Rocky Mountains, and thus serve to keep the climate perpetually moist.

In the year 1811, a settlement was formed by American citizens at the mouth of the Columbia, and called Astoria, alter Mr Astor, who conceived the idea of forming an ex tensive fur dépôt in this part of America. Astoria was taken by the British in 1813, and by them the name of the place was changed to that of Fort George. The soil and productions of this portion of the Oregon territory are thus described by Mr Ross Cox. “The soil in the valleys consists of a bed of rich black mould, about six inches in depth, which covers a stratum of gray earth, extremely cold. The latter lies on a layer of large gravelly sand; and under all is a bed of hard flinty stones. On the high grounds, under a thin covering of black mould, are found good quarry stones, well adapted for building. There is a bank of white earth, resembling chalk, to the southward of Point Adams; and farther on in the same direction, the Indians find red, green, and yellow earths, and a species of heavy shining clay resembling lead-mine. No limestone is found in the neighbourhood.” In June there are, amongst other wild fruits, small white strawberries, of a sweet flavour; and these are followed by red and amber raspberries, which grow upon bushes from ten to fifteen feet in height. During the three months which follow, there are obtained considerable quantities of blueberries, blackberries, wild cherries, gooseberries, wild pears, and a species of bitter crab-apple. There is a shrub of a peculiar description, which yields a fruit much esteemed by the natives. The country likewise abounds in various nutritive roots, amongst which is a kind resembling young onions, collected by the Indians in great quantities, which, after being dried and pulverized, are made into loaves, and laid up for seasons of scarcity. The principal quadrupeds are the elk, the red deer, the black-tailed deer; the black, brown, and grizzly bear, the last of which is extremely ferocious; the wolf, lynx, panther, tiger-cat, wild cat, marmot, fox, beaver, land-otter, sea-otter, musk-rat, wood-rat, and the horse. White bears are occasionally killed on the coast to the northward of the Columbia, but they are scarce. The most remarkable of the feathered tribes are the black, brown, and nun eagle, the hawk, pelican, cormorant, swan, heron, crane, bustard, gray and white goose, various species of wild duck, and other water-game. In some parts, the humming-bird and bee, in great numbers, banquet during the summer months amongst the wild flowers and aromatic herbs. The trees most common in the neighbourhood of Astoria are the cedar, spruce, pine, alder, and some others equally valuable. The cedars are from twenty to thirty feet in circumference, and proportionally high. The alders also are extremely large; and ash and oak, the former of a tolerable size, are found a few leagues above the fort.

The rivers and the lakes are most abundantly furnished with fish of various kinds. In the spring months they swarm with immense quantities of small fish resembling pilchards, which are smoke-dried, and form an important article of barter with the upper Indians for roots. Prime sturgeon, which attains an enormous size, abound in the months of August and September; but the grand staple is salmon, the chief fishing of which is at the “long narrows,” already mentioned, where the river, compressed into a channel from fifty to one hundred feet in breadth, boils and roars with great fury for a distance of three miles. In the spring of the year, when the water is high, the salmon ascend the river in incredible numbers. As they pass through this narrow strait, the Indians, standing upon the rocks, or on the end of wooden stages projecting from the banks, scoop them up with small nets distended on hoops, and attached to long handles, and cast them ashore. They are then cured and packed in a peculiar manner. After being disembowelled, they are exposed to the sun on scaffolds erected on the river-banks. When sufficiently dry, they are pounded fine between two stones, pressed into the smallest compass, and packed in baskets or bales of grass matting, about two feet in length and one in diameter, [7:16:526]lined with the cured skin of a salmon. Packages are then made, each containing twelve of these bales, and being well wrapped up and secured, they are placed in dry situations, and again covered with matting. Each of these packages contains from ninety to a hundred pounds of dried fish, which in this state will keep sound for several years. At the head of the long narrows the Indians had some years ago, and have still, it is presumed, their principal trading mart or emporium. Here the salmon caught in the neighbouring rapids are “warehoused,” to await customers. Hither the tribes from the mouth of the Columbia repair with the fish of the sea-coast, the roots, berries, and especially the wappatoo, gathered in the lower parts of the river, together with goodsand trinkets obtained from the ships which visit the coast, or from the colonists. Hither also the tribes from the Rocky Mountains bring down horses, bear grass, quamash, and other commodities of the interior. The trade is of course pursued on the primitive principle of barter, the merchant fisherman acting as middleman or factor.

Although only a comparatively small portion of Oregon, and that chiefly situated on the banks of the great river, has been described, the greater part of the territory being still an unexplored wilderness, yet from this partial account we are induced to form a favourable opinion of the country. Wood appears to abound on the banks of the rivers, but many of the immense prairies of which the interior principally consists are nearly destitute of it, being chiefly covered with a coarse grass, and a prodigious growth of prickly pear, and other shrubs. Occasionally, however, there intervene bright green patches intermixed with wild flowers, and gently rising eminences, partially covered with clumps of small trees, which give an agreeable variety to the face of the country. Lewis and Clarke give a very pleasing account of what they term the great Columbian valley. It is sixty miles in width, and extends far to the south-south-east, between parallel ridges of mountains, which bound it on the east and west. Through the centre of this valley flows the Wallamat, which has already been described as traversing for several hundred miles a still unviolated wilderness. The sheltered situation of this immense valley has an obvious effect upon the climate, as might be expected. It is represented as a region of great beauty and luxuriance, with lakes, and pools, and green meadows, shaded by noble groves. Various Indian tribes are said to reside in this valley, and all along the banks of the Wallamat. There is another place called Oakinagan, of which Mr Ross Cox gives a very flattering description. It is a point of land three miles in length by two in breadth, formed by the confluence of the river Oakinagan with the Columbia. This small spot is enclosed at the upper end by a chain of hills, within which the rattlesnakes never intrude. The climate here is highly salubrious, the soil is fertile, producing immense quantities of sarsaparilla; the horses are abundant, and ample facilities exist for water-carriage. The native Indians who inhabit the peninsula are an honest, quiet, inoffensive tribe, whose chief occupation is catching and curing salmon, and hunting the deer and beaver. This was reckoned an eligible situation for a fort, and here one has accordingly been erected.

There is a district called New Caledonia, generally included in the territory of Oregon, of which a short account is requisite in this place. It extends from north latitude 51° 30 ’ to about 56°. The principal trading post is called Alexandria, which is built on the banks of Fraser’s River, in latitude 53° north. The country in its immediate vicinity presents a beautiful and picturesque appearance. The banks of the river are somewhat low; but at a little distance inland, elevations, partially diversified by groves of fir and poplar, raise their heads above the general level.

This region is full of small lakes, rivers, and marshes. It extends about ten days’ journey in a north and north-east direction. To the south and south east the Atnah or Chin Indian country extends about one hundred miles; on the east there is a chain of lakes, and the mountains bordering Thompson’s River; whilst to the westward and north-west lie the lands of the Naskotinsand Clinches. The principal rivers are Fraser’s, Quesnel’s, Rough Poplar, Chilcotin,and West Road. Of these, Fraser’s River only is navigable. It receives the waters of Quesnel’s and West Poplar Rivers, which issue from small lakes to the westward. The lakes and rivers abound in fish, such as salmon, trout, sucker, and the like. The soil is thin and poor, and the vegetation here is considerably inferior to that on the Columbia. On the banks of the chief river, and in the interior, the trees consist of poplar, cypress, alder, cedar, birch, and different species of fir, spruce, and willow. There are some wild fruits, and edible and medicinal roots, but not at all so plentifully distributed as in other parts of the territory. A number of valuable minerals are found in New Caledonia, including coal in considerable quantities. There have also been discovered rock-crystal, cobalt, talc, iron, marcasites of a gold colour, marble and limestone, quartz and granite. The animal kingdom does not differ so much from that which characterises the banks of the Columbia, as to require specific mention. Spring commences in April, when the wild flowers begin to bud, and from this period to the latter end of May the weather is delightful. In June it rains incessantly, with strong southerly and easterly winds. During the months of July and August the heat is very great; and in September the fogs are so dense that it is quite impossible to distinguish the opposite side of the river any morning before ten o’clock. October gives indications of the approach of winter; and in January the cold is sometimes most intense. In general, however, the climate may be characterised as neither unhealthy nor unpleasant. The natives prosecute the salmon fishery to a considerable extent, and their mode of catching them is very similar to that already described. Large-sized sturgeon are occasionally taken, but this fish is not relished by the natives.

Of the various Indian tribes who still inhabit the immense tract of country which we have described, our limits permit us to present only a very brief notice. Their number has been estimated at about 140,000, and they are distributed into a great many tribes, which often engage in war with each other. Many of them are excellent hunters; and the mode of fishing and preparing the article for the market shows a practised ingenuity seldom evinced by the aborigines of America. There are striking contrarieties of character between the Indian tribes; some of them being pugnacious and bloodthirsty, and others of a comparatively mild and inoffensive disposition. Their diet and their mode of living also vary considerably, but they all chiefly subsist on the fish of the rivers, and the native roots of the soil. For some years a settlement of fur traders, called Astoria, has existed in Oregon. The chief intercourse of this place is with China. The question of settling this delightful country permanently has been more than once debated in Congress; and were such settlements authorized, and rendered secure by the requisite military establishments, there can be no doubt but it would receive large accessions of emigrants. This region is claimed by the United States, on the ground of priority of discovery, examination, and occupation. It was certainly first discovered by the Spaniards, but they made no attempt either to explore or settle it. Its rediscovery belongs to Gray, an American, who entered the mouth of the Columbia in 1790-1, the river being called after the ship which he commanded. Subsequently it has been explored by navigators belonging to Great Britain, as well as to the United States. (b∙ R∙ b∙)

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