The West Shoee.
VOL. 8 "So. 1.
I wMkiBu..K, i ortlund, Oregon, Junuiiry, 1882
Knlr4 al lb
Nt , I HuW tasto
SPECIMEN NUMBER.
Any one receiving this copy of the
West Shore will please consider it
an invitation to become a regular subscriber.
VOLUME' EIGHT.
With this number the West Shore
enters upon its eighth successful year of
publication, and the publisher takes the
opportunity of thanking the public for
the liberal patronage bestowed. The
renewals and new subscribers so far for
this year are more numerous than have
ever been received in any previous year
during the month of January, and we
therefore have every reason to believe
. that our efforts are appreciated. The
excellence of the West Shore will be
kept up and such improvements made
during 1882 as the growth of the
country and patronage of the public
will warrant.
MARION COUNTY.
HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT.
A complete history of the settlement
of M:irion county, would involve a very
large portion of the history of Oregon
But this of course is impracticable i
this sketch. Some historical retrospect
however, will prove interesting to many
readers, and be of value for reference,
Without encumbering the readers at
tention with the detail of many dates,
we may begin the history of this county
with the settlement of the Rev. Jason
Lee, in 1834, at the "old Mission," nearly
opposite the present town of Wheat
land, in Polk county. There may have
been, and doubtless was, other tempo.
rary locations on French Prairie and
near Champoee, by persons in the in
terest of, or connected with the 1 1 udson'i
Bay Company; but it is problematical,
to say the least, whether such locations
had been made with a view to perma
nent settlement and occupation of the
country. But Lee came with the true
spirit of colonization, planted his stakes
in earnest, erected the banner of Chris
tianity as the insienia of his country
men. and set his erctt heart to the task
of redeeming the wilderness from the
wildne&s and savageness of barbarism
itsou Lee was from Stanstcad, Canada I in iSj.,n. christening it the " Oregon
last, and was ordained to the minisirv Mission Mamml Laimr K.H.m.1 "
of the Metlnxlist Episcopal church by Under the provisional government.
uibnop ueduing ,n 1833, and commis- ,.is county was known as -Chunnnrg
stoned to establish a missionary nosl .1:...:... ....1 1 .1 .11 .1 1....
among the Indiana of this country. 1 lc ,ou,, r ,hc Clackamas county line, ami
came across the continent from the cast of the Willamette river. In 1845,
State of Connecticut to the then wilder- ,,0 provisional legislature changed the
..ess 01 wrcgon, on pack horses with a heme of "district," to that of "county,"
few companions, traveling the whole Ld in 18 i7.that narl of the county south
distance from the Missouri river to his of the Santiam river wa erected Into a
final resting place among savage Indi. separate county and called "Linn." '
ans.' The trials, labors, hardships and In 1, General Lane, the first Rover
dangers of such a trip nt that .lay, can- or, arrived in Oregon, and put an nd
not ne pictured even by the imagination to the provisional government, and
at the present time. ccA ()e fir,t session of the terrllmlal
Happy the man, whom induk-cut for-1 lcnU1turc, at which session the name
tunc allows to pay to virtue, what he of Champoeg county was changed to
owes to natme; and the great soul which '" ",""' wublloaa, t liener
enabled Jason Lee to do this, stamp 1,1 Francis Mai ion, the "swamp foKH of
him as a hero of the highest tvpe, mc w"" 8 "'"
who could show that contempt forcrca- ich infinitude of trouble during the war
ture comfort am! external good which ",r independence.
atone could be measured by itself audi crmt k Al.l.v i.ocatm.
the great ends in view. Marion county Marion county has Iwen far removed
and Oregon, may proudly and lovingly from B I,uIUn wars and other " dread
enshrine the memory of this brave pio- ,,,rm..H Ami what experience It has
necr settler, with a resjact and vencra. ,jt ,)W, a much better record for the
tion, equal to that which crowns the cal,jct than the field. The " battle of
names of William Pcnn or Roger ,,c Abi'pia," where a half a hundred
Williams. mounted rangers and home guards at- '
Marion county is further distinguished peaceful company, a dosen
as Wing the birth place of the provis. "bucks and squaws," and put them to
ional eovernmcnt. which was not only inglorious ik't, l"l the sum lota
the first organized government In Ore- W l!vo.ly war within the confines of
gon, but also the first on the Pacific I this countJ
coast between Mexico ami the North I Yv mn lo iei, tmm U salgHi
ole. This provisional government Ih-UH "'
was organized at Champoeg, in this A ,h
. , .1 I. - I KU(tl Ml Mill own wmiiip-iwiwwmw
county, on July S, lSJ. e formal or.
pan zatKJii being preceded 17 a - won
meeting" at the house of Mr. Ucrvan,
on French Prairie in March, and by a The location and natural features of
meeting to discuss the necessity of of. county, are favorable to securing
ganization held at Champoeg in May, IIH maintaining a Urge home business
both in 1843. At that time, while the ,,( adjacent regions. What la known
American settlers were claiming the ,U "Mmto Pass, "n gateway
country, it was not known whether the from the county through the Cascade
territory was really American or iiiiH 1 mounisms mm ynimm
.. MCastcrn Oregon; through which, rt4
sou. 1 . . . . .
. , . .i.i- only the easlwaro: irane 01 iruacounir
mgtnci..m. r.v -- - aJ Ewjr Oregon.
- . 1 mi til.iiiinir 1 lie verm p