The west shore., January 01, 1889, Page 23, Image 24

THE WE8T SHORE.
23
states, caused much attention to be directed to Ore
gon. Two steadfast friends labored constantly in
congress for the assertion of American rights on the
Columbia, Senators Thomas H. Benton and Lewis F.
Linn, of Missouri, both of whom have counties in the
state they helped to create named in their honor.
They never ceased to urge upon the government the
necessity of taking some decisive step to perfect its
title to this region, and to extend the jurisdiction of
the law over this disputed country, for the protection
of those American citizens already living here, and
that greater number they well knew would seek this
far western land in the next few years.
Moved by the impulses just recited, the first reg
ular immigration began the long journey to Oregon
in the spring of 1811. It consisted of one hundred
and eleven persons, who, owing to the supposed im.
possibility of crossing the country with wagons, made
no attempt to bring vehicles with them. In the fall
of the same year twenty-three families from the Red
river settlement of the Hudson's Bay Company came
out and settled on Cowlitz prairie, some of them lo
cating later in the Willamette valley. They were
brought out by the great fur monopoly as an offset
to the American settlers, but they were too few in
numbers to stem the tide setting Americanward, and
were overwhelmed by the American immigration of
the next few years. In 1812 the first regular emi
grant train started for Oregon, consisting of sixteen
wagons and one hundred and nine people. What an
undertaking was theirs! No wagon wheel had ever
cut the virgin sod of the country over which they
proposed to go, and the rpgion through which they
must pass was practically unknown, so far as a route
for wagons was concerned. To be sure, trapping
bands had traversed it in all directions for years, and
old trappers were secured for guides by these hardy
pioneers; but they had been on borsfback, and had
not been compelled to find good camping places, with
'rass and water, at such short intervals as was neces
caryfor the sluggish, emigrant train; nor had they
found it necessary to pursue a route over which wag
ens could pass. With infinite difficulty they pro
cessed as far as the old trapping rendezvous on
Qrcen river, where half the wagons were dismantled
r ad used to make pack saddles. The other half were
hken as far as Fort HaII, on Snake river, where they
ere abandoned, owing to the deep-rooted belief that
vagons could not be taken through the Snake rirer
c inyon and Blue mountains.
Wherever the American citizen goes, ho carries
Uth him the great fundamental principle of a rep
i rsentative democratic government, and no better ex
i "Jple of this great fact can be citM than the conduct
tithe early settlers of Oregon. Immediately upon
the arrival of enough of them to make any showing
of numbers, they began to consider the question of
self government Not daunted by tho fact that a
great British corporation had complcto ascendency
among the natives, and had employees far outnum
bering their littlo band, and that this company was
opposed to the exercise of authority from any other
source than its own fountain head, especially in the
interests of a foreign and rival government, they pro
ceeded with the work of organization. Their efforts
were futile for several years, but in tho spring of
1813, by the help of tho immigration of tho previous
two years, they were strong enough to form a provis
ional government, with a codo of laws, which was tho
foundation of tho government of tho stato of Oregon
as we find it to-day. A few months later eight hun
dred immigrants poured into Oregon, and sottlcd for
ever the question of American ascendency, at least in
the region south of tho Columbia, and this great In
flux of Americans requires special consideration.
By tho winter of 1812 3 tho causes which had
prompted tho immigrations of 1811 and 1812, had be
come more potent and widespread than ever. Sena
tor Linn was pressing his "Oregon bills" upon tho
attention of congress, ono of which provided for tho
donation of public lands to all who might settlo in
Oregon, his idea being that a liberal emigration alono
could be relied upon to win tho Columbia for tho
United States, and that special inducements should
bo offered to those bravo and hardy pioneers who
must constitute tho nation's lino of battle on tho
frontier. Encouraged by this and led by tho glowing
stories of tho fertile vain of tho Willamette, this great
emigrant train ansemblcd in the spring of lHUand
started on tho long and toilsome journey. This train
is remarkable, not only Iwcauso tho first Urge train
to reach Oregon, but Ijecause it took its wagons clear
through, and dernocstrated tho dispuUd fact that tho
mountains, deaerts and canyons were navigable for
tho " prairio schooner " o f tho emigrant. To D.ictor
Marcus Whitman, tho martyred missionary previous
ly alluded to, is duo tho credit of carrying theD wag.
ons to their destination. Homo enthusiastic parti
sans ascribe to him, also, tho formation of tho emi
grant train it-lf, in pursuaiiro of a determination to
save Oregon to tho United States by proving tho ex
istence of a practicable route for wagons, but this, to
say tho leaat, is questionable. During the winter of
IS 12-3 he made a most hazardous and fatiguing jour
ney to tho east, and returned with this great train.
As ho did not reach St Imis until February, and
tho train started in May, it is obviously impossl
ble that in those days of neither railroad nor tele
graph in that region, ho could have accomplished the
feat, filially as he spent all but a few days of the