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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2002)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR 97523, November 27, 2002 Page 11 presents G.F. Handel’s MESSIAH (Christas section) Saturday, Nov. 30 - 8 p.m. Newman United Methodist Church 6th & B Streets, Grants Pass Tickets: $16 & $12 for students. Available at The Book Stop, Grants Pass, The Book Exchange, Cave Junction, and at the door or phone 592-2681. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Additional Listings Besides the program listings provided, the following also are among those available from Charter Communications. For information about costs that might apply contact the company. *12 - QVC *14 - Better Life TV *16 - Home Shopping *23 - Community Bulletins *25 - Fox News *26 - C-Span (House of Reps.) *27 - C-Span 2 (Senate) *28 - ESPN 2 *31 - CNN Headline News *33 - Fox Sports Northwest *36 - Country Music TV *37 - The Nashville Channel *40 - The History Channel *41 - The Learning Channel *42 - Cartoon Network *43 - Home & Garden TV *44 - The Weather Channel Crossword solution on page 15. Sometime in summer 1831, four Indians arrived in St. Louis, Mo. from the Pacific Northwest. Three of them were Nez Perce, and one was from the Flathead tribe. They wanted to see William Clark, who had visited their region in 1804-’05. Little is known as to what they were seeking, but the white man’s book was one item that has been recorded in historical re- cords. However, a letter, from a visitor to St. Louis at the time, was published on March 1, 1833 in the “Christian Advocate,” a prominent religious newspaper in Boston. It stated that the four Indians were searching for the book that would help them better worship the Great Spirit. This stirred up a religious zeal in the East to send missionaries to Oregon to give them the Bible and convert them to Christianity. The first organization to respond was the Methodist Mission Board. On April 28, 1834 Jason Lee and his nephew, Daniel Lee, left St. Louis with St. Louis with the Nathaniel Wyeth expedition to establish a Methodist mission. This same expedition also in- cluded naturalists Thomas Nuttall and John Kirk Townsend. On arriving at Ft. Vancouver, John McLoughlin helped them with supplies and selecting a good location. This first choice was on the Willamette River, near today’s Salem., where the Wheatland Ferry is now operating. The land had been settled by Joseph Ger- vais, French Canadian fur trapper. It was October when they started to construct log buildings, and several storms caught them before the buildings were ready. When the school opened it received Indian and white children of local settlers; even three shipwrecked Japanese sailors attended for a while. It was a difficult mission because they also had to clear land, raise crops, and hunt for meat. And illness was a major problem, especially for the Indian children who had had no con- tact with most of the diseases. In the first year, five of 14 students died, and another five ran away or were taken by their families. In the second year, 16 of 25 students became ill, and adults became fearful of bringing their children to the mission. Mostly because of disease, by 1842 the Willamette Valley was almost devoid of any Indians. The mission did little to help or convert Indians, but did help educate the settlers and revived some of their religious desires which had deteriorated while they were away from civilization. In 1837 more missionaries came to help, and branch missions were established at The Dalles and later at sites that would be- come Roseburg, Astoria, Tacoma, and Oregon City. That same year Jason Lee also returned to New England to report on pro- gress and solicit more support and more helpers for his ventures. In 1841, because of flooding, Lee moved his mission higher up from the river and farther south to what is now Salem. There he also helped to establish a school, which would even- tually become Willamette University, the first college in Oregon. Jason Lee also helped organize the “Wolf Meetings” at Cham- peog, which led to formation of a provisional government in the Oregon region. Other religious groups sent missionaries to Oregon as well. The Presbyterian Mission was founded by Marcus Whitman near Walla Walla, Wash. In 1836. And Father Blanchet and Father Demers established a Catholic mission in 1840 in the area known as French Prairie north of Salem. Jason Lee was recalled to New England in 1843 by the mis- sion board due to lack of converts. He died on March 15, 1845. His remains were returned to Oregon and buried in Salem in 1906. Jason Lee had a great effect on the settlement, educational, and governmental beginnings in Oregon. A statute of him was placed in the National Hall of Fame by Oregon in 1954. *Confidential business consultation-free of charge *Now offering counseling in Illinois Valley *Affordable business-related training *Comprehensive business library 214 SW 4th Street, Grants Pass - 1-800-411-6508 Ext. 7494 Phone today - let us help you succeed http://www.roguecc.edu/sbdc OPEN HOUSE 245 Floyd Lane, 2 miles up Rockydale Rd. to sign Sat., Nov. 30 - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wood clocks, wall ornaments, wood sleighs, tissue boxes, candle holders, wood baskets and much, much more! Give a gift subscription to the ‘I.V. News’