THE MORNING OHEGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1902.
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STORY OF GREAT JOURNEY
Expedition of Lewis and Clark Paved the Way for the West
ward Expansion-of the United States to the Pacific Ocean
COMMAND of the expedition across
the continent was actually vested In
Captain Lewis. Though It had been
supposed that the technical authority
would be equally divided between Lewis
and Clark, Lxewls was commissioned as
Captain, and Clark only a Second Lieuten
ant. To divide the duties and responsibil
ities of leadership with Clark la really
what Lewis did, and It does not appear
that at any time any question of prece
dence ever arose between them The Idea
of exploring the mighty unknown North
west Territory had long abided with Jef
ferson, and prior to 1S03 he made two at
tempts to send expeditions across the
great divide. These, for various reasons,
failed, mainly because the Western coun
try was then under a foreign flag and the
consent of the sovereign powers could not
be obtained. John Ledyard, of Connecti
cut, who was with Captain Cook in Ha
waii, in 1759, planned in 1784 an expedition
to the Northwest Coast of America, and
visited Cadiz and then remained for a
time at Lorlent. Afterward, in Paris, he
met Thomas Jefferson, then American min
ister to France; La Fayette, Paul Jones
and others, all of whom made efforts to
procure for him the necessary means to
carry out his designs. Every effort failed,
however, and Jefferson made in the ex
plorer's behalf an application to Empress
Catherine II, of Russia, for permission to
pass through her dominions, as Ledyard
naa now iormea tne intention or journey
ing across Eastern Asia, and by way or Ltors, who had settled Virginia and helped
Lualaba River to the sea. 'The exploits
were identical In this respect: that both
were achieved with a small party of fol
lowers, working their way through a vast
wilderness, inhabited by presumptively
hostile savages. Success was to be won,
not by force, but by tact, nerve and sa
gacity; and with these weapons of natural
wit and will Lewis and Clark were fortu
nately as well endowed as was Stanley;
and to this fact was due the successful
overland expedition to the mouth of fche
Columbia and its safe return. When it is
remembered that in 1S03 there were no
steamboats, no railroad transportation, no
mall stages; that from St. Louis to Asto.
rla and return it was a primitive wilder
ness, peopled by wild beasts and wilder
men; when it is remembered that this
great Journey of 4000 miles to Astoria was
made largely in frail boats and canoes up
and down the Missouri and the Columbia
and their tributaries, before any maps
bad been made or soundings taken, it Is
Impossible not to admire the hardihood of
these first great explorers of the Columbia
from its source to its mouth. It is true
that both Lewis and Clark were soldiers
by profession, but the work they wrought
as explorers surpassed In hardihood and
peril all the ordinary dangers of the mili
tary profession. It was the bold blood in
their veins, inherited from their ances-
Behring Sea to the Western Hemisphere,
Receiving no answer to this application,
Ledyard finally went to London, and
there he at last succeeded in obtaining the
necessary money. He proceeded to Ham
burg, thence to Copenhagen and Stock
holm, where her attempted to cross the
Gulf of Bothnia on the Ice, to the coast
of Finland, but, meeting open water, he
was obliged to change his course, and,
without companions, traversed on foot
the entire distance to the north of the
gulf, immediately under the Arctic circle,
and so made his way to SL Petersburg.
He now procured a passport from Em
press Catherine, and started for Siberia, In
company with a Scotchman in the Russian
service. He reached Irkutsk, and from
there sailed down the Lena River in a
small boat, but was obliged to return.
Early In 17SS he was arrested by order of
the Empress, conducted to the frontiers
of Poland, and dismissed from Russia.
The reason for this summary proceeding
never was given, but It is supposed that
Ledyard was suspected of being a spy.
When Jefferson became President and
Louisiana had been ceded by Franco
there was nothing to stand in the way of
the long-deferred expedition to the North
west Coast. Lewis and Clark left Wash
ington on their great journey July 5, 1S03,
and reached St. Louis on the return trip
September 23, 1805. Their Instructions
from President Jefferson were, briefly," to
explore the Missouri and Columbia Riv
ers and their principal branches, to take
astronomical observations for latitude and
longtltude at Important points, make a
study of the Indian tribes, observe the
character of the country passed through,
its fauna, flora, geology and meteorology.
They were particularly enjoined to treat
the Indians with kindness and consider
ation. The expedition successfully accom
plished all these purposes. Examination
of the maps drawn by Lewis and Clark
shows that they had a singularly correct
idea of the geography of the country
traversed, although the maps In their va
rious features were naturally not correct
Their journal furnishes an astonishing
fund of general information.
" The Start for the West.
The expedition, which at first numbered
SO persons, ascended the Missouri River
from, its mouth to Fort Mandan, north of
Bismarck and Mandan, N. D., where
the Winter of 1804-3 was spent. Lewis
and Clark then proceeded to the Three
Forks of the Missouri, near the present
town of Logan, Mont., thence up the
Jefferson branch, across the Continental
Divide at Lemhi Pass, and attempted to
descend the Salmon River. Repulsed, they
crossed the Bitter Root Range northward
into the Bitter Root Valley, descended
the valley to the mouth of Lolo Creek,
followed the creek westward to the di
vide, crossed the range a second time, to
the Clearwater River, followed down that
stream to the Snake River, thence down
the Snake to the Columbia, thence to the
Pacific. Near the mouth of the Columbia,
on Lewis and Clark River, they passed the
Winter of 1S03-G.
On the return they retraced their steps
to the mouth of the Walla Walla River,
from which point they made a short cut
across country to Lev.iston, at the junc
tion of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers.
They then practically retraced their old
routfc across the mountains to the mouth.
of Lolo Creek, In the Bitter Root Valley.
There they divided their forces, Clark re
turning with some variation of route to
the Three Forks of the Missouri, while
Lewis struck out northeast across the
mountains, via Hellgate and Big Black
foot Rivers and Lewis and Clark Pass, to
the Great Falls of the Missouri. At this
poIn Captain Lewis subdivided his party,
and while Sergeant Gass and a sub
party proceeded down the river with
the luggage, etc., Lewis and the others
made sundry explorations northwest on
the headwaters of Maria's River, joining
Gass later at the mouth of that stream.
From there they floated down the Mis
souri to the mouth of the Yellowstone,
near which they rejoined Captain Clark
and party, who had crossed the Rockies
from the Three Forks -to the Yellowstone
River, and then proceeded down that
stream. United again, Lewis and Clark
pursued their course down the Missouri to
St. Louis, where the expedition was dis
banded. It had been a journey of excep
tional hardship and danger, but, strange
to say, there was but one death Sergeant
John Floyd, who died near Sioux City, la.,
August 20, 1804, There was no trouble with
hostile Indians, but two Indians were
shot for stealing horses.
JefferHon's Vlevr of the Results.
The explorers were warmly received by
President Jefferson and Congress voted
Lewis and Clark a handsome grant of
public land. With what satisfaction Jef
ferson viewed the result of the expedition
may be seen from his sixth annual mes
sage, December 2, 1S0S:
The expedition of Messrs. Lewis and Clark
for exploring the River Missouri and the best
communication from that to the Pacific Ocean
has had all the success1 'which could have been
expected. They have traced the Missouri near
ly to Its source, descended the Columbia to the
Pacific Ocean, ascertained with accuracy the
geography of that interesting communication
across our continent, learned the character of
tf.e country, of its commerce and Inhabitants,
and It Is but Justice to say that Messrs. Lewis
and Clark and their brave companions have,
by this arduous service, desencd well of their
country.
The foregoing Is but a brief outline of
an expeiltlon that, for its success, needed
quite as high and remarkable qualities as
those manifested by Stanley In his explo
ration of the Congo from Its source in the
west, parallel with each other, and about
10 or 15 feet apart. The couth cabin was
three rounds high, and the other two
rounds. The remains of the large stump
stood In the south cabin. Mr. Gillette
visited the fort In October, 1853. Shane
had attempted to burn up the remains
of the log cabins, but fragments of two
logs forming the southwest corner of
the southern cabin were still In position.
The site of the stockade was then cov
ered with second growth timber, while
It was surrounded by the original growth,
thus Indicating with approximate accur
acy the extent of the lnclosure. Shane's
house was standing at the time of Mr.
Glllettte's visit, and while it has since
disappeared, three fruit trees, which were
sold by Mr. Gillette to Frank Shane, who
afterwards occupied the house, and which
were planted Just In Its rear, mark Its
site. At the time of Mr. Gillette's visit,
Richard M. Moore had built a house very
near Shane's, and just at the head of a
little draw In the face of the hill. This
house also has disappeared, but the draw
remains to mark Its location.
Lines of the Old Stockade.
Guided by these landmarks and his re
membrance of the location, Mr. Gillette
definitely located the southwest corner
of the southern cabin, which, he believes,
constituted the southwest corner of the
stockade. The lines must be established
by conjecture only, as Lewis and Clark
tlon of Clark's name, inscribed July 25,
lit, on Pompey's Pillar, near the lel
lowstone River, In Montana, It Is be
lieved that these salt cairns constitute the
only existing monuments of the Lewis
and Clark expedition.
Fort Clatsop In History.
Mr. Gillette is thoroughly familiar with
the history of Fort Clatsop. The fort, he
says, has had many a claimant and owner
In the past 50 years. Lewis and Clark, he
says, gave it to the Clatsop chief, Co-mo-wool,
as they spelled it, but his descend
ants say it is Co-ba-way, who used It
during the remainder of his life as a Win
ter home. In 1S49, S. M. Henell. of As
toria, put a man on the place to make
some improvements, expecting to take It
up under the donation land act, but In
1S50 Thomas Scott jumped -it and estab
lished a claim to It. He held It but a
short? time, when he traded it to Carlos
W. Shane for Ka-lots-ka, which had been
the home of Twllch and his people from
time Immemorial, and which afterwards
became Mr. Gillette's place. C. W. Shane
lived at Fort Clatsop until 1852, when he
vacated It for his brother, F. D. Shane,
and took up another claim higher up the
river.
About 1S52 R. M. Moore built a large
In 1SC0. 1S61 and 1SG2, Captain Shattuck, of
the United States revenue cutter Joe
Lane, stationed at Astoria, took his ship
to Fort Clatsop annually for repairing,
cleaning and painting. But then came
the Civil War, and the Joe Lane was or
dered away, and Fort Clatsop grew into
a wilderness as gloomy and dark as Lewis
and Clark found It in 1SG5 and as Alex
ander Henry described It In 1S13.
In the "70s one of the Shane heirs took
possession of the historic place, and for
the third time the land was cleared, and
an effort was made to make Fort Clatsop
a place of some Importance. The owners
of the property, aided by others, cut
that he was near the outlet of a large
body of fresh water, charted It the Rio
de San Roque. The stupidity of the Eng
lish, sailors deprived them of the honor of
entering the river before the American
captain, Robert Gray, and their country of
a strong base for the claim of title In this
region. Lieutenant John Meares, com
manding the East India Cctnpany'3 ves
sel Felice, made a superficial examination,
of Ihe coast In July, 17SS, and reported
with great assurance that "we can now
with safety assert that no such river as
that of the St. Roc exists as laid down
on Spanish charts." Early In 1TS2 Van
couver was In the vicinity of the Colum-
out and graded a good wagon road from j bla, but did not consider the opening in
the fort to Clatyop Plains, and, through I the coast line worthy of attention, being
the Influence' of Ben Holladay, the O. S. i satisfied "that all rivers or inlets that had
N. Co. was Induced to run steamers j been described as discharging their con
during the Summer season direct to Fort tents into the Pacific between the 40th and
Clatsop, where the passengers were met ' 4Sth degrees of north latitude were re
by stages running to the seaside resorts, j duced to brooks Insufficient for our ves
Thls route to the seashore was soon aban- j sels to navigate, or to bays Inaccessible
doncd. and Fort Clatsop again lapsed Into j as harbors for refitting." On April 2.
solitude. I 1T92, Gray spoke Vancouver that he had
Fort Clatsop has received notice from
historians and writers other than Henry.
In 1S12 Ross Cox, in his book, said: "I
visited Fort Clatsop and found the logs
of the party still standing and marked
sawmill at the fort and the lines of the j In the narrative
Shane claim were moved north, so as noted naturalist.
of J. K. Townsend, a
published In 1S34, the
to 'make room for Moore, giving him the I statement Is made: "I walked today
been for nine days off the mouth of
large river. Still Vancouver was Incredu
lous and he wrote in his log "that If any
Inlet or river should be found. It must
be a very intricate one and Inaccessible
with the names of many of the party." to vessels of our burden, owing to reefs
and broken water."
The rediscovery of the Columbia River
by Gray is so familiar that It does not
the American fur-trader, and to prevent!
any further attempts to examine those
shores, or even to approach tnem.
wrest Kentucky from the Indians. These
Virginians came of the same stock of
pioneers who, under George Rogers Clark,
John Sevier and their comrades, had
founded the States of Tennessee and Ken
tucky by their military success.
Brief Sketch of the Explorers.
A word is timely about the two men
who made the expedition a success. Clark
was born In Virginia In 1770. He came of
a distinguished family, and was a younger
brother of the celebrated George Rogers
Clark. In 17S4 he removed with his fam
ly to the Falls of the Ohio in Kentucky,
the site of the present City of Louisville,
where his brother George had built a
fort. There were frequent bloody encoun
ters with the Indians, and young Clark
early became acquainted with the methods
of Indian warfare. He was appointed
Ensign at the age of IS, and on March 7,
1792, became a Lieutenant of Infantry.
After several years' service he resigned In
July. 179G, on account of 111 health. Soon
afterward he removed to St. Louis, and in
March, 1804, he was appointed by Presi
dent Jefferson as Second Lieutenant of
Artillery, with orders to join Captain
Lewis' exploring expedition to the mouth
of the Columbia River. It was supposed
that he would be known as a Captain, and
he was usually known as "Captain." It
is easy to Imagine that the record of his
distinguished brother largely aided him in
securing this Important appointment, as
well as his own meritorious service on the
frontier and Intimate knowledge of the
habits and character of the Indians. He
was promoted to be First Lieutenant In
January, 1806, and was nominated to be
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second Infant
ry, but was not confirmed by the Senate.
He resigned from the Army February 27,
1S07, and was Indian Agent until he was
appointed Brigadier-General for the Ter
ritory of Upper Louisiana. During the
War of 1812 he declined the appointment of,
Brigadier-General In the Army. President
Madison appointed him Governor of Mis
souri Territory in 1S13, and he held the
office until the organization of the State
Government In 1S2L He remained in pri
vate life until May. 1S22. when President
Monroe made him Superintendent of Indi
an Affalrsvat St. Louis, and he held this
office until his death.
Lewis, like Clark, was a Virginian, born
In 1774. He was a grandnephew of George
Washington. Early In life he became hab
ituated to hardy outdoor exercise. His
remarkable talent for observation gained
for him an accurate knowledge of plants
and animals. At the age of 20 he joined
the militia and afterwards became a Lieu
tenant of the line. Later he .became Pres
ident Jefferson's private secretary. When
Captain Lewis returned from the Colum
bia River expedition he was appointed
Governor of Louisiana Territory. He held
that office for several years, and in 1S09
started for Washington over the old mili
tary road, known as the "Natchez trace."
Lewis had had some dispute with the Gov
ernment about his accounts. He was said
to be subject to hereditary hypochondria.
The taverns of those roads were lonely,
rude affairs, and In some cases they were
the scenes of murder and robbery. Gov
ernor Lewis died suddenly at the Grinder
Stand, October 11. 1S09, and it was long
supposed that he killed himself In one of
his fits of depression. Th'e Grinder Stand
was 60 or more miles southwest from
Nashville, and Lewis was buried there,
and a monument was erected o'er his
grave by the Legislature of Tennessee.
The family and descendants of Captain
Lewis never entertained the theory of
suicide, and in later years historians who
have Inquired Into the circumstances of
the sad tragedy declare that there Is much
evidence to support the belief that Lewis
was foully murdered. Suspicion points to
a Spanish servant, who disappeared after
Lewis' death, and who Is supposed to
have taken with him certain moneys and
papers which were never afterwards re
covered: nor was the servant ever heard
from again.
!'? W
Site of Original Fort Clatsop on Lewis and Clark River, Where Lewis
and Clark Passed the Winter of 1805-6.
THE WINTER !N OREGON
Le-rrls antl Clark's Fort at Seaside,
Clatsop County.
The site of Fort Clatsop where Lewis
and Clark passed the Winter of 1E05-G.
and the salt cairns near the beach at
Seaside, Clatsop County, were located in
the Fall of 1PC0 by a committee of the
Oregon Historical Society, and some day
the spot where the fort stood will be
marked by a fine monument. The com
mittee's search for the historic ground
was ably assisted by Preston W. Gillette,
of Portland, who formerly lived in Clat
sop County, and Charles W. Shane, of
Vancouver, Wash., then among the very
few living persons who had ever seen
anything of the structures which had
comprised Fort Clatsop. Mr. Shane has
since died.
Lewis and Clark wore led to select
the site for their encampment chiefly be
cause of its convenience to the haunts
of the elk, whose numbers were to them
a cause of great astonishment. When
they abandoned the fort. In 1905, they
presented it to Cobaway, chief of the
Clatsops, who occupied It during the
hunting season forlO or 15 years after.
A large stump stood In one of the cab
ins, and was used as a table by Vhe oc
cupants. The tree had been cut down
and the cabin built around the stump.
Mr. Shane located a donation land claim
In 1S50 on the tract which embraces the
site of the old fort, and In the following
year built his house. He said that within
a few feet of his house at the time of
Its erection were the remains of two logH
caoins, J5X.J0 teot each, lying east and
do not give their extent, nor does Gass.
Lewis and Clark speak of first" complet
ing the "meathouse," then four of the
huts, and then the remaining huts. Gass
says the huts were seven In number.
About 200 feet north of the supposed
southwest corner of the stake runs a
small spring branch, and It Is reasonable I
to cpnclude that the water was taucn
within the stockade. A point was conse
quently established Just across this stream
and the line was projected about 120 feet
toward the river, reaching the top of the
Incline. The committee marked the four
corners of the lnclosure with "stakes, set
firmly In the ground, and an Iron pipe
was driven In the center of the space.
Great are the changes which near 100
years have made In the landscape which
greeted the vision of Oregon's first ex
plorers. The Hudson's Bay explorer,
Alexander Henry, who visited fort Clat
sop In 1S13, wrote In his diary: "The sit
uation Is the most pleasant I have seen
hereabouts, and by far the most eligible,
both as to security from the natives and
for huntlnc. The nlace Is deeply shaded
with spruce, pine, etc., the woods seemed
gloomy and dark, the beams of the sun
being prevented from reaching the ground
through so thick a foliage." The situa
tion is pleasing to the eye today, but
the prospect Is a far different one. The
gloomy and dark woods have fallen be
fore the pioneer's ax, and not even their
stumps remain to mark the places of their
once lordly grandeur. me grouna is
now a pasture for domestic animals. At
the northeast corner of tho old fort stands
the ragged trunk of a spruce tree, limb
less, barkless and crown'.ess. Of all the
surrounding forest whose tree-tops over
looked the stockade this hoary trunk
alone Is left
From the site of the old stockade the
panorama that greets the eye Is striking.
Except for a farmhouse here and there
along the Netul, or Lew's and Clark, Riv
er, the landscape has undergone few
changes. The Netul winds Its way as
peacefully as In the days of the explor
ers, the background of hills gives little
evidence of the presence of civilized man,
while Saddle Mountain, the bold" sentinel
of tne Clatsops' country, stands un
changed by the disappearance of the ab
origines and the Influx of the whites.
Suit Cairns at the Sea Beach.
Clark writes that on December 9, 1S05.
he took three men and proceeded to the
sea to find a place for making salt by
evaporation of sea water, as the explorers
had no seasoning fpr their meat. He went
to an Indian village south of the mouth
of the Clatsop (Necanlcum) River. On
December 28 five men were "dispatched to
tho seaside, each with a large kettle, in
order to begin the manufacture of salt."
These men carefully examined the coast,
and on the fifth day after their departure
found a suitable location. On January
7. 1806, Clark proceeded with a party to
see a whale which had drifted ashore
south of Tillamook head, and on his way
passed the camp of the saltmakers, which,
he says, was two miles below the Clat
sop River. The place Is In Seaside Grove,
between the Necanlcum and the ocean,
and since Identification the calt calm Is
seen by everyone who visits Clatsop
Beach. Gass confirms this. He writes
under date of January 6 that a party of
which he was one "passed the mouth of
a considerable river, went two miles up
the shore and found our saltmakers at
work' He speaks several times of the
spot as the "salt works," showing that
there was some sort of plant there for
the purpose.
The remains now to be seen are in full
accord with the foregoing descriptions,
both as to locality and character of the
structures. One of the structures Is In a
fair state of preservation, while two
smaller ones have fallen Into decay. The
larger one Is elliptical ui form, Is built
of rock laid In clay, undoubtedly secured
from the banks of the Necanlcum, near
at hand, and the stones show clearly the
effect of fire. The commonly accepted
traditions of the locality so fully sup
port the testimony of Clark and Gass
that there is no room for doubt as to the
Identity of the spot. A conclusive wit
ness was found by the committee In the
person of Tsin-Is-tum, otherwise known
as Jennie Michel, a full-blooded Clatsop.
Her mother met Lewis and Clark and
saw their men making salt In the cairns.
Tsln-Is-tum Identified the spot In the most
positive manner, saying that when she
first knew it the larger cairn stood about
1 feet all around, with the end nearest
the sea open. The smaller ones were, as
-near as can now bo determined, places
used by the saltmakers. With the excep-
old Lewis and Clark landing place, where down around the beach (from Astoria)
he put up his mill. Fort Clatsop soon
became a lively place, with 35 or 40 peo
ple, all busy clearing land, cutting saw
logs, sawing lumber, etc. For two or
three years there was hardly a week that
did not find one or more ships there load
ing with lumber for San Francisco In
the days of its rapid growth following
to the foot of Young's Bay to see the re
mains of the house In which Lewis and
Clark resided. The logs of which It wa3
composed are still perfect, the roof or
bark has disappeared, and the whole vi
cinity Is overgrown with thorns and wild
currants." Mr. Townsend did not get
within four miles of Fort Clatsop. What
hefound was a desertedXlndlan house on
tho discovery of 'gold. Mr. Gillette saw V"-"' - " " ""CY""" "UUBM.. "
. ,. t ,. nt- n onA. I ""J fiVUUl OlUC Ui ruilll UCUlgC, 1UIC
us iiiuuy U3 uvo mups ui mu un u.i wu
time.
In the meantime, the young growth of
timber that had overerown the clearing
f. lLl15"". ! DISCOVERY OE COLUMB5R
UtVtlJ ilUU WC iVUHU V'tt'lbVU AAA SWt
known as Smith's Point, now known as
Taylor's Point.
and put In cultivation. In 1854 the lum
ber business became so unprofitable that
tho mill closed down and Fort Clatsop's
prosperity came to an end. The precinct
polled 56 votes In 1S53. In 1S5G there was
Spaniards First to Chart River;
American FIrit to Enter It.
The Columbia River has been known to
but one voter and one Inhabitant In the navigators for over 126 years. Captain
precinct. The great Indian war then Bruno Hcceta, commanding the Spanish
prevailing In the Northwest had driven ship Santiago, lay to off the mouth of the
all the people to the 'owns for safety, river on August 15, 1775, and, convinced
000CC-t ---
t
AREA AND POPULATION OF OLD OREGON
Population in 1900 Was 1,168,116, Compared With 13,294
in 1850, an Increase of 1,154,822 in 50 Years.
LSEWHERE will be found a historical review of the contention
about the boundaries of the Oregon Country, also a small outline
map of the region. As It Is not practicable to show in so small a
map the precise lines on the east, this statement has to do with
them and the population of the Oregon Couctry 50 years ago and now.
The souihern boundary was tb e 42d parallel: the western the Pacific
Ocean; the northern the 43th parallel, and the eastern the Rocky or
Stony Mountains. In the first place, It should be remembered that the
treaty of June 15, 1846, did not define the metes and bounds of Oregon,
but only the northern line, to terminate "the state of doubt and un
certainty which has hitherto prevailed respecting the sovereignty
and government of the territory on the northwest coast of Amer
ica, lying westward of the Rocky or Stony Mountains." The act of
Congress of August 14, 1S48, organizing Oregon as a territory, defined
Oregon to be "all that part of the territory of the United States
which lies west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains, north of the
42d degree of north latitude." The eastern boundary of Old Oregon
intersects the 4Sth parallel a little west of the 114th degree of west
longitude, and follows the summit of the Rocky Mountains through
Montana, Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming:. It passes about
six miles west of the present town of Butte, and very close to Silver
Bow. Anaconda, Deer Lodge, Philllpsburg, Missoula, Kallspell and
other Montana towns are within what was Old Oregon. The line zig
zags through the southwestern corner of Yellowstone National Park
and takes in Shoshone Lake, Lewis Lake and Heart Lake. Passing
out of the park the line follows Two Ocean Creek to the headwaters
of the Buffalo fork of Snake River, whence it veers westward to cut
a small cantle out of the northeastern corner of Uintah County,
thence In a general southeasterly direction to Orenda Butte, about 12
miles north of the town of Almond, on the Union Pacific. From
Orenda Butte the line runs nearly due east, skirting the Great Dl
, vide Basin to a point a short distance east of Latham, whence It
strikes southeasterly along the Sierra Madre Range to Colorado.
Old Oregon Is now laid out on the maps with 33 counties in Ore
gon having an aggregate area of 90,030 square miles, 36 counties In
Washington with an area of 69,180 square mlles721 counties in Idaho
with an area of 81,800 square miles, six full counties and part of one
county In Montana having an area of 23.S7S square miles, and parts of
four counties In Wyoming having an area of 27,611 square miles.
Total area, 201,499 square miles. Appended is a" statement of the
population of Old Oregon in June, 1900. As Powell County, Montana,
was organized after the census was taken, the totals for It are In
cluded in Deer Lodge County:
State
Orecon (33 counties)
Washington (2G counties)
Idaho (21 counties)
Montana "
Flathead 9.373
Missoula 13,954
Ravalli 7.S22
Powell (organized from Deer Lodge In ISM)
Granite
Deer Lodce
Silver Bow (half of the area of this county was In old
Oregon)
Wyoming
Uintah (all In Oregon except a small loop In northeastern
comer) 12,223
Fremont (western quarter In old Oregon) LOCO
Sweetwater (three-fourths of Its area was In Oregon).... C.000
Carbon (southwest one-fifth was in Oregon) 1.S0O
Population.
413,oC5
518.103
161,772
4.328
.17,393
500 53.SS2
21,323
Total
Population In 1S50.
Jncrease
1,163.116
13,254
1,154.822
call for extended review. In 17S7 six Bos
ton merchants who were engaged In. the
China trade, finding that, from the In
feriority of the articles of American manu
facture, they were unable to compete
with the English In the Canton market,
formed an association for the purpose of
combining t:ie fur trade with the traffic
In tea and silk. That Summer they fitted
out the ship Columbia of 220 tons, and
the sloop Washington of SO tons, nnd
loaded them with blankets, knives. Iron
bars, copper pans and other articles to
barter with the Indians. The Columbia
was commanded by John Kendrlck, who
was also In command of the expedition.
The Washington was commanded by
Gray.
Both vessels sailed from Boston Sep
tember 30. 17S7. and steered for Nootka
Sound. In August, 17SS, Gray ran his
vessel aground In attempting to enter a
large opening in the land. Greenhow
thinks this opening was the mouth of the
Columbia, and Bancroft thinks It was
Tillamook Bay. Kendrlck and Gray
anchored in Nootka Sound until the
Spring of 1789, when Gray, who had ex
changed commands with Kendrlck, sailed
In the Columbia to Canton with a load of
furs, thence to Boston to report the re
newal of Spanish activity on the North
west Coast. He reached Boston, August
10, 1790, having carried the American flag
for the first time around the world.
Leaving Boston on his second voyage
September 2S..1790. Gray arrived In the
harbor of Clayoquot, on Vancouver Isl
and, on the north side of the Straits of
Fuca, June 5, 1791. The season was spent
In bartering with the Indians, but as the
quantity of furs collected was not large
enough to Justify a return trip, Gray de
cided to spend the Winter at Clayoquot.
He accordingly anchored the Columbia In
the harbor, built a house upon which he
mounted cannon and named Fort Defiance.
Gray's crew spent the Winter building a
small sloop, which was launched In Feb
ruary and christened the Adventure. Rob
ert Haswell, who came out from Boston
on the second trip of the Columbia as first
mate, was placed In command of the Ad
venture, and sent north April 2, 1792, on a
trading voyage along the coast, while
Gray turned southward In the Colum
bia. On. May 7 he entered Gray's Harbor,
which he named Bullfinch Harbor, re
maining there till the 10th. and the fol
lowing day he crossed the Columbia.
Discovered In the Jficfe of Time.
It would seem that there was an ele
ment of luck in Gray's discovery of the
Columbia, for his mission on the Coast
wa3 a purely commercial one, while Van
couver was looking for openings In che
shore line, and was under Instructions
to find them. Twice after Heceta made
his charts the last time, only a few days
before Gray entered the Columbia, the
English were afforded opportunities, but
their disregard or distrust of the informa
tion of other navigation lost them the
chance that seldom comes more than
once In a life-time. Meares, In 17S8, at
tempted to find the San Roque, but with
out success, and after changing the name
of Cape San Roque to Cape Disappoint
ment in token of his failure, made an
entry in his log discrediting the charts of
Heceta. On April 29, 1792, Gray told Van
couver he had been for nine days off a
large river In latitude 45 degrees and
10 minutes, but as Vancouver had passed
the same place two days before, he at
tached no more credit to the statement
of the American sailor than Meares hod
to the charts of the Spaniard. On Ma
11 Gray entered the river with all sails
set, and remained In It until the 20th. In
the following October the British sent
ships to the Columbia, but It was too
late.
Had Heceta ascended the Columbia, the
title to the tributary country would un
doubtedly have vested In Spain by right
of discovery. Likewise Great Brltnln's
claim would have been established had
Meares In 17SS gone where Broughton went
In 1792. Gray's entry of the Columbia was
made In the nick of time. Greenhow truly
remarks that "had Gray, after parting
with the English ships, (April 29, 1792),
not returned to the river and ascended It
as he did, there Is every reason to believe
that It would have long remained un
known: for the assertions of Vancouver
that no opening, harbor or place of ref
uge for vessels, was to be found between
Cape Mendocino and the Straits of Fuca,
and that this part of the coast formed
one compact, solid, and nearly straight
barrier against the sea, would have served
completely to overthrow the evidence of
WYETH'S TWO TRIPS.
A Brave Man Whose Record I One
of Misfortune.
In "Historic Mansions and Highways
Around Boston," by Samuel Adams
Drake, there Is a sketch of the family
home of Nathaniel J. Wyeth. one of the
early explorers of Oregon. Of an enter
prising and encouraging disposition.
Wyetn conceived the Idea of organizing
a party with which to cross the continent
and engage In trade with the Indian tribes
of Oregon: He enlisted 20 adventurous
spirits, who made him their leader, ami
with whom he set out from Boston Marcn
1. Ifc32. first encamping his party on one
of the harbor islands, in order to inure
them to field life. The organizers provid
ed themselves with a novel mears or
transportation no other than a number
of boats built at the village smithy and
mounted on wheels. With these boats
they expected to pass the rivors thev
might encounter, while at other times
they were to serve as wasons. The Uea
was not without ingenuity, hut was
founded on a false estimate of the char
acter of the streams and of the mountain
roads they were sure to meet with.
Wyeth and his followers pursued their
route via Baltimore and the railway,
which then left them at the base of the
Alleghanies, onward to Brownsville,
where they took a steamboat to Liberty.
Mo., which point they left for the plains
May 12. Hitherto they had met with only
a few disagreeable adventures. They
were now to .lace the real difficulties ct
their undertaking. They soon discovered
I that their complicated wagons were ust-
less, and they were forced to part with
1 them. The warlike tribjfi. whose hunting
grounds they were to traverse, began to
give them, uneasiness; and. to crown tnelr
misfortunes, they now n.icertained how
Ignorantly thoy 'had calculated upon tne
trade with the savage.
St. Louis was then the great depot or
the Indian traders, who made their an
nual expeditions across the plains, pre
pared to fight or barter, as the temper
of the Indians might dictate. The old
trappers who had made their abode In
the mountain regions met the traders at
a given rendezvous, receiving powder,
lead, tobacco and a few accessories In ex
change for their furs. To one of these
parties Wyeth attached himself, and it
was well that he did.
Before reaching the Platte, several of
Wyeth's men deserted their companions,
cither from dissatisfaction with their lead
er or because they had Just begun to real
ize thf hazard of the enterprise. Nat
Wyeth, however, was of that stuff so ex
pressly named clear grit. There was
no flinching about him. The Pacific was
his objective, and he determined to ar
rive at his destination even If he marched
alone- William Sublette's party, which
Wyeth had joined, encountered the vicis
situdes common to a trip across the
plains in that day, the only difference
being that the New England men now
faced thffe difficulties for the first time,
whereas Sublette's party was largely
composed of experienced plainsmen.
Discord in Wyeth'w Company.
At Pierre's Hole, a trading rendezvous,
which was reached July S, there was a
further secession from Wyeth's company,
by which he was left with only 11 men,
the remainder preferring to return home
with Sublette. Petty grievances, a sono-what-
too arrogant demeanor on the part
of the leader and the conviction that the
trip would prove a failure caused these
men to desert their companions when
only a few hundred miles distant from
the mouth of the Columbia. Before a
final separation occurred a severe battle
took place between the whites and their
Indian allies, by which Subletie lost seven
of his own men killed and 13 wounded.
None of Wyeth's men was Injured in thl
fight, but a little later one of those who
had separated from him was ambushed
and killed by Blackfeet. ' ,
"VV-etn adw joinea nuun aubimto, xtu. y
hmthor rf William, under whose culd- rf :
ance he proceeded towards Salmon River.
The Bostons, as the Northwest coast In
dians formerly, styled all white men, ar
rived at Vancouver October 29, having oc
cupied seven months In the Journey. The
expedition was a failure. Indeed, so far
as gain was concerned, and all Wyeth's
men except two left him at the Hud
son's Bay Company fort.
Wyeth, nothing daunted, and deter
mined to make use of his dearly bought
experience., returned to the East the en
suing season. Arriving at the headwaters
of the Missouri, he built what Is known
as a bull-boat, made of buffalo skins
stitched together and stretched over a
slight frame, In which, with two or three
half-breeds, he consigned himself to the
treacherous currents and quicksands of
the Big Horn. Down this stream he float
ed to Its confluence with the Yellowstone.
At Fort Union he exchanged his leather
bark for a dugout, with which he sailed,
floated or paddled down the turbid Mis
souri to Camp Leavenworth. He returned
to Boston, and. having secured the means.
again repaired to St. Louis, where he crt
listed a second company of 70 men ana
once more sought the old Oregon trait.
On his second journey to Oregon, whlcn
was made in 1S34, Wyeth built, stocked
and manned Fort Hall and went on to
Oak Point, on tho Lower Columbia, in
the Fall to meet the brig May Dacre. of
Boston, laden with goods for the mission
aries. He then built a fort and trading
post on Wapato Island, now Sauvle's Isl
and, which he called Fort William, as a
rival to the Hudson's Bay establishment
at Vancouver. As this did not suit the
Hudson's Bay Company, Wyeth's business
efforts were so circumscribed and defeat
ed that he was finally forced to sell to
the English company and retire from the
field. Wyeth returned to Boston In the
Fall of 1S3S. "The commercial distress
of that time," he wrote to Congressman
Palfrey In December, 1847. "precluded the
further prosecution of our enterprise, that
so far had yielded little but misfortunes."
FREMONT'S PATHHNDJNG.
One Jonrney Down the Columbia and
One in Central Oregon.
By order of Colonel J. J. Abert, chief
of the corps of topographical engineers,.
to explore and report upon the country
between the frontiers of Missouri and the
South Pass In the Rocky Mountains, and
on the line of the Kansas and Great
Platte Rivers, John C. Fremont left
Washington May 2, 1842. and arrived at
St. Louis on the 22d, He collected In the
neighborhood of St. Louis 21 men, prin
cipally Creole and Canadian voyageurs,
who had become familiar with prairie life
In the service of the fur companies. The
party went by steamboat to Chouteau's
Landing, about 460 miles from St. Louis,
and near the mouth of the Kansas River,
vhence they proceeded 12 miles to Cyp
rian Chouteau's trading-house, where final
arrangements for the expedition were
made. The westward march was begun
June 10, and on August 13, Fremont as
cended to a point In the Rocky Moun
tains 13.570 feet above the Gulf of Mex
ico. "On one side," he wrote, "we over
looked Innumerable lakes and streams,
the spring of the Colorado of the Gulf
of California: and on the other was the
Wind River Valley, where were the head3
of the Yellowstone branch of the Mis
souri: far to the north, we could just
discover the snowy heads of the Trols
Tetons, where were the sources of the
Missouri and Columbia Rivers; and at
the southern extremity of the ridge, tho
peaks were plainly visible, among which
were some of the springa of the Nebraska
or Platte River: . . . We had climbed
the loftiest peak of the Rocky Mountains,
and looked down upon the snow a thou
sand feet below: and, standing where no
human foot had stood before, felt the
" exultation of first explorers."
In 1S43 Fremont was directed to con
nect his reconnolsance of the previous
year with the surveys of Commander
Wilkes on the Pacific Coast, so as to give
a connected survey of the interior ol the
I
juJUs-