iZS&Mfi&TJ-L Bomantio and Stirring Story of Oregon's Discovery, Earl JMyi-g JL3.J" J - " " ' 7 : ' " ,., ---MflW illk Growth, S?Jn-torf-a5r Explorations by Captain- gjf f 5r A. rT"Tr--: " BY ROBERT H. BLOSSOM. Tit T"i i.ot I. Indented to Dr T. L. Eliot. George H. Himee and John Gill lor valuable uggtlona ana critldim of uiar-uscrlpt. ) Take the wisga Of morning, pierce the Barcan wllflerneaa, Or loae thytelf In the contlnuona wood Where rolls the Oregon and bears no sound Save hl own dashlngs. 4 - Thus sang the famous poet tn 1S11, when but IT years of age. Thanatopsls" has won for Its author an Illustrious name. The early Oregon country was much larger In area than the Oregon of today; it then comprised the present states of Oregon. Washington. Idaho and part of Montana an empire of latent resources. Early Explorations Bad Naming; of State THE naming; of Oregon Is veiled In obscurity. Naturally we look to a country's explorers for an answer. As early as 1535 the Span lards, starting: from Mexico, made fre quent northward explorations alone; the Pacific Coast. Their object was to dis cover a passage connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Unable to dis cover this opening, the search was abandoned for over 00 years. In 1T75 a Spanish navigator, Heceta, saw the mouth of the Columbia River, but he failed to enter the stream because of the strong tides or current. The early Spanish records do not disclose that any name was given to the river and country discovered. The first mention of the name, Ore gon, appears in a book of travels pub lished in 1768 by Jonathan Carver, of Connecticut. Carver left Boston In 1768 destined for the region of the Upper Mississippi, now comprising the States of Iowa. Wisconsin and Minnesota. Carver states that he obtained the name of Oregon from the Indians there. He says: "From these nations, together with my own . observations, I have learned that the four most capital riv ers of the continent of North America, namely, the St. Lawrence, the Missis sippi, the Bourbon (flowing into Hud son's Bay), and the Oregon, or River of the West, have their sources in the same neighborhood. The waters of the three former are within to miles of each other; the latter, however, is rather farther west." In his "History of the United States," John Flske says that Oregon "may per haps be the Algonquin Wau-re-gan,' -beautiful water." " The Algonquin or Algonkin were one of the North Amer ican Indian tribes. Various names have been suggested as to the name's deri vation, but this one seems the most plausible because of the similarity In sound and Carver's report. Arrival of Captala Gray. On May 11. 1791, Captain' Robert Gray, of Boston, discovered the mouth of the great "River of the West" and named It after his ship, the Columbia. The following extracts are taken from the log book of the Columbia: "At 4 o'clock In the morning of the 11th we beheld our desired port, bearing east southeast, distant six leagues. At 8 A. M. being a little to the windward of the entrance of the harbor, bore away, and ran In eaBt-northeast, between the breakers, having from five to six fath oms of water. When we were over the bar, we found this to be a large river of fresh water, up which we steered. Many canoes came alongside. At 1 P. M. came to, with the small bower in 10 fathoms, black and white sand. The entrance between the bars bore west southwest 10 miles; the north side of the river, distant a half mile from the ship, the south side of the same, two and a half miles distant, a village on the north side of the river, west by north, distant three-quarters of a mile. Vast numbers of the natives came alongside; people employed pumping the salt water out of our water casks In order to fill with fresh, which the ship floated in. So ends." Says Mrs. Victor: "No, not so ends, oh, modest Captain Gray, of the ship Columbia, the end la not yet, nor will It be until all the vast territory, rich with every production of the earth which is drained by the waters of the new found river shall have yielded up its illimit able wealth to distant generations." The Columbia's first anchorage must have been In the vicinity of what is now known as Chinook Point, on the Wash ington shore, northwest from Asto ria, Or. Captain Gray explored the river for a distance of 30 miles from its mouth, remaining In this magnifi cent stream for nine days. Vessel Famous la History. The Columbia was the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. The Stars and Stripes which flew from Its masthead on this notable occasion, was the first American flag to go around the world. The flag thus carried was the qrlglnal flag made by Mrs. Betsy Ross, according to the design adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14. 1777. Captain Gray's old chest, a priceless relic, which was the repository for this famous flag. Is now the property of the Oregon Historical Society. Gray's discovery was soon followed by the consummation of two other im portant . events: The acquirement of additional territory through the Lou isiana Purchase In December, 1803, whereby the United States boundary was brought to the crest of the Rocky Mountains; and the ewls and Clark exposition from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean In 1805-6, this being the first and most Important of our National exploring expeditions. - An old Indian, Jake Hunt, formerly a chief of the Klickitat tribe, who now resides on Rattlesnake Creek, a tribu tary of White Salmon River, In Klick itat County. Washington, had the proud distinction of gasing upon the Lewis and Clark expedition as it glided down the Columbia River in is us. He was then 14 years of age and hence Is now 120 years old. Jake Hunt is the only known survivor on the Pacific Coast who witnessed this unique expedition. British Sen-re Station. The three events named above, to- THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND. DECEMBER 15, 1912. pr; '4 , i k m I jjugui . if! m u wmiiTf ' J? C A gether with the settlement in 1811 at Astoria, Or., by John Jacob Astor, were important factors in determining ownership of the Oregon country. ;. The venture of Mr. Astor, after whom Astoria was named, was a financial failure, but through no fault of hla The War of 1812 broke out and the enterprise came to an abrupt end be cause of alien- partners betraying their trust. They -sold Astor s property to the Northwest Trading Company, a Canadian firm, for $48,000 when It was worth 8200,000, so Astor wrote to John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State. Upon the consummation of the sale the Stars and Stripes went down and the Union Jack went up. Soon after the transfer of Astor 8 property the British sloop of war, Rac coon, in command of Captain Black, en- tered the Columbia River, expecting to secure a rich prise of war by captur-lna- the fort. His hopes of securing prize money quickly vanished as he soon discovered that the post had been sold to British subjects. On December 12, 1913, Captain Black, surrounded by his oficers and marines, took formal possession by breaking a bottle of port on the flagstaff, hoisting the British ensign, and changing the name. Fort Astor, to Fort George, in honor of the English King. On October 6, 1818, "the settlement of Fort George (Astoria) on the Co lumbia River" was restored to the United States, and the formality of exchanging names and flags again took nln.ee. the English sloop or war, sios som. Captain F. Hickey, commander, salutlnc the American flag. By the treaty of October 20, 1818, the entire, country west of th Rocky Moun tains was oDen to the settlement of both countries for 10 years, at the end of which time Joint occupancy for an Indefinite period was agreed upon. The treaty of August 6, 1827, continued the indefinite Joln occupancy by the two countries, sudjci, nowever, to termi nation after October 20, 1828. by either party giving to the other 12 montns notice. Arrival of Dr. John McLoagrhlln. On the consolidation of the North west Trading Company with the Hud son's Bay Company, Dr. John McLough lin was selected to come West and as sume charge. He left Canada, accom panied by his family and a retinue of servants, destined overiana to Astoria, and arrived there in 1824. He soon re moved to the site where Vancouver, Wash., now stands, as he considered it a better location for a post. The Hudson's Bay Company was a powerful English corporation, estab lished in 1670. and organized tor traa lng purposes only. Their business with the trappers and Indians was a large and nrofitable one. They did not want American immigration, as this meant settlement of the country and hence scarcity of wild animals from which valuable skins or lurs were procured, or perhaps American competition would enter tneir iieia. "The Father of Oregon." McLoughlin has been called by some the "Father of Oregon." His noble qualities of mind and heart are seldom eaualed. F. a. Mattnieu, in an inter view with the writer, speaks of him In the most glowing terms. He says: "McLoughlin was a large and powerful man, over six feet in height, and had a voice like a bull. These characteris tics, even if he possessed nothing more, would command the' respect of the rough and hardy trappers and the In dians, when Inclined to be treacherous." He had the most tender sympathy for the unfortunate immigrants who came down the Columbia River, bereft of everything pertaining to this world's goods, after their long overland Journey across the plains. To all such he gave raiment, food and shelter. But being the chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, under a yearly salary of 812, 000. he could not consistently recom mend the settlement of Oregon by Americans. The early newspapers and Govern ment documents would indicate that Jason Lee could be thus honored, if any one man - is selected, because through his untiring efforts much of the early Immigration was directed Oregonward. Oregon without Ameri cans could never have brought the change from "Joint Occupancy" to the "Provisional" form of government. And we repeat that the influx of Americans was largely through Lee's efforts." He also administered to the ' spiritual and physical welfare of the Indians and the' immigrants upon their arrival. What more diversified and fatherly attributes In such a marked degree could one possess than those enumerated above? Then, why not Lee the "Father of Ore gon?" x . It Is believed however, that, when Justice is done, a "Round Robin" of appreciation and gratitude (not one of criticism .and complaint) will De made In letters of gold, inscribing within an inner circle three names Jason Lee, Dr. John McLoughlin, and Dr. Marcus I Whitman. Around these great central I figures will be written the names of i H. H. SDauldlng. William H. Gray,' JO' seDh V. Meek. Dr. Ira L. Babcock, and a few others all "Fathers of Oregon.' The aborigines of a country are an interesting study. From whence this native race sprang is a problem be cause of the lack of written records or reliable tradition. When Europeans first visited the continent they called the natives In dians, thinking that the discovered land was India. The error was soon found but the name Indian is still ap plied to the natives of North and South America. Some ethnologists claim that a dis ti'nct type of the human race is rep resented in the American Indian, whilst others say they are of Mongolian de scent However this may be, the West ern states offer to the student of eth nology an Interesting field for Inves tigation. Our Government is acquiring a record for the native races as rap idly as limited appropriations will per mit Their religion, their legends, their music, their tribal relations, are most admirably preserved In public docu ments issued from' time to time. In 1805. near the east end of Sau vie's (Wapato) Island on the Willamette River, there was a population of eight hundred natives, the Multnomahs, after whom a County and the beautiful Falls on the Columbia River were named. These were the remains of a large nation and together with aa lacent tribes, aggregated a total of two thousand, two hundred and sixty souls. In 1844 the race had disap peared. The dead, however, were there in large numbers. There Is an in teresting legend of this tribe. The great War Chief of the Multnomahs bad his wigwam here until called by death. His burial was totally unlike the usual Interment. A large canoe was filled with pine-knots and pitch. Upon this was placed the Chief's riches and then on top of all was laid the dead body. As night came on the inflamable material was fired, the ca noe pushed out Into the Columbia's current, and the strange funeral pyre started on Its way, lighting up the darkness as it drifted slowly down the stream. Legend of the Arch, One of the most striking Indian le gends pertains to the great natural bridge that In early days spanned the Columbia River where the Cascades now are. At that time the river flowed placidly and with an unbroken current under an Immense arch of stone. This great arch was referred to by the In dians as Ta-mah-na-wus; meaning something supernatural. From thi word, evidently, has been coined an other one, "Tomanowos" (built by the gods). "The Great Spirit shook the earth, the bridge crushing down into the river, forming the present obstruc tion of the Cascades of the Columbia River." This legend is no fabric of the Imagination. Balch in his inter esting book, "The Bridge of the Gods," describes it carefully. Mr. Balch was a student of Indian history, and visited the Columbia tribes. They all tell the same story, dwelling upon it as one of the great feats of their past his tory. At low water, when the freshets are over, one can look down into the trans parent depths and see the submerged forest trees beneath him, standing up right Just as they did before the bridge fell In and the waters closed over them. These submerged groves can be seen along both sides of the rfver from the Cascades and for a distance of 2 or 15 miles above this obstruction. , The "Sunken Forest" has been gen erally attributed to slides from the sides of the mountains which have car ried down into the bed or tne stream the standijg trees. This phenomenon; however, is dependent on a different cause. Dr. conaon, a recognized geo logical authority, in his book, "The Two Islands' pages 180-181-182, says: "These submerged forests are not petrified, as sometimes stated, but trees in slow process of decay in positions to which landslides could not nave brought them. and In a depth of water in which they could not grow. The vicinity of the falls (Cascades) has been the scene of recent volcanlo action. A con. sequence of this action has been ths precipitation of a portion of this wall bordering the stream into Its bed." these facts Indicate some truth In that old Indian tradltiM." Indiana Visit St. Louis. L ' In 18Si four Nes Perce Indian chiefs left their wigwams In the Oregon Country.."on the Columbia River,: their objective point being St Louis. They wished to secure the "White Man's Book of Heaven," of which they had heard, and to know more of its teach ings. Two of them were old and vener able, the others young and active. The older Chiefs died and were burled in St Louis. The names of the younger Chiefs were' "Hee-oh-ks-te-kln" (the rabbit skin leggings), and "H'co-a-h-co-ah-cotes-min" (no horns on his head). The last mentioned one died while on his way home, near the mouth of the Yellowstone River. The other one reached bis friends in safety, but bring ing sad news of the deaths of all the rest of the party. This remarkable quest was soon published in the news papers of the land and was read with intense Interest by thousands. To some It was a matter of no conse quence but to the missionary organiza tions it was a call from God, the "Great Spirit" of nlL Jason Lee and party of Methodists' answered the "Call' first, reaching the land of opportunity In 1834.1 They were followed by the Presbyterians in 1835-6. under the lead ership of Dr. Marcus . Whitman. Rev. H. H. Spalding and his wife were per suaded to Join the Oregon mission al though they had previously planned to go as missionaries to the Osage Indians. W. H. Gray was the secular manager. Mr. Gray became prominent in Oregon history and was the author of "A His tory of Oregon, 1792-1849." Whitman was a bridegroom, having Jnst married Miss Narclssa Prentiss, and now the wedding Journey from New York to the Columbia River was begun. Mrs. Whit man and Mrs. Spalding were the first white women to cross the plains and over the Rocky Mountains to the great "River of 'the West." In 1814 an Eng lish woman named Barnes arrived here on the ship Isaac Todd, but did not re main loag. ,. Indians 'Are Suspicious. : By requsst of the Hudson's Bay Com pany, the Roman Catholics sent their missionaries. Fathers F.' N. Blanchet and Modest Demers, from Montreal, Canada, and they arrived in Vancouver November 24,. 1837, after an overland journey of over 4000 miles. Upon their arrival at Vancouver, all of the above missionaries, Protestant and Catholic, received a most cordial welcome from Dr. McLoughlin. The Methodist mission was under the control of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Presbyterian mission, during these early years, was financed and en couraged by the American board of 1 foreign missions, the board at that time being under the Joint control of the Presbyterian, Congregational and Dutch Reformed churches. The advent of ithe white man filled the Indians with mistrust Some of them said that "they did not wish to go to war, but if the Americans came to take away their lands and make slaves of them, they would fight so long as they had a drop of blood to shed." As a result of this feeling and a superstitious dread that poison would be given them by the Americans, there followed three Indian wars the Cay use, the Rogue River and the Yakima. The Cayuse war (1847-1850) marked and closed Oregon's career under a Pro visional Government, with George Ab ernethy its able first Governor. The Rogue River war (1858-54) be gan soon after Oregon's admission as a territory, August 14, 1848. General Jo seph Lane , was Oregon's first Terri torial Governor. - His love of adventure, his fine courage and his natural gal lantry made him specially fitted to deal with ths Indians. . Wars With Indiana, I The Yakima war (1855-56) was fought by the United States troops and volun teers under the administration of Ter ritorial Governo"- George L. Curry. General Philip Sheridan, then a Lieu tenant had his first responsible com mand during this war. He was ordered, with 40 men, to proceed frorq Fort Vancouver to the Cascades. It has been estimated that 1896 white persons were killed by the Indians be tween the years 1828 and 1878 In the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Many Immigrant families were killed, the men, women and children suffer ing fiendish and unspeakable outrages. One writer has saldi "The perils and pains of the Plymouth Rock Pilgrims were not greater than those of the pioneers of Oregon, and there are few Incidents in history more profoundly sad than "the narratives of hardship undergone In the settlement of this country." . 4 The native race, dominating the coun try for ages, and In whose behalf the early missionaries came to Oregon, had nracticallv disaDDeared within 10 years after Jason Lee's arrival In 1834. Only a remnant was left of the great multi tude that Lewis and l-'iara naa seen along the shores of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Their ancient camps and stone Implements are found from the seashore to the mountain tops. Lewis and Clark estimated the. num ber of natives in the valley of the Co lumbia to be 40,000. Others estimate th. .niir. native copulation In the Or egon Country to have been over 100,000. In his report for 1908. the Commission er of Indian Affairs reports the Indian population in Oregon to be 4691. One naturally -"'" great fatality. There are two reasons given by their own descendants. One is the ravages of smallpox, and the other Is the "cola - water cure - pre scribed for measles, which sent many to the happy hunting grounas. inis "cure" was the plunging of the entire body, when "broken out," in cold water. (To be concluded next Sunday.) (Copyright, 1912, by Robt H. Blossom.) f