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