24 Pages
SECOND SECTION
Pages 9 to 16
24 Pages '
SECOND SECTION
Pages 9 to 16
liast Oregonian Round-Up Souvenir Edition Pendleton, Oregon, Thursday, September "21," 1922.
BACK - TRAILING ON THE OLD FRONTIERS
Drawing by CHARLES M. RUSSELL
Copyright, J J22 hy thp Ohnply-Rahnn Syndirale.'
How the Rich Oregon Country Came Under the Sovereignty of the United
States Through the Discovery of the Columbia River by Captain
By W. W. CHEELY.
CAPTAIN JAMES Cook, the British navigator
who discovered the Sandwich (Hawaiian)
Islands, was directly responsible for the dis
covery of the Columbia river by an American seaman
and also for the organization of the Lewis and Clark
overland expedition to the Pacific coast. These were
two important historical happenings which helped
materially to extend the sovereignty .of the United
States over the rich Oregon country, and make of the
young republic a continental power. These incidents
of international consequence, occurring within a few
years of each other, at a time when Great Britain,
Spain and Russia were seeking to establish a foot
hold on the North Pacific coast, practically put the
United States in possession of Oregon and confirmed
her title to the northwest.
Cook sailed from England in 1776, his purpose
being to seek the northwest passage, the mythical
waterway that maritime men of that day thought
existed. His instructions were to land on the coast of
New Albion, the ancient name for Oregon. In
March, 1778, he observed the mountains of Oregon.
Further north he sailed by the strait of Juan de Fuca
and wrote in his log his opinion that the' story of
the strait was a myth. In Nootka sound he took on
many furs. Sailing on, he sighted Mount St. Elias,
passed through the strait separating Asia from
America, named Cape Prince of Wales, and then
was forced, on account of ice, to turn back, going to
the Hawaiian Islands, where, a few months later,
he met his death at the hands of the islanders.
In the spring of 1879, his two ships, in an attempt
to complete his work, sailed north over practically
the same route. On the return voyage a stop was
made at Nootka, where cargoes of valuable furs were
acquired for practically nothing. Skins worth over
$100 were bought for 10 cents each in goods. Cook's
ships then sailed for Canton, where the furs were ex
changed for valuable silks, which were marketed in
England at a handsome profit.
Luckiest John Ledyard Who Brought to Boston
the Tale of Northern Wealth
In this cruise bf Cook and his sucressnrs was a
petty officer named John Ledyard, a New Englander
of some education. He was in England when the
expedition was being organized and went along irt
the spirit of adventure. He was very much im
pressed with the fur wealth of the North Pacific. On
his journey he kept a diary. This diary, said to be
the best record of this memorable cruise, was taken
from Ledyard by British naval officers on his dis
charge in England. Ledyard then returned to Bos
ton, where, in an effort to raise money to equip a
6hip to engage in the Oregon fur trade, he wrote a
pamphlet from memory. He canvassed the financial
men of Boston to this end, and while they were in
terested in his narrative of the easy wealth to be
made in the North Pacific, declined to embark on
his adventure. But the story that he told made its
impression and bore fruit several years later.
The development of the Chinese silk trade, in
which Boston merchants were interested, and stories
told by seamen coming to Boston port, stimulated
interest in the fur possibilities of the Oregon country,
and in 1787 a company of Boston merchants, headed
by J. Barrell, one of the men to whom Ledyard had
told his story, resolved to go into the .trade. 'iney
equipped two ships, the Columbia and the Lady "
Washington, captained by Robert Gray and John
Kendriek, stocked them with trade goods and st-nt
them on their way to Oregon. They were to take on
cargoes of furs, take the furs to China, exchange
them for silks and other Chinese goods, and market
the Chinese goods in America, the plan involving a
possibility of three profits. .
Captain Cray the First Sea Captain to Carry
American Flag Around World.
The two ships left Boston on October 1, 1787, ar
rived on the Oregon coast on the following Septem
ber, wintered at Nootka, and in- the spring opened
trade, securing a large quantity of the choicest furs
for the merest trifles. Late in the summer Captain
Gray sailed for China, sold his furs, took on his cargo
of Chinese goods, and returned to Boston, arriving at
his home port in August, 1790. In this voyage Cap
tain Gray was the first American sailor to carry tiie
stars and stripes around the world.
A month later saw Gray on his return trip to the
North Pacific, where he arrived in the hummer of
1891. The succeeding months of good weather were
spent in trading with the Indians, with whom he
had numerous skirmishes, and in exploration. With
the approach of winter he established headquarters
at Clayoquot, where he build the sloop Adventure.
In the spring he sailed south in search of trade.
On May 7 he entered a harbor in latitude 46 de
grees, 58 minutes, which was chistened in his name.
Four days later he steered his hhips across a bar
where a mighty river met the sea. On each side of
the mouth were towering cliffs. Believing that h
, had found the "Great River of the West," of nauti
cal legend, he took his observations and found that
he was in latitude 46 degrees, 10 minutes. He sailed
up the river for 10 miles, anchored, and a grea! mul
titude of Indians visited the ship to trade. He re
mained at this anchorage for 10 days, and then sailed
about 15 miles further up the river, went ashore and
took possession of the land in the name of the United '
States of America, most appropriately christening
the river "Columbia."
Captain Vancouver Missed Opportunity to Claim
Oregon Country for England.
A short time before Gray's discovery Captain Van
couver, a noted British sea captain, had arrived
in the North Pacific waters. He was sent out by the
British admiralty to map the coast of North America
from 30 to 60 degrees, which comprised the coast
line of the Oregon country, and to endeavor to find a
passage to the Atlantic. On April 27, only a few
days before Gray's discovery, Captain Vancouver'
passed the mouth of the Columbia river, which he
noted in his log as an inlet or small river, not ac
cessible for vessels of our burthen," and sailed on
north. A few week's later when Vancouver was to'.d
of Gray's important discover, he realized that he
had missed the opportunity of establishing Great
Britain's claim to the Oregon country. He sent Lieu
tenant P.roughton to make a survey of the river.
Kroughton sailed up the river for 100 miles, and
afterwards united with Vancouver in an effort to
discredit Gray, claiming that the American captain
had not seen the river proper. But this effort went
town before the weight of evidence that was pr -sen
ted in the international debate of a generation
later, when America's claim was acknowledged by
the- Hrirsh.
To return to the luckless Ledyard. After Ameri
can financiers failed him lie went to Ixndon, where
he had no better success. Then he journeyed to
Paris, where he met Captain John Paul Jones, the
famous American naval commander. The adventure
that Ledyard proposed appealed to Jones, who in
troduced him to Thomas Jefferson, then minister for
the United States to France. Jefferson, a student
of conditions in the northwest, kept him for days
narrating his stories of the fur wealth of the North
Pacific coast, and the information he received from
Ledyard is said to have impressed this far-sighted
statesman with the idea that if the United States
could establish a claim to the Oregon country, there
was a possibility of developing the young republic
into a continental power. And when he became
president of the United States a few year later he
brought about the organizaztion of the and
Clark expedition which made the long overland jour
ney across the continent, and established discovery
rights, which, together with Gray's discovery,
brought the Oregon country under the rule of the
Republic.
Ledyard had Served his country well, but ill-luck
pursued him to the end of his days. When he saw
that he could do nothing in France, John Jaul Jones'
enthusiasm having cooled, he went back to London,
where thnstime he found backing, an.l finally, nailed,
But his ship was only a few hours out of port when
it was recalled by the British admiralty. The ex
pedition was suppressed and no explanation was
forthcoming. Then, financed by the same backers .
who had placed the ship at his disposnl. ho resolved
to lead an expedition overland through Siberia to '
the Behring strait, purposing to travel down the
western North American coast. Ho went to Petro
grad and had outfitted and was about ready to start,
when, at the instance of the imperial Russian gov
ernment, he was arrested and deported to Poland,
the Russian officials insisting that the trip( was im-'
possible and that he was risking the live of those
who proposed to go with him. He finally made his '
way back to London, led an expedition of explora
tion into Africa, where he perished.
When Russia Was Casting Covetous Eyes on Oregon
Country and California.
About this time Russian officials in Alaska were
look-.ng with covetous eyes on the Oregon country
and California. In an official report to his govern
ment, the Imperial Inspector Rezanof urged upon
Russia the importance of founding Russian trading
posts on the Columbia river with a view to gaining
control of the fur trade. He advised the sending of
an armed force to the Columbia to drive the Boston
ians away. "This accomplished," the report reads,
"we would gradually advance towards the south to
the port of San Francisco, attract population from
various localities, and in ten years would be strong
enough to make use of any turn of European politics
to include the coast of California in the Russian pos
sessions." But after the success of the Lewis and
Clark expedition, the fame of which went around
the world, no more was heard of Russian ambitions
in this direction.
America's claim to the Oregon country was furth
er strengthened internationally by the founding of
Astoria and other trading posts on the Columbia
river in 1811 and the years that followed., ,