The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society Part 32

_St. Louis New Era_, February 14, 1843.

OREGON, THE NEW ELDORADO.

We derive from a long letter in the _National Intelligencer_ the following sketch of the Territory beyond the Rocky Mts., which is now the theme of debate in the U. S. Senate.

_Newark Advertiser._

"Within a few years several Americans, of whom the writer is one, have crossed the Rocky Mts., to the mouth of the Columbia, with objects entirely unconnected with trade or commerce. Mine was a desire to see a new country, a love of adventure for its own sake, and an enthusiastic fondness for natural history. The party with which I traveled left Independence, Mo., about the latter part of April, 1834, and arrived at the British Fort, Vancouver, in September, having performed the whole journey on horseback. From this time until October, 1836, with the exception of the first winter which I pa.s.sed at the Sandwich Islands, my residence was in the Territory of Oregon. Dr. McLoughlin, chief factor, treated me with uniform and singular kindness, supplying all my wants and furnishing me with every facility in the prosecution of my plans. This is, I believe, the uniform character of the Superintendents of British forts in that country. Travelers, naturalists, and all who are not traders are kindly and hospitably treated, but the moment a visitor is known to trade a beaver skin from an Indian, that moment he is ejected from the community. The company has a sum of money amounting to several thousand pounds sterling, laid aside at Vancouver for the sole purpose of opposing all who may come to interfere with its monopoly, by purchasing at exhorbitant prices all the furs in possession of the Indians, and thus forcing the settler to come to terms or driving him from the country. If it be an individual who is thus starved into submission he then usually clears a piece of land on the Willamette River, takes an Indian wife, and purchases furs of the natives, which, by previous contract, he is bound to sell to the company at an advance which is fixed by the governor.

Ft. Vancouver, the princ.i.p.al trading post of the Oregon, stands on the north bank of the river, about 90 miles from the mouth. The fort consists of several dwellings, storehouses, workshops, etc., all of frame arranged together in quadrilateral form, and surrounded by a stockade of pine logs about 20 ft. high. The Ft. has no bastions, and contains no armament. There are, to be sure, 4 great guns frowning in front of the governor's mansion, 2 long 18s and 2 9-pounders, but two of them have long been spiked and the others are unfit for service.

The rainy season begins here about the middle of October and continues until the first of April. During this period the weather is almost uniformly dull, foggy, or rainy. Sometimes rain falls incessantly for the s.p.a.ce of 2 or 3 weeks.

Occasionally, during the winter months, there will be a light fall of snow, and in the winter of 1835-6 the river was frozen over. The intensity of cold, however, continued but a few days and was said to be very unusual. The general range of the thermometer, (Fahr.) during that season was from 36-48 degrees, but for 3 or 4 days was as low as 25 degrees.

In the vicinity of Ft. Vancouver, the cattle graze during the whole winter; no stabling or stall feeding is ever requisite, as the extensive plains produce the finest and most abundant crops of excellent prairie gra.s.s. In choosing a site for settlement on the main river, it is always necessary to bear in mind the periodical inundations. Ft.

Vancouver itself, though built on a high piece of land at a distance of 600 yards from the common rise of the tides, is sometimes almost reached by the freshets of early spring.

The soil here, on both sides of the river is a rich black loam, the base being basaltic rock.

The face of the country from Ft. George, (Astoria,) to Vancouver, a distance of 80 miles, is very much of a uniform character, consisting of alluvial meadows, along the river-side, alternating with forests of oak, pine, etc., while behind are extensive plains, some of which receive estuaries of the river, while others are watered by lakes or ponds. The pine forests are very extensive, the trees being of great size, and the timber extraordinarily beautiful. All the timber of the genus pinus is gigantic. I measured with Dr. Gairdner, surgeon of the fort, a pine of the species _Dougla.s.s_, which had been prostrated by the wind. Its height was above 200 ft., and its circ.u.mference 45 feet.

Large as was this specimen, its dimensions are much exceeded by one measured by the late David Douglas. The height of this tree was nearly 300 ft., and the circ.u.mference 56 ft.

Cones of this pine, according to Mr. D., were 12 to 15 inches long, resembling in size and form sugar loaves. Oak timber of various kinds is abundant along the river, as well as b.u.t.ton wood, balsam, poplar, ash, sweet gum, beech, and many other useful kinds, but no hickory or walnut. The governor of Ft. Vancouver, who is an active agriculturist, has exerted himself for several years in raising whatever appears adapted to the soil. Wheat, rye, barley, pease, and culinary vegetables of all kinds are raised in ample quant.i.ty. Fruits of various kinds, apples, peaches, plums, etc., do remarkably well. I remember being particularly struck, upon my arrival at Vancouver in the autumn, with the display of apples in the garden of the fort. Trees were crowded with fruit, so that every limb had to be sustained with a prop. Apples were literally packed along the branches, and so closely that I could compare them to nothing more aptly than ropes of onions. In the vicinity of Walla Walla or the Ney [z] Perce's Fort, the country in every condition for many miles exhibits an arid and cheerless prospect. The soil is deep sand, and the plain upon which the fort stands produces nothing but bushes of aromatic wormwood. Along the borders of the small streams, however, the soil is exceedingly rich and productive, and on these strips of land the superintendent raises his corn and the vegetables necessary for the consumption of his people.

The p.r.o.ng-horned antelope occasionally ranged these plains; black-tailed or mule deer is found in the vicinity; grouse of several species are very abundant, and large prairie hare is common. In autumn and winter, in the vicinity of Ft.

Vancouver, ducks, geese, and swans swarm in immense numbers.

These are killed by the Indians and taken to the Ft. as articles of trade. For a single duck, one load of powder and shot is given; for a goose, 2; and for a swan, 4 loads. For deer 10 loads of ammunition, or a bottle of rum is the usual price. Early in May salmon are first seen entering the river, and the Columbia and all its tributaries teem with these delicious fish. The Indians take great numbers by various modes, subsisting almost wholly on them during their stay, and drying and packing them away in thatched huts to be used for their winter store. Salmon also forms a chief article of food for the inmates of the fort, and hundreds of casks are salted down every season.

About 20 miles above this, in the Wallamet Valley, is the spot chosen by the Methodist missionaries for their settlement, and here also, a considerable number of retired servants of the company had established themselves. The soil of this delightful valley is rich beyond comparison, and the climate considerably milder than that of Vancouver. Rain rarely falls, even in the winter season, but dews are sufficiently heavy to compensate for its absence. The epidemic of the country, ague, is rarely known here. In short, the Wallamet Valley is a terrestrial paradise, to which I have known some to exhibit so strong an attachment as to declare that notwithstanding the few privations which must necessarily be experienced by settlers of a new country, no consideration would ever induce them to return to their former homes."

J. K. T. [TOWNSEND].

Washington, Jan. 26, 1843.

_St. Louis New Era_, Tuesday, February 28, 1843.

OREGON.

The following is an extract from a letter dated Honolulu, Oct. 30, 1842. "The town is now full of strangers, the Chenamus having brought some 19 pa.s.sengers from the Oregon, who are returning home, disgusted with the people and the country. Then again, the Victoria brings a few families here on their way to the river to settle. They must be encouraged by meeting so many here, returning."

_New Era_, Thursday, March 9, 1843.

(Contains notice of "Travels in the Great Prairie Wilderness, the Anahuac and Rocky Mts., and in Oregon Territory," by T. J. Farnham; said to contain full account of a journey overland and the Methodist missions in the Territory. Notice copied into "_Era_" from _N. Y. Tribune_, from which office it is issued.)

_Republican_, July 22, 1843.

We learn from Maj. Albert Wilson who has just returned from the Mountains, that he met the Oregon emigrants on the big Arkansas [Platte], one month after they had left the settlements, and that they were cheerfully wending their way onwards. There were 1150 emigrants, 175 wagons, and a great number of cattle, horses, mules, etc., etc. Lord Stewart and his party of pleasure, consisting of 100 persons, were three days in advance of the Oregon emigrants.

Copied into _Rep._ from "_Liberty Banner_."

_Republican_, August 7, 1843.

A letter received from the emigrants, at Iowa City, some days since:

OREGON EMIGRATING CO.

June 10, 1843.

The return of a company of mountain traders to the settlements presents an opportunity for writing which I feel much inclined to embrace. We are now between 2 and 300 miles west of Independence, on the Blue river, a tributary of the Kansas, in good health and spirits. I regret to say that a division has taken place in the company, in consequence of the number of cattle driven by some, those having no cattle refusing to stand guard over stock belonging to others. The result of all this was that Capt. Burnett resigned command of the company, and the commander, in accordance with our regulations, ordered a new election, and so altered the by-laws that the commander should be called colonel, and also authorized the election of 4 captains, and 4 orderly sergeants. The cattle party selected myself as their candidate, those opposed selected Mr. Wm. Martin, an experienced mountaineer. There being a majority in opposition to the cattle party, Mr. Martin was elected, and a division of the company ensued. About 50 wagons, with those who had large droves of loose cattle, now left, with a general request that all in favor of traveling with them should fall back. I was particularly solicited to leave Martin's party, but as it would travel much the fastest, and Col. Martin was a very clever fellow, I declined. The new company, it is expected, will be commanded by Capt.

Applegate. Our roads, since leaving the settlements have been very fine, except within the last few days, during which period they have been almost impa.s.sable in consequence of the tremendous rains, but they are again improving. We have had no trouble with the Indians, with the exception of horse and cattle stealing, and this business they have carried on pretty lively. I had a very fine mule and an ox stolen from me on the Kansas river, and we lost in all some 8 or 10 head of horses and mules. I believe there is not a case of sickness in camp, though old Mr. Stout, from Iowa, has a violent swelling in his eyes. Tell the boys from Iowa to come on with all the cattle and sheep they can get, and a company large enough to drive them.

Truly yours, etc.,

M. M. M. [MCCARVER].

P. S.--My friend, Mr. Henry Lee, from Iowa, has just been elected Capt. of one of the divisions. While writing, news has been brought in of the discovery of a dead Indian about one mile from this place, and freshly scalped, and nearly all the company have gone to see him. He was shot with arrows and is supposed to be a p.a.w.nee, killed by a party of the Kansas Indians whom we met the other day, consisting of 200, with fresh scalps and fingers, which they said had been taken the day before.

_Republican_, Friday, September 6, 1843.

We have been favored with the perusal of a private letter from Bent's Fort, dated July 26. The writer is one of Mr.

Fitzpatrick's party, and says that thus far their trip has been a severe one. The party has been delayed since the 14th inst., waiting for the arrival of Mr. Fremont, who left them on the 17th of June with 18 men. After progressing ahead some distance, he despatched an express back, requesting the rear party with Fitzpatrick not to move until he joined them, alleging as a reason that there were hostile Mexicans on their route. On the morning of the date of the letter, the writer says, they were dividing into two parties again, with the intention of meeting at Ft. Hall, Oregon, in about 4 days [weeks]. Fitzpatrick's party intended crossing the Platte that morning, and would take up its line of march over the mountains. He speaks of a slight difficulty with the Indians, but furnishes no particulars.

_Republican_, Friday, September 29, 1843.

We have received from Mr. Edward Hutwa a very handsome, and, as far as we have any means of judging, a correct lithograph map of the Oregon Territory, as claimed by the U. S., with a portion of the adjacent territory. The princ.i.p.al rivers, mountains, routes, trading depots, and the trading depots and forts of the Hudson's Bay Co., are laid down with accuracy. To those migrating to the Columbia, or to those wishing to study the topography of the country, this map will be of importance.

_Republican_, Wednesday, December 13, 1843.

A postscript to a letter from a gentleman in the Indian country, dated October 19, received by a gentleman of this city, says: "Ft. Hall, on the Oregon has been delivered up to Lt. Fremont, and it is believed that Ft. Vancouver soon will be." How far the report is reliable, we have no means of knowing, except that he and his party are in Oregon by the authority and direction of the United States Government.

_Republican_, Thursday, December 14, 1843.