USA > California > The history of Oregon and California & the other territories of the northwest coast of North America > Part 1
USA > Oregon > The history of Oregon and California & the other territories of the northwest coast of North America > Part 1
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01145 7584
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http://www.archive.org/details/historyoforegonc00greein
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WESTERN & MIDDLE PORTIONS OF
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the History of California, Oregon. Wother Countries
NORTH- WEST COAST OF AMERICA
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THE
HISTORY
OF
OREGON AND CALIFORNIA,
AND THE
OTHER TERRITORIES
ON THE
NORTH-WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA;
ACCOMPANIED BY A
GEOGRAPHICAL VIEW AND MAP
ER364
OF THOSE COUNTRIES,
AND A NUMBER OF DOCUMENTS AS
.
PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE HISTORY.
1
BY ROBERT GREENHOW,
TRANSLATOR AND LIBRARIAN TO THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES; AUTHOR OF A MEMOIR, HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL, ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, PUBLISHED IN 1840, BY DIRECTION OF THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.
"THE POSSIBLE DESTINY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS A NATION OF A HUNDRED MILLIONS OF FREEMEN, STRETCHING FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC, LIVING UNDER THE LAWS OF ALFRED, AND SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF SHAKSPEARE AND MILTON, IS AN AUGUST CONCEPTION."
COLERIDGE'S TABLE TALK.
BOSTON: CHARLES C. LITTLE AND JAMES BROWN.
1844.
119
1144
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1844, By ROBERT GREENHOW, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Columbia.
BOSTON : PRINTED BY FREEMAN AND BOLLES, WASHINGTON STREET.
1185623 PREFACE.
THE following pages are devoted, principally, to the de- scription and history of the portion of North America bor- dering on the Pacific Ocean, between the 40th and the 54th parallels of latitude, which is traversed and in a great meas- ure drained, by the River Columbia, and to which the name of OREGON is now usually applied. It has, however, been found necessary, for the objects of the work, to bestow almost equal attention on the regions embraced under the general appellation of CALIFORNIA, extending southward from the Columbia countries, to the arm of the Pacific, called the Californian Gulf ; and also to take into considera- tion the coasts and islands north and north-west of those countries, as far as the Artic Sea.
The vast division of America, comprehending these ter- ritories, remains, with the exception of a few isolated spots on the coasts and on the margins of the larger streams, uncultivated and inhabited only by tribes of wandering sav- ages. Its shores and some of the rivers have been examined with care, and their course may be found delineated with considerable minuteness on maps. Of the interior regions, some have never been explored, and are indeed apparently impenetrable by man ; others, which offer fewer obstacles to the traveller, are only known through the vague and im- perfect accounts of traders or missionaries ; and in those which have been the most frequented by civilized persons, much remains to be effected by the aid of scientific obser- vations in order to obtain satisfactory ideas of their geog- raphy and physical characteristics.
VIII
PREFACE.
These territories, unoccupied, partially unexplored, and remote from all civilized countries, nevertheless present much that is interesting in their political history, as well as in their natural conformation and productions ; and events are now in progress which seem calculated, ere long, to direct towards them the views of the governments and peo- ple of many powerful nations.
Every part of this division of America is in fact claimed by some civilized state as its exclusive property, in virtue either of discoveries or settlements made by its citizens or subjects, or of transfer or inheritance from some other state claiming on similar grounds, or of contiguity to its own ac- knowledged territories. On these points, the principles of national law are by no means clearly defined ; nor is it easy to apply such as are most generally admitted, to particular cases ; nor are governments ordinarily found ready to re- linquish claims merely because they are proved to be un- founded : and disputes have in consequence arisen between different states asserting the right of possession to the same portion of Western America, which have more than once threatened to disturb the peace of the world. Attempts have been made to settle the questions at issue by negotia- tion ; and certain lines of boundary have been agreed on by treaties between one and another of the claimant powers : but the arrangements thus made, can scarcely in any instance be considered definitive, as they have not received, and will probably never receive, the assent of the other parties interested.
In the mean time these territories are daily becoming more important from the advancement of the popula- tion of adjoining countries towards them ; and from the constant increase of the trade and navigation of several of the claimant powers in the Pacific, which would ren- der the undisputed possession of establishments on the coasts of that Ocean most desirable for each. The diffi- culty of effecting an amicable partition of the territories
IX
PREFACE.
thus becomes daily greater, and more urgent therefore is the necessity of endeavoring to attain that object without delay.
It was principally with the object of showing the nature, origin and extent, of these various claims, that the author of the following pages composed his " Memoir, Historical and Political, on the North-West Coasts of North America and the adjacent Territories," * which was published by order of the Senate of the United States in 1840. He there endeavored to present a complete, clear and impartial view
* The circumstances under which the Memoir, here mentioned, was composed and published, will be made apparent by the following letters, and extract from the Journal of the Senate of the United States.
To the Hon. John Forsyth, Secretary of State. WASHINGTON, January 25, 1840.
SIR : I am informed that your department is in possession of much information relating to the territory of Oregon, its geography, resources, and the title of the United States to the same. If consistent with your duty, I would be pleased to be put in possession of such papers and documents as you may think proper to send me, requesting that you will mark such as you would rather not have printed or made public. Your obedient servant,
L. F. LINN,
Chairman of the Select Committee on the Territory of Oregon.
Answer. - To the Hon. Lewis F. Linn, Senator of the United States.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, Jan. 25th, 1840.
SIR : I have had the honor to receive your letter of this day's date, asking for information relative to the territory of Oregon, its geography and resources, and the title of the United States to the same. Mr. Greenhow, the translator and librarian of this department, has been for some time past, by my direction, em- ployed in collecting and arranging historical information on the subject of the north-western coasts of America ; I send you the result of his labors, and submit it to the discretion of the committee to be printed or not, as they may think most advisable. Not having had the leisure to compare the statements in the Memoir with the various works and documents upon which they are founded, I can vouch only for the zeal, industry, and good faith of Mr. Greenhow, by whom they were prepared.
I am, sir, your most obedient servant, JOHN FORSYTH, Secretary of State.
From the Journal of the Senate of the United States. " Monday, February 10, 1840. On motion, by Mr. Linn,
Ordered, That a History of the North-West Coast of North America and the ad- jacent Territories, communicated to the Select Committee on the Oregon Territory, be printed, with the accompanying map ; and that two thousand five hundred copies, in addition to the usual number, be printed for the use of the Senate."
x
PREFACE.
of all the discoveries and settlements, made or attempted, in those countries by civilized nations, and of all the dis- putes, negotiations, and conventions, between different governments with respect to them, from the period when they were first visited by Europeans ; founding his state- ments, as much as possible, upon original authorities. That Memoir is the only work hitherto published, approach- ing in its character to a history of the western portion of North America. The History of California,* printed at Madrid, in 1758, is devoted almost exclusively to descriptions of the Californian Peninsula, and to accounts of the mission- ary labors of the Jesuits, in that desolate region. The Introduction to the Journal of Marchand's Voyage,t which appeared in 1799, and the Introduction to the Journal of Galiano and Valdes,į published in 1802, are confined to the discoveries of European navigators on the North Pacific coasts of America, before 1793; upon which so many details have been made known, since the appearance of those works, that they are now entirely obsolete, and scarcely one of their paragraphs can be cited as correct. The Journals of Cook, La Perouse, Vancouver, Macken- sie, Krusenstern, Lewis and Clarke, Kotzebue, Beechey and Belcher, all contain important information as to the geography of the countries under consideration ; but as regards the events, which lie within the province of the historian, we have only the accounts of the Astoria enter- prise by Franchére, Cox, and Irving, all interesting, yet all limited to the occurrences of three or four years. In the most popular histories of other countries, and especially of Great Britain, the circumstances relating to North-West America, are in every material point, misrepresented, either from neglect on the part of the authors, or from motives less excusable ; and these histories being univer- sally read and received as true in England and in the
* See page 105.
t See page 223.
# See page 241.
.
XI
PREFACE.
United States, it is not astonishing, that erroneous ideas should be generally entertained by the people of both nations, upon points, which have been and will continue to be, the subjects of discussion between their governments.
The Memoir, above mentioned, contains the outlines of the History now presented ; for which the same authorities, with many others since collected, consisting of private and official reports, letters and accounts, journals of expeditions by sea and land, and histories and state papers of various civilized nations, have been carefully examined and com- pared. Many errors of fact as well as of reasoning in the former work, have by this means been corrected ; and new circumstances have been brought to light, and new arguments have been founded upon them, of an important nature, and calculated perhaps materially to modify the views of those to whom the settlement of questions relative to North-West America may be hereafter entrusted. The principal object of the author has been to present the facts relative to the discovery and settlement of those countries, fairly ; and to investigate, and judge the claims which have been deduced from them, agreeably to the immutable principles of right, and the general understanding of civilized nations : and although he fully appreciates, and endeavors in all cases to place in their proper light, the merits of his own countrymen, and the pretensions of his own government, he is not conscious that his desire to do so, has in any case led him to the commission of injustice towards other individuals, or nations, either by misstate- ments, or by suppressions of the truth. In order to unite the various parts into a regular narrative, and to preserve the remembrances of events which may be interesting, if not important at future periods, he has introduced circum- stances not immediately tending to the attainment of the principal objects proposed ; but he has omitted nothing voluntarily, which if made known might have led to con- clusions different from those here presented. The dates
XII
PREFACE.
and the authorities will be found generally inserted, and always in cases where the circumstances related are new or material, or in which the accounts here given differ from those usually received ; and he has appended a number of documents, extracts, and original notices as Proofs and Illustrations of the history. Among the latter, are some valuable papers never before published, others not com- monly known, and others again which the reader will probably desire frequently to consult, including all the treaties and conventions between civilized nations, with respect to the countries forming the subjects of the history.
In the geographical view he has collected, compared, and endeavored to arrange in order, what appeared to be the most exact and striking details, presented by the numerous travellers who have visited the countries in question. The map has been composed, as far as possible, from the original authorities : being intended for the illustration of the history, it necessarily embraces a very large portion of the surface of the globe, and is consequently on a small scale ; it will however be found sufficient for that purpose, and perhaps on the whole, more nearly correct than any other yet offered to the public.
WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY, 1844.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
GEOGRAPHY OF THE WESTERN SECTION OF NORTH AMERICA.
GENERAL VIEW.
Great Natural Divisions, or Sections of North America-Coasts on the Pacific and Arctic Seas- Mountain Chains of the Pacific Section - Rocky Mountains - Geology - Climate - Rivers - Aboriginal Inhabit- ants - Settlements and Claims of civilized Nations. 1-8 ,
CALIFORNIA.
Extent, and Divisions into Peninsula or Old, and Continental or New Cal- ifornia - Gulf of California and Country on its eastern side - Peninsula of California - Continental California - Spanish, or Mexican Settlements - San Diego - Santa Barbara - Monterey - San Francisco - River Colorado - Utah Lake. 9-20
OREGON.
Assumed Boundaries - Region of the Columbia River - The Columbia and its Branches - Pacific Coasts - Strait of Fuca - Natural Divisions of Oregon - Westernmost Chain, or Far-West Mountains - Blue Mountains - Rocky Mountains - Country north of the Columbia - North-West Archipelago - Hudson's Bay Company's Establishments - Settlements of Citizens of the United States - Territories east of the Rocky Moun- tains. 20-37
RUSSIAN AMERICA.
Extent and Limits -The Russian American Company - District of Sitka - District of Kodiak - Mount St. Elias - Michaelof District - Aliaska - District of Unalashka - Aleutian Islands - District of Atcha - Ber- ing's Strait - Kamtchatka.
38-42
XIV
CONTENTS.
HISTORY OF OREGON AND CALIFORNIA, ETC.
CHAPTER I. To 1543.
Preliminary Observations - Efforts of the Spaniards to discover Western Passages to India - Successive Discoveries of the West Indies, the North American Continent, the Eastern Passage to India, Brazil, and the Pacific Ocean - Search for a navigable Passage connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans - Supposed Discovery of such a Passage, called the Strait of Anian - Discovery of Magellan's Strait and the Western Passage to India - Conquest of Mexico by Cortés, who endeavors to discover new countries farther north-west - Voyages of Maldonado, Hurtado de Men- doza, Grijalva, and Becerra - Discovery of California - Expedition of Cortés to California - Pretended Discoveries of Friar Marcos de Niza - Voyages of Ulloa, Alarcon, and Cabrillo - Expeditions of Coronado and Soto - The Spaniards desist from their Efforts to explore the North- West Coasts of America. 45-65
CHAPTER II.
1543 то 1606.
The Spaniards conquer the Philippine Islands, and establish a direct Trade across the Pacific, between Asia and America -Measures of the Spanish Government to prevent other European Nations from settling or trading in America - These Measures resisted by the English, the French, and the Dutch - Free Traders and Freebooters infest the. West Indies - First Voyages of the English in the Pacific - Voyages of Drake and Caven- dish - Endeavors of the English to discover a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific - False Reports of the Discovery of such Pas- sages - Supposed Voyages of Urdaneta, Maldonado, and Fonté - Voy- age of Juan de Fuca - Expeditions of Sebastian Vizcaino - Supposed Discovery of a great River in North-West America. . 66-95
CHAPTER III.
1608 то 1768.
The North-West Coasts of North America remain nearly neglected during the whole of this Period - Efforts of the English and the Dutch to find new Passages into the Pacific - Discovery of Hudson's Bay and Baffin's Bay - Discovery of the Passage around Cape Horn - Establishment of the Hudson's Bay Trading Company - Endeavors of the Spaniards to settle California unsuccessful - The Jesuits undertake the Reduction of California - Establishments of the Jesuits in the Peninsula, and their Expulsion from the Spanish Dominions. 96-107
-
CONTENTS.
XV
-
CHAPTER IV.
1769 TO 1779.
First Establishments on the West Coast of California founded by the Span- iards - Dispute between Spain and Great Britain respecting the Falkland Islands - Exploring Voyages of the Spaniards under Perez, Heceta and Bodega, and Arteaga and Bodega - Discovery of Nootka Sound, Norfolk Sound, and the Mouth of the Columbia River - Importance of these Dis- coveries.
108-126
CHAPTER V.
1711 TO 1779.
Discoveries of the Russians from Kamtchatka - Voyages of Bering and Tchirikof to the Arctic Sea and to the American Continent - Establish- ments of the Russian Fur Traders in the Aleutian Islands - Voyages of Synd, Krenitzin, and Levashef - First Voyage from Kamtchatka to China, made by Polish Exiles under Benyowsky - General Inaccuracy of the Ideas of the Russians respecting the Geography of the northernmost Coasts of the Pacific, before 1779. ·
127-139
CHAPTER VI.
1763 TO 1780.
Great Britain obtains Possession of Canada- Journey of Carver to the Up- per Mississippi - First Mention of the Oregon River - Inaccuracy of Car- ver's Statements-Journeys of Hearne through the Regions west of Hudson's Bay - Voyage of Captain Cook to the North Pacific - His im- portant Discoveries in that Quarter, and death, - Return of his Ships to Europe ; Occurrences at Canton during their stay in that Port. 140-159
CHAPTER VII.
1780 TO 1789.
Commercial Results of Cook's Discoveries-Settlements of the Russians in America - Scheme of Ledyard for the Trade of the North Pacific - Voy- age of La Perouse - Direct Trade between the American Coasts and Can- ton commenced - Voyages of the English Fur Traders - Re-discovery of the Strait of Fuca - Voyage of Meares, who endeavors to find a great River described by the Spaniards - First Voyages from the United States to the South Pacific, and to Canton - Voyage of the Columbia and Wash- ington, under Kendrick and Gray, from Boston to the North Pacific. 160-181
CHAPTER VIII. 1788 AND 1789.
Uneasiness of the Spanish Government at the proceedings of the Fur Trad- ers in the North Pacific - Voyages of Observation by Martinez and Haro
XVI
CONTENTS.
to the Russian American Settlements - Remonstrances of the Court of Madrid to that of St. Petersburg, against the alleged Encroachments of the latter Power - Martinez and Haro sent by the Viceroy of Mexico to take possession of Nootka Sound - Seizure of British and other Vessels at Nootka by Martinez - Captain Gray, in the Washington, explores the East Coast of Queen Charlotte's Island, and enters the Strait of Fuca - Return of the Columbia to the United States. 182-201
CHAPTER IX.
1790.
Controversy between Great Britain and Spain respecting the North-West Coasts of America and the Navigation of the Pacific - The Owners of the Vessels seized at Nootka apply for Redress to the British Government, which demands Satisfaction for the alleged Outrages - Spain resists the Demand, and calls on France for Aid, agreeably to the Family compact - Proceedings in the National Assembly of France on the Subject - Spain engages to indemnify the British for the Property seized - Further De- mands of Great Britain - Designs of Pitt against Spanish America - Secret Meditation of France, through which the Dispute is settled - Con- vention of October, 1790, called the Nootka Treaty - Proceedings in Parlia- ment, and Reflections on this Convention. 202-215
CHAPTER X.
1790 TO 1792.
Vancouver sent by the British Government to explore the Coasts of America, and receive Possession of Lands and Buildings agreeably to the Conven- tion with Spain - Passage of the Washington, under Kendrick, through the Strait of Fuca, in 1789 - Nootka reoccupied by the Spaniards - Voyages of Fidalgo, Quimper, Elisa, Billings, Marchand, and Malaspina - Voyages of the American Fur Traders Gray, Ingraham, and Kendrick - Discovery of the Washington Islands by Ingraham. 216-230
CHAPTER XI.
1792 TO 1796.
Vancouver and Broughton arrive on the American Coasts in 1792, and meet with Gray, who informs them of his Discovery of the Columbia River - The Strait of Fuca surveyed by Vancouver, Galiano, and Valdes - Nego- tiations between Vancouver and Quadra at Nootka - Vancouver's injustice to the Americans - Broughton's Examination of the lower Part of the Columbia River - Vancouver's Proceedings at the Sandwich Islands - He completes the Survey of the North-West Coasts of America, and re- turns to England - The Spaniards abandon Nootka -Conclusions with Regard to the Dispute between Great Britain and Spain, and the Conven- tion of 1790. 231-260
XVII
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XII.
1788 TO 1810.
Establishment of the North-West Fur Trading Company of Montreal, in 1783 - Expeditions of Mackenzie to the Artic Sea and to the Pacific Coast - The Trade between the North Pacific Coasts of America and Canton conducted almost exclusively by Vessels of the United States from 1796 to 1814 - Establishment of the Russian American Company - Its Settle- ments and Factories on the American Coasts - Expedition of Krusenstern through the North Pacific - Proposition of the Russian Government to that of the United States, with Regard to the Trade of the North Pacific.
260-275
CHAPTER XIII.
1803 то 1806.
Cession of Louisiana by France to the United States - Inquiries as to the true Extent of Louisiana - Erroneous Supposition that its Limits towards the North had been fixed by Commissaries agreeably to the Treaty of Utrecht - President Jefferson sends Lewis and Clarke to examine the Missouri and Columbia - Account of their Expedition from the Mississippi
276-289 to the Pacific.
CHAPTER XIV.
1806 To 1815.
First Establishments of the North-West Company in the Countries north of the Columbia - Pacific Fur Company formed at New York - Plan of its Founder - First Expedition from New York in the Tonquin - Founda- tion of Astoria near the Mouth of the Columbia River - Destruction of the Tonquin by the Savages - March of the Party under Hunt and Crooks across the Continent - Arrival of the Beaver in the Columbia - War be- tween the United States and Great Britain fatal to the Enterprise - Es- tablishments of the Pacific Company sold to the North-West Company - Astoria taken by the British - Dissolution of the Pacific Company. 290-305
CHAPTER XV.
1814 TO 1820.
Restitution of Astoria to the United States by Great Britain, agreeably to the Treaty of Ghent - Alleged Reservation of Rights on the Part of Great Britain - First Negotiation between the Governments of Great Britain and the United States, respecting the Territories west of the Rocky Mountains, and Convention for the joint Occupancy of those Territories - Florida Treaty between Spain and the United States, by which the Latter acquires the Title of Spain to the North-West Coasts - Colonel Long's exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains - Disputes be- tween the British North-West and Hudson's Bay Companies - Union of those Bodies - Act of Parliament extending the Jurisdiction of the
C
XVIII
CONTENTS.
Canada Courts to the Pacific Countries - Russian Establishments on the North Pacific - Expeditions in Search of Northern Passages between the Atlantic and the Pacific - Death of Tamahamaha, and Introduc- tion of Christianity into the Sandwich Islands. 306-330
CHAPTER XVI.
1820 TO 1828.
Bill reported by a Committee of the House of Representatives of the United States, for the Occupation of the Columbia River - Ukase of the Emperor of Russia, with regard to the North Pacific Coasts - Negotiations between the Governments of Great Britain, Russia, and the United States - Con- ventions between the United States and Russia, and between Great Britain and Russia - Further Negotiations between the United States and Great Britain relative to the North-West Coasts - Indefinite Extension of the Arrangement for the joint Occupancy of the Territories west of the Rocky
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