USA > Oregon > Pioneer days of Oregon history, Vol. I > Part 16
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Every settler had as much wheat on loan as he wanted to begin with, and I lent them each two cows, as in 1825 we had only twenty- seven head, big and small, old and young.
If I sold, they would of course be entitled to the increase, and I would not have the means to assist the new settlers, and the settle- ment would be retarded, as those purchasers who offered me $200 for a cow would put such a price on the increase as would put it out of the power of poor settlers to buy. This would prevent industrious
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men settling. For these reasons I would not sell, but loaned, as I say, two cows to each settler, and in case the increase of settlers might be greater than we could afford to supply with cattle, I reserved the right to take any cattle I required (above his two cows) from any settler to assist new settlers.
CATTLE PROCURED FOR SETTLERS
To the Methodist mission, as it was a public institution, I lent seven oxen, one bull and eight cows with their calves. In the be- ginning, several settlers lost cattle poisoned by eating water hemlock. It has been said by the late Mr. Thurston, delegate from Oregon, on the floor of Congress, that settlers paid for dead cattle. This is a wanton falsehood, as it is well known to all old settlers that no settler paid a cent for dead cattle. It was a loss to the company.
In 1836 we found means of forming a compay to go to California for cattle. I took half the stock for the Hudson's Bay Company, so that by purchasing a larger number (as the expense of driving five hundred or a thousand was the same) as it would make the cattle cheaper. Those of the settlers who had means put it in the stock, those that had none engaged as drivers at $I per day, to be paid in cattle at their actual cost. Mr. Slacum, who came here in a chartered vessel, gave them a passage gratis from this place to San Francisco. Mr. Ewing Young was selected to conduct the party. Mr. P. L. Edward, who came with Messrs. Lee, of the Methodist Mission, but now a lawyer of California, was appointed treasurer. They brought, I think, about seven hundred head in cattle, which cost $8 per head rendered. In the Willamette, the settlers kept the tame and broken- in oxen they had belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, and gave their California wild cattle in the place, so that they found them- selves stocked with tame cattle which cost them only $8 per head, and the Hudson's Bay Company, to favor the settlers, gave them calves in place of grown-up cattle, because the Hudson's Bay Company needed them for beef. These calves would grow up before they were required.
THE OREGON CITY LAND CLAIM
In 1840, as I already stated, the Methodist mission received a large reinforcement. I had selected a claim in Oregon City in 1829, made improvements on it, and had a large quantity of timber squared. The superintendent applied to me for a loan of some of it to build
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a mission house. I lent them the timber and had a place pointed out to them upon which to build. In 1840 the Methodist mission formed a milling association and jumped part of my claim, and began to build a saw and grist mill. They assumed the right to judge of my rights, and said that I could not hold it as part of my claim, though the stream that separates the islet from the mainland is not more than forty feet wide in summer. This island is what is called "Abernethy Island," and is about - acres in extent. In 1842 Mr. Waller, the resident missionary in the house, to build which I lent timber which they never returned, and gave the ground upon which to build, set up a claim to Oregon City in opposition to me, but after some difficulty I paid them $500 and he gave it up. I preferred to do this and have done with it rather than hereafter trouble government with it.
EMIGRATION COMMENCES
In 1842 the first party of regular immigrants-about fifty-came from the States. They got all the assistance they required, but in 1843 most of them, not liking the country, went with their leader- Mr. Hastings-to California.
In 1843 about 800 immigrants arrived from the States. I saw by the looks of the Indians that they were excited, and I watched them. As the first stragglers were arriving at Vancover in canoes, I was standing on the bank, nearer the water there was a group of ten or twelve Indians. One of them bawled out to his companions, "It is good for us to kill these Bostons." Struck with the excitement I had seen in the countenances of the Indians since they had heard the report of the immigration coming, I felt certain they were inclined to mischief, and that he spoke thus loud as a feeler to sound me and take their measures accordingly. I immediately rushed on them with my cane, calling out at the same time, "Who is the dog that says it is a good thing to kill the Bostons." The fellow, trembling, excused himself, "I spoke without meaning harm, but The Dalles Indians say so." "Well," said I, "The Dalles Indians are dogs for saying so, and you also," and left him, as if I remained longer it would have had a bad effect. I had done enough to convince them I would not allow them to do wrong to the immigrants with impunity. From this Indian saying, in the way he did, that The Dalles Indians said it was good to kill the Bostons, I felt it my duty to do all I could to avert so horrid a deed.
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Mr. P. L. Edwards, whom I mentioned, came in 1834 with Messrs. Lee, and left in 1838, sent me a letter by General McCarver, stating he had given a letter of introduction to me to P. H. Burnett, Esq. I immediately formed my plan, and kept my knowledge of the horrid design of the Indians secret, as I felt certain that if the Americans knew it, these men, acting independent of each other, would be at once for fighting, which would lead to their total destruction, and I sent two boats with provisions to meet them; sent provisions to Mr. Burnett, and a large quantity of provisions for sale to those who would purchase, and to be given to those who had not the means, being confident that the fright I had given (as I already stated) the Indians who said it was a good thing to kill the Bostons, was known at The Dalles before our boats were there, and that with the presence of the Hudson's Bay Company people, and the assistance they afforded the immigrants, would deter the Indians from doing them any wrong, and I am happy to be able to say I entirely succeeded. At first I thought these Indians were excited by some of the Iroquois Indians in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, and tried to find if so, but found nothing to enlighten me on the subject.
SOURCE OF INDIAN TROUBLES
About a month after, Dr. Whitman, from his mission Walla Walla to Vancouver, as The Dalles was on his way, and as he had seen the principal man there, it occurred to me that he might have heard of it, and told him what I heard the Indian say, and how I had alarmed him, what I had done to deter them, and my suspicion that all this sprung from some of our rascally Iroquois, and that I was anxious to find that rascal out to punish him as an example to deter others. "Oh," says the doctor, "I know all about it." "You do, doctor?" said I. "Yes," said the doctor, "and I have known it for two years." "You have known it for two years, and you told me nothing? Pray tell me his name." The doctor, seeing I was on the wrong scent, said, "His name is Thomas Hill." After thinking for some time, I replied, "The Hudson's Bay Company had no man of that name in their service." "Oh," says the doctor, "Tom Hill, the Shawnee." This Indian, it is said, had been educated at Dartmouth College in the States, had told the Indians that a few Americans had come to settle on their lands; that the Shawnees allowed them, but when the Ameri- cans were strong enough they drove the Shawnees off, and now the
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Shawnees have no lands, and had urged the Indians to allow no Ameri- cans to settle on their lands, which advice the Indians about Walla Walla say the Cayuses are following to this day, and the Indians were inclined to follow by killing the immigrants who first came, and which I believe they would have done but for the decided and cautious manner that I acted. And the reason the Indian made use of the expression he did was because I punished the murderers of the Smith party, and before acting they wanted to know how I would treat them, and most certainly if I had not been most anxious for the safety of the immigrants, and to discharge to them the duties of a Christian, my ear would not have caught so quickly the words, "It is a good thing to kill these Bostons," and acted as I did. In fact, if the immigrants had all been my brothers and sisters, I could not have done more for them. I fed the hungry, caused the sick to be attended to and nursed, furnished them every assistance so long as they re- quired it, and which some have not paid to this day, though abundantly able, for which if they do not pay, I am answerable to the Hudson's Bay Company. It may be said, and has been said, that I was too liberal in making these advances. It is not so, but it was done judiciously and prudently.
ENCOURAGINO THE FARMERS
When the immigration of 1842 came, we had enough of bread- stuffs in the country for one year, but as the immigrants reported that next season there would be a greater immigration, it was evi- dent that if there was not a proportionate increase of seed sown in 1843 and 1844, there would be a famine in the country in 1845, which would lead to trouble, as those that had families, to save them from starvation, would be obliged to have recourse to violence to get food for them. To avert this I freely supplied the immigrants of 1843 and 1844 with the necessary articles to open farms, and by these means avoided the evils. In short, I afforded every assistance to the immi- grants so long as they required it, and by management I kept peace in the country, and in some cases had to put up with a great deal; for instance, when the milling company jumped part of my claim, the island upon which they built a mill, and which subsequently Abernethy purchased, and when Williamson jumped part of Fort Vancouver, as may be seen by my correspondence with the provisional government on the subject, and which occurred in the presence of several Ameri- can citizens, who, I am happy to say, strongly expressed their dis-
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approbation of Williamson's conduct, and which I am induced to believe made him desist. It will be seen, to their credit, that Messrs. -- , the executive committee, acted in a straightforward, manly and correct manner, and it was by such conduct on the part of respectable American citizens that peace and order were main- tained in the country. It is true several thought I was too forbearing; but when I saw how much the good on both sides would suffer if I acted differently, and that a war between Great Britain and the United States might be caused by it, I considered it my duty to act as I did, and by which I think I may have prevented a war between the United States and Great Britain. And how have I been treated by both?
By British demagogues I have been represented as a traitor. For what? Because I acted as a Christian; saved American citizens, men, women and children, from the Indian tomahawk, and enabled them to make farms to support their families.
PERSONAL TO DA. MCLOUGHLIN
American demagogues have been base enough to assert that I had caused American citizens to be massacred by the hundreds by savages. I, who saved all I could. I have been represented by the delegate from Oregon, the late S. R. Thurston, as doing all I could to prevent the settling, while it was well known to every American settler who is acquainted with the history of the territory, if this is not a down- right falsehood, and most certainly will say that he most firmly be- lieves that I did all I could to promote its settlement, and that I could not have done more for the settlers if they had been my brothers and sisters, and after being the first person to take a claim in the country, and assisting the immigrants as I have, my claim is re- served, after having expended all the means I had to improve it, . while every other settler in the country gets his. But as I felt con- vinced that any disturbance between us here might lead to a war between Great Britain and the States, I felt it my bounden duty as a Christian to act as I did, and which I think averted the evil, and which was so displeasing to some English demagogues that they represented me to the British Government as a person so partial to American interests as selling the Hudson's Bay Company's goods in my charge cheaper to Americans than I did to British subjects. On the other hand, though, if the American immigrants had been my brothers and sisters, I could not have done more for them; yet after
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acting as I have, spending my means and doing my utmost to settle the country, my claim is reserved, while every other settler in the country gets his; and how much this has injured me, is daily injuring me, is needless to say, and certainly it is a treatment I do not deserve, and which I did not expect.
To be brief, I founded this settlement and prevented a war be- tween the United States and Great Britain, and for doing this peace- ably and quietly I was treated by the British in such a manner that from self-respect I resigned my situation in the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's service, by which I sacrificed $12,000 per annum, and the Oregon Land Bill shows the treatment I received from the Ameri- cans.
NOTES BY MRS. HARVEY
Note 1 .- Etienne Lucier first settled on the east side of Willamette River, opposite the present city of Portland, remaining there several years, afterward removing higher up the river, near Champoeg. Lucier was the first settler.
Note 2 .- Those of the Hudson's Bay Company who were willing to take farms, all of them being French-Canadians, chose a prairie twenty or thirty miles above Willamette falls, to which was given the name of "French Prairie," the name by which it is known at the present time.
Note 3 .- About three or four acres.
MCLOUGHLIN'S BENEVOLENCE
Dr. William C. Mckay told me many interesting facts as to Dr. McLoughlin, that he knew personally, as he lived in the family, Mrs. McLoughlin being his grandmother. In 1843 William Beagle and family reached Vancouver destitute, and he had the typhus fever. McLoughlin heard of it and told Dr. Barclay there was a sick and destitute family at the Landing ; to fix up a house for them, make them comfortable and attend to the sick.
Dr. W. C. Mckay had just returned from the States, where he pursued medical studies. So the doctor invited
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him to assist in taking care of his patients. There was the mother and several children, who had all they needed for two months, until Beagle got better, when he went to Gov- ernor McLoughlin and asked what his bill was. "Tut, tut, tut ! bill, bill, bill! Take care of yourself, sir! That is all the bill!" Beagle pleaded that even the doctor couldn't afford to take care of his family and treat them so long without pay. "Tut, tut, tut," was the reply. "You do the best you can for some other man who is in trouble, and that will pay me !"
He sent them up the Willamette, free of charge, sold them supplies that were necessary until Beagle could earn money, and was finally paid for them in full. This is but one in- stance in the many where the kindness and generosity of Dr. McLoughlin was manifested toward Americans who reached Vancouver sick and impoverished and received his generous and kindly care.
DR. MCLOUGHLIN AND THE OREGON CITY CLAIM
Whatever relates to Dr. McLoughlin has especial interest as time passes and his impress on the history of our region is better appreciated.
Colonel James K. Kelly, who had borne an important part in Oregon history, recalled to my mind an incident connected with the legislature of 1862, when he was a senator from Clackamas and Wasco counties and I was chief clerk of the Senate.
In the very last days of the session the House had passed a bill, and sent it to the Senate, that acted on a feature of the original donation act of Congress, providing that the
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Oregon City land claim should be sold for the benefit of the State University. This claim was originally taken by Dr. John McLoughlin, when he was governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. It included the falls of the Willamette, where he built a saw mill and grist mill, the first erected there. Afterwards a part of it was claimed by the Meth- odist mission, causing a contest for the site that seemed to be decided when, by the passage of the donation act, both were ignored and the State University was made the donee.
At the time Mr. Samuel R. Thurston was delegate to Congress from Oregon. Thurston lived at Linn City, on the west of the falls ; his interests to some extent conflicted with Dr. McLoughlin and there was some unkind feeling on his part, which may have induced this disposition of the val- uable claim. Dr. McLoughlin died in '57, his last years em- bittered by the failure to recognize his claim and the ignor- ing of the fact that he had been the greatest benefactor to the struggling territory, that had caused the loss of his emi- nent position as head of the Hudson's Bay Company with the great power and munificent salary pertaining thereto. All because he had done too much for Oregon settlers against the interests of his company.
When he heard that this bill was introduced, Mr. Daniel Harvey, who was executor of the McLoughlin estate and a son-in-law of McLoughlin, wrote to Senator Kelly-who had been a personal friend to the doctor-asking him to de- feat the bill. The act of Congress was supposed to be final ; so long as no action was made by the State no title could be made for lands there, as the heirs of McLoughlin still made their claim. This bill was intended as much to quiet title and aid the settlement and improvement of Oregon City
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as for any reason. To the ordinary legislator there was no way but to thus carry out the intention of the donation act. It remained for Colonel Kelly to cut the Gordian knot, com- ply with the donation law and at the same time do justice to the rights of Dr. McLoughlin and his heirs.
When the bill had passed and come from the House to the Senate for action, Colonel Kelly moved an amendment to strike out all and insert instead: "That the Oregon City land claim is thereby granted to the devisees of Dr. John Mc- Loughlin, to be disposed of according to the terms of his will ; for the consideration of one thousand dollars to be paid to the State University." He made no speech, more than to simply say that great injustice had been done to Dr. Mc- Loughlin, who had been a great benefactor to Oregon, "and you all know it."
Dr. Bowlby was president of the Senate and he warmly welcomed the amendment. As time was short, matters were pushed through and the bill as amended passed with but two negatives-J. H. Mitchell and A. G. Hovey-who were young men and not then well posted in history. All the old veterans welcomed it as tardy justice and voted for it enthusiastically.
With but two hours left of the session Colonel Kelly took the bill to the House himself. General Joel Palmer was speaker, and as soon as he understood the measure he gave it precedence. As in the House, all the old Oregonians wel- comed the amendment and at the very heel of the session they gave it an unanimous affirmative. To get it properly en- rolled, signed by president of the Senate and speaker of the House, and then get the governor's signature to it, all was accomplished by Colonel Kelly himself, and when the legis-
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lature adjourned-two hours after the amendment was in- troduced in the Senate-the bill became an act-un fait ac- compli.
It would have rejoiced the heart of the good old man if this could have been done in his lifetime; it would have saved the bitterness of those years when he thought Ameri- cans did not appreciate what he had so humanely and kindly done for them-done, too, at great eventual cost to himself.
Arriving the next day at Oregon City, Colonel Kelly was met by Mr. Harvey, who asked: "Did you kill that bill?" "No!" said the colonel, in his deliberate way. Harvey looked as if he could collapse at the reply, but the next word woke all his soul to rejoicing. "But we amended it so you wont have anything to complain of !" was the completion of the sentence.
Thus in a tardy way and at a late day justice was done. No act ever passed with more unanimity and none ever gave more satisfaction to the old Oregonians ; most of whom had received substantial favors at the hands of Dr. McLoughlin. They knew the noble character of the man, his sterling worth and supreme benevolence. They knew they hardly could have occupied Oregon as they did but for his generous assistance.
Within a short time, Mr. Harvey, as administrator, paid the $1,000 due by the estate to the State University. When greenbacks were legal tender, and at heavy discount, he paid it in gold, with full interest from the date of the passage of the bill.
CHAPTER XXVII
WASCOS ON THE WAR-PATH
THE removal of headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany from Astoria to Vancouver caused other changes, one being that the trading post at The Dalles was removed to Walla Walla, one hundred miles up Snake River. This was deeply resented by the Wascopum tribe, who lived at The Dalles and fully appreciated having a trading place at their very doors. They were a very proud and warlike peo- ple, and a trifle ill-natured besides ; feeling themselves ill- used, they set to work to study some way to get even on the arrogance of "King George's men."
Their wise men had noticed that there came a ship every year to Vancouver loaded with untold riches in shape of blankets, clothing, and all goods suited to Indian trade. They had speculated over the coming of these ships, and had finally concluded that, as they had learned the way across the seas, they would now keep on coming as matter of course. Then there was a great council called to study how to manage so as to get even with the company for removing their trading post. That was a famous assem- blage of chiefs, warriors, medicine men and wise men, all determined to get even on the affront shown their great nation.
Among those who resented this slight most of all, were the women-mothers, wives and daughters-of Wascopum. They appreciated more than any the value of the goods,
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wares and merchandise that came to Vancouver by these annual voyages. They had urged the fathers, husbands and warriors of Wascopum to assert themselves and resent this treatment. Then a wise man rose in council and grave- ly stated that as ships were sure to come, all they had to do was to get possession of Fort Vancouver, then capture and possess their cargoes as they should keep coming. This seemed plausible, and they went to work to devise a plan to realize all they had pictured.
They decided to equip an hundred great war canoes, fill them with warriors, well provisioned, then go down the ma- jestic river, lay siege to Fort Vancouver and possess all its present wealth and its coming cargoes. It was a brave scheme. We may imagine there was work done to get the hundred canoes ready and find and equip the hundreds of warriors who were to go down and lay siege to Van- couver !
Forty miles below The Dalles are the Cascades, where the river rages and foams so that a portage of five miles had to be made, canoes and cargoes being carried around the tur- bulent waters. This took a day or so, and the Klickitats, who owned the Cascades, were not a little astonished to learn that the Wascos had taken the river route to capture Van- couver. The Cascade chief was friendly with the Hudson's Bay Company, and quietly started a light canoe with mes- sengers to inform Governor McLoughlin of what he might expect. The canoe reached Vancouver in quick time, and the good governor was exceedingly amused to know that the Wascos were on the war-path. The first he did was to set the messengers down to as good a breakfast as they could masticate ; as soon as they were provided for, he sent
MT. ST. HELENS
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off to find Kiesno, chief of the Multnomahs, who lived in one of the villages near by on the Columbia, to have him get together as many of his war canoes and warriors as possible, fully armed and equipped, and come to Vancouver to the rescue.
That same afternoon Kiesno's war fleet of thirty canoes and hundreds of warriors was safely hidden in an inlet below Vancouver. McLoughlin sent down plenty of good food for their use, while Kiesno himself was cordially received and hospitably entertained at the fort.
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