USA > Oregon > Pioneer days of Oregon history, Vol. I > Part 24
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The next year they added fifteen acres to the farm, added to the house room, salted six barrels of salmon to use, and succeeded in raising bountiful crops. Edwards was to leave for the Islands, and Daniel Lee went with him to Vancouver to see him off ; but Dr. McLoughlin pronounced Daniel Lee the one who should go there, as a throat disease threatened his life. He was offered free passage, so Edwards re- mained to let Daniel Lee go. Nuttall, the distinguished scientist, also went the same voyage, having spent a year studying the flora of Oregon. He published several valu- able works ; had inherited a valuable place in England, where his later life was spent. Townsend, the naturalist, who came with them, remained another year in Oregon, leaving for England in one of the annual ships of the company. He was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Phila- delphia, to which he gave a list of the quadrupeds and birds of Oregon ; many of his birds were new to naturalists. He spoke with admiration of the order and untiring zeal with which Nuttall followed his work : "No difficulty, no danger, no fatigue ever daunted him ; he finds his rich reward in the addition of nearly a thousand new American plants."
It would seem that the expedition of these distinguished gentlemen was not half appreciated by writers of that time, and that they have hardly had the credit due them, consid- ering the danger and difficulty of their arduous undertak-
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ing. They met a cordial welcome from the officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, who entertained them generously and aided them kindly, taking active personal interest in their work.
They also were scholarly gentlemen, who appreciated the scientific value of the work done, and were glad to lend as- sistance. Townsend said he felt-on leaving Dr. McLough- lin-as if "he was bidding adieu to an affectionate parent." When the doctor said: "God bless you, sir, and may you have a happy meeting with your friends !" he adds : "Words are inadequate to express my deep sense of the obligations I feel under to this truly generous and friendly man."
The place now known as "Mission Bottom" was very un- wholesome for the purpose intended, as it was close to the river, low and unhealthy. Breaking the soil, and crowding thirty persons into one small house, produced very un- favorable results.
The summer of 1836 saw an increase of the school by children coming from the settlers' families near by, as well as from the natives of the valley and some from east of the Cascades. Many were diseased at the start, and as the hot season passed and the miasma grew, there came diphtheria and intermittent fever; sixteen children were down in one room and no physician near. Jason Lee was three times down himself ; he and the invalid Shepard had their hands full. Meantime, Daniel Lee returned with good health, after a year's absence. There were only two deaths, and general health improved as summer passed away.
It almost seemed that the mission was prosperous in the following year (1837), as there was increase of attendance. A Cayuse chief came two hundred and fifty miles to bring
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his family to the Willamette, to have the benefit of religious truth and better education. In the summer two of his chil- dren had died, so he took the rest in haste to Vancouver, when a third died as they reached there. One-third of the pupils received the first three years died, and many others were complaining, so it was not strange if the settlers and natives were not willing to send their children to be taught. When Mr. Slacom, the Government agent, returned East after his visit in 1836, he represented that the mission farm showed one hundred and fifty acres under plough ; there were twenty-two Indians and eight half-breeds in the school, of whom several could read. The larger boys worked on the farm in good weather and earned board, clothes, and tui- tion. They were unable to accommodate more pupils until the force could be increased. I learn from Silas B. Smith, of Astoria, that his father was teaching the children of Ger- vais and other settlers when the Lees came; after that he taught in the mission school, his wife assisting, as she had learned to read simple words. Helen Smith was quite intel- ligent, she learned enough to be able to assist in teaching native children. Such was the condition of affairs with the Methodist Mission up to the coming of the reinforcement that arrived in 1837.
CHAPTER XXXVI
THE METHODIST REINFORCEMENT
THERE sailed from Boston, July 28, 1836, on the ship Hamilton, eight persons who came as a reinforcement for the mission of which Jason Lee was the head. There were three ladies : Miss Anna Maria Pitman, of New York, who was tall and dark, somewhat of a genius, very piously dis- posed, inspired for missionary work, and the Board had in view that she should be the helpmeet of Jason Lee-if they could agree upon it-but they met as strangers. There was also Miss Susan Downing, of Lynn, Mass., with at- tractive person and good taste, who came out as the affi- anced of Cyrus Shepard; Miss Elvira Johnson, from New York, came to take part in the work and become the wife of some missionary, as it should be brought around.
But the chief figure in the group of eight was Dr. Elijah White, who was to be physician of the mission, much wanted in view of the prevailing sickness and distress. With him were Mrs. White, an infant, and an adopted son about four- teen years of age. White was young, egoistical, presuming, with manners suited to occasions and persons attendant. He is destined to play an important part in the history of the country, as will appear in due course. Alanson Beers was blacksmith ; a good man, as was proved afterwards. He also had a wife and they had three children. W. H. Willson, who lived to locate the Salem town site, destined to be the capital city of Oregon, had been a ship carpenter ; had been
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on whaling voyages, so had experience of sea and shore. He was remembered by all who knew him as one of the most just, kindly, whole-souled and genuine of men. It was my good fortune to know him well fifteen years later, so I can confirm the world's opinion of him and remember him al- ways as one of the best of friends. On the long voyage he studied medicine with Dr. White and was thereafter known as "Dr. Willson."
These recruits found the bachelors who preceded them living in quarters that needed a woman's touch and care to make them acceptable. They came via the Islands, in May, 1837, reached the Columbia, and were met by the request for Dr. White to hasten to the mission, as twelve persons there needed the physician's care. In some way word had come from Honolulu that the ship had reached there, so they were expected. General ill-health and bad conditions had not admitted of much preparation. Jason Lee visited Vancouver to learn if they were on the way, and found them just arrived, enjoying the hospitality of Dr. Mc- Loughlin. The meeting with Miss Pitman was watched with interest ; it is known that she blushed "celestial rosy red," and that he appeared pleased with the selection his friends had made. They soon proceeded to the Willa- mette ; riding up the beautiful river in canoes, they reached the Mission Landing the second day. Dr. White and some others rode in advance ; Miss Downing met her lover looking charmingly, as a promised bride should, but Cyrus Shepard was doing household drudgery, for at the time he was chief cook and bottle washer, wore a brown linen frock that an- swered for missionary work, but had no mission of grace to commend it. Miss Downing was rather daintily dresscd,
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however, and watched Shepard set the table with tin plates on a brown tablecloth. Their bread was made of unbolted meal; they had sausages, venison, butter, cheese and fried cakes, with wild strawberries and tame cream for dessert. That much was handed down as mission history ; we may hope that the lady reinforcement was able to relieve Cyrus of housekeeping details thereafter.
Including several gentlemen and ladies who came from the ship as visitors, there were sixteen new arrivals, which must have been embarrassing when we consider that the house was a hospital, the floors covered with beds of invalids, some seriously ill. How it was managed to house them all in a structure 18x40 feet is not told; there were 54 to eat and sleep, but an attic under the roof lent its aid. They managed to go on horseback and by canoes to explore the surrounding country, and spent a few days enjoyably, until the friends from the vessel took their leave, when matters assumed permanent features. Shepard was attacked with fever, but on the 16th of June was better, so it was deter- mined that they should be married. The next Sabbath ser- vice was held in the beautiful oak grove near by ; Jason Lee delivered a sermon on "the propriety of marriage," and duties devolving on those who married. As he concluded he added, "What I urge by precept I am about to enforce by example;" then he offered his arm to Miss Pitman and Daniel Lee read the service for two couples instead of one. Now there were four married ladies in the family where be- fore there had been none.
Yet another wedding occurred the same day, of people who lived on French Prairie ; thus the rite was first used in the Willamette valley. Before that, marriage had been a
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civil contract, and there was considerable laxity as to na- tive unions.
Harvest was on when they arrived; Dr. White helped the regular force on the farm while Beers and Willson trans- ported in canoes the goods that came in the Mission ship. Then Willson was kept at work building ; there was plenty to do ; a blacksmith shop was necded, houses for the separate families, a school room to be added-work for all hands. Mrs. Shepard made and mended while the other women at- tended to housekeeping. There was something like civilized life in the place of the semi-barbarism of the aforetime.
On the 7th of September there landed another reinforce- ment at Vancouver, that also came from Boston-Rev. H. K. W. Perkins, who was to marry Miss Johnson, and Miss Margaret Smith, who afterwards married Dr. Bailey. The mission family now numbered sixty, half whites and half Indian pupils ; rather too great a proportion of missionaries, so it was determined to divide the force. A hospital was built, most necessary of all as conditions were. The ill health that had been so continual made the mission lose the confidence of the Indians, as also of settlers who lived near there. Those who remained were the waifs who had no home. So far as influencing the Indians, Christianizing or benefit- ing them in anyway, there had been no success to speak of. Beyond question they were all earnest workers and capable of self-sacrifice, but circumstances were against them; the chief trouble being the unwholesome location. Another dif- ficulty, they expected the pupils to do some work ; but while the Indian was willing to work on his own methods-hunt, fish, make bows and arrows, or even manufacture canoes, he would not get down to labor in civilized channels.
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The Canadian settlers on the prairie were all Catholics, but respected the mission people for their earnest endeavor and hard work ; also because McLoughlin was good to them ; also that through their efforts and help from Mr. Slacom, they had secured cattle from California-these mat- ters endowed the mission with a certain amount of popu- larity, and they paid well for all things they needed. Their presence was a general help; all felt kindly, so when on Christmas Day there was a meeting to organize work for the benefit of the Calipooias, all the settlers were present ; they even felt so very kindly that they subscribed of their scant means above $400 to establish a branch mission where the natives could be taught to cultivate land and raise crops for their own use; where they should be helped to build com- fortable homes. The attempt was honestly made but failed, because the Indians would not work. If true religion meant to be well fed and clothed and lie in the sun, they could have been Christianized without hesitation and would have prayed without ceasing, except to sleep and eat, and would have stretched the bounds of belief as far as the Good Lord, who bestowed this great good, could desire. But, to work ! No! that was in no creed they could be made to believe.
Something must be done. The Dalles of the Columbia was looked to as a proper site for missionary work. In March, 1838, Revs. Perkins and Lee went up the great river and selected a site for their mission not far from the present Dalles City, a location that was sightly, with pine and oak growing near : there was a fine view on the river and up stream, where the Indians were always present in great num- bers. It had never seemed that those of the Willamette had taken an interest in religious teachings, but the Wascopums
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were willing to assemble of a Sunday and listened so atten- tively that Daniel Lee and Mr. Perkins, his coadjutor, were much encouraged. Mrs. Perkins came as soon as a house could be built, and there was regular Sunday service, by aid of an interpreter. In the early fall Daniel Lee undertook to drive cattle over the Cascades for mission use, having only Indians to assist him. The one who was to be guide did not come to time, and the awkward squad consisted of lame, halt and blind of every nation: a Chinook was blind of an eye, a bad character from Walla Walla had a name that showed that he had gambled his all away, another Chinook, of royal line, had his head so flattened that his mouth was awry, the most active of all was lame, used a crutch or pole, going with a hop, skip and jump-it was a mixed lot. They acted wisely in crossing first from the east side to learn the way, but having no guide, they soon lost the trail, got lost, con- sumed their provisions, were starving, and killed two horses to eat, reaching the mission in two weeks.
John A. Sutter, who was to be so celebrated in connection with future gold discovery, was then on his way to Cali- fornia by way of the Columbia River ; he crossed the Cas- cades in six days, passing them on his way. Securing two good white men to help, Lee drove fourteen head of cattle when he returned to The Dalles with but little trouble-to find that Perkins and his wife had left for the winter. There was plenty to be active about ; fencing to do and other work. When Perkins returned they put in a crop that did not do well on new ground and was mostly stolen by outsiders, to the disgust of industrious ones who had worked to receive a portion of the yield. In 1839, a building for a church was put up and fresh effort made.
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By this time Jason Lee had enlarged his vision to include the idea that it was more important to settle Oregon with Americans than to try to convert a race that was expiring, too lazy to work at farming, and too diseased to be relied on for any use or purpose ; too indifferent to listen to in- struction ; who only cared, as was very human, for what was to be made off these missionaries for selfish ends. He had been an hundred and more miles south, to the Umpqua, to learn as to the country and people ; they were experimenting at The Dalles, where they found a village of barbarians who had terrorized river trade from the beginning, yet were more interested in mission work than were the peaceable Indians of the Willamette.
He concluded the thing to do was to take a broader view and look to benefiting humanity and serving both God and the State by securing the settlement of the country by the right sort of people. To accomplish this, men were needed to occupy the country. No great cause moves of itself, but needs organization and requires money. Jason Lee looked further and higher than the mere peopling of the country, as he desired to see it settled by a class possessing elements of character and religious principle that should be im- pressed on the budding state.
Jason Lee determined to make a journey to the East to do what he could to enlist government aid and secure men and money to carry out the enlarged ideas he entertained. A convention was held of all who favored the establishing of a territorial government and a memorial was drawn up and signed by the ten men of the mission force, also by Ewing Young, ten other Americans, and nine Canadians, who invited American occupancy.
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The last of March, 1838, Jason Lee and Edwards started with the petition to cross the continent. The me- morial set forth what had occurred since 1832, the date of earliest settlement by the American colony ; set forth the value of the country, its character, its climate, the com- mercial advantages in relation to the entire Pacific trade, and urged that formal possession be taken to secure title and encourage settlement by the best class of immigration, for they wanted people of the best class and not renegades from civilization. The Hudson's Bay Company had so far preserved peace among the Indians, but that could not be depended on ; people could not afford to come in and occupy the land without some guaranty of civil law and such pro- tection as stable government could give.
When Mr. Lee reached Council Bluffs he received an express from McLoughlin that told of the death of his wife soon after the birth and death of a son. Crossing the Mis- sissippi, he lectured on Oregon as he travelled east, creating enthusiasm as he urged that the western shore should be settled and made certainly American. A young Chinook boy was left at Peoria, not being well, who gave impetus to the Oregon question by telling them of the Chinook salmon and game in the hills. He created a sensation for awhile, but it did not materialize into immigration to the occident.
At New York Lee had made an appeal to the Methodist Missionary Society, so that a call was issued for volunteers and the sum of $42,000 was raised to charter the ship Lausanne and load it with supplies for the projected colony. He had much opposition to overcome, but succeeded by earnest effort. An addition of thirty-six grown people
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was made to the mission force and the Lausanne was soon buffeting the waves, sailing through the zones to reach the shores of Oregon.
As for the Oregon settlers-memorial, Lee forwarded it to Congress and Caleb Cushing wrote to ask further in- formation. Lee's answer may be taken as a statement of the population of Oregon at that time, independent of the force of the Hudson's Bay Company. He replied January 17, 1839, that there were twenty-five of both sexes connected with the Methodist Mission and that forty-five more were on the way. There were sixteen connected with the mission of the American Board, and some twenty more were going from the Western States that spring ; besides which, there were forty-five resident settlers who had Indian wives and half-breed children. He went on to write at length as to the need of government assistance and protec- tion and gave a glowing picture of the manual labor schools to be organized, buildings erected, and farms and mills at work ; all of which he earnestly believed and hoped for, beyond a doubt.
This would give a few over an hundred inhabitants in Oregon then, and there would be 180 when the Lausanne should arrive. Jason Lee evidently desired to see Oregon independent of the Hudson's Bay Company and preserved as the territory of the United States. He was born in Canada, but had become a patriotic American.
On the 10th of October, 1839, the Lausanne sailed from New York with the mission family, as follows: Jason Lee and wife (for Lee had found another willing bride), Joseph H. Frost and family, A. F. Waller and family, J. P. Rich- mond and family, Gustavus Hines and family, all of whom
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were ministers ; also Dr. Ira L. Babcock and family, George Abernethy (mission steward) and family, W. W. Raymond (farmer) and wife, Lewis H. Judson (cabinet-maker ) and family, Josiah L. Parrish (blacksmith) and family, James Olley (carpenter) and family, Hamilton Campbell and family, David Carter, Miss Chloe L. Clark, Miss Elmira Phelps, Miss Maria T. Lankton ; also Thomas Adams, the Chinook boy left at Peoria. Another Chinook youth he took East had died. Services were held on the steamer that conveyed them to Sandy Hook, where the Lausanne lay waiting. The shores of New York Bay, Staten Island and Long Island heard earnest prayer, praise and exhortation from many friends who accompanied thus far to bid them good-bye with their best wishes. They had the heart-felt blessing of the Christian world; were equipped from the bounty of many who opened willing purses, and it seemed that they should deserve the benison of heaven to afford their self-sacrifice grateful outcome.
The mission on the Willamette, meanwhile, was having varying fortunes ; Mrs. Jason Lee had died, the infant son of Dr. Elijah White, the first-born boy of white parentage, was drowned by the upsetting of a canoe at the Cascades and the mother and Mrs. Leslie barely escaped. The Leslie's home was burned while Mrs. Leslie was ill, and all their ef- fects were lost. To all appearance the mission work was successful; there was a revival in December at Willamette Mission, where a number of the settlers and many natives were added to the church. It was a revival scene to the fullest extent. Daniel Lee said, "The scene was awful;" as result some of the leading settlers joined the church ; the young people of the mission families were overcome
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by the revival spirit. It seemed to them, at last, that their prayers were answered and their labors rewarded. Up to this there had been few satisfactory results at the mission.
At The Dalles, Daniel Lee and Mr. Perkins made slow progress. They tried to teach the Wascos the efficacy of prayer, and they took it so literally that they thought pray- ing worked a spell equal to the necromancy of their own medicine men, and much cheaper to use. There was a mirac- ulous idea involved and superstitious minds were excited to believe whatever they thought was worth believing. They had no idea that it was also necessary to work, but thought they could pray for a coat and it was sure to come; if they had to work for it, that was no advantage over trade with, or work- ing for, the Hudson's Bay Company. After sieges of prayer with no resulting favors, they would reproach their teachers and refuse to be comforted when told that gifts would not come from heaven to reward their faith. Then they would thieve missionary goods, and Daniel Lee had to provide guns and ammunition to use in case threats on his life matured.
As a reproach to his fears, when he returned from buying guns and powder at Vancouver, he found Mr. Perkins in the heat of a revival. Several had begun to pray and one was converted. During the winter Mr. Perkins held meet- ings along the river ; camp meetings were held in the spring among the Klickitats, north of the Columbia; several hun- dred were baptized as converted and received into fellow- ship. Word went East of these successes and greatly en- couraged the people there, for it truly seemed as though the work of grace was really begun ; but it was only Indian nature showing up in emotional phase. They believed that
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joining the church endowed them with all good and shielded them from all harm ; if it could not do that they had no use for religion. Some enemy slew a chief ; they said he was a praying man-what good was praying if he could be killed?
A boy was sent from the school for some misconduct, and died soon after ; they charged his death to Mr. Perkins, and wanted pay for the boy he had killed. If they were not at liberty to revenge the death of their chief they could not afford to be Christians. It was not possible for most of them to appreciate Christian teachings ; when the emotion wore off they became backsliders. They revenged fancied wrongs by stealing horses. In truth, they were mercenary savages ; the effort to redeem them from bar- barism had only selfish response in their capricious natures. The groundwork had not been laid to secure just apprecia- tion ; what sense of right and nobility of character a few possessed was insufficient to overcome superstition and ig- norance in the masses. The Wascos had kept the gateway to the Columbia so long that they were more than usually arrogant.
George Stoutenberg, adopted son of Elijah White, was drowned attempting to ford the Willamette on horseback. In the autumn, after two years of illness, Cyrus Shepard was seriously ill ; a diseased leg was amputated and he died soon after, leaving a young wife and two infant daughters. He was considered the most successful worker of the mission ; possessed excellent qualities that in spirit of self-sacrifice he devoted to a forlorn hope ; had not even the satisfaction others who remained took advantage of, to become indepen- dent and lead honored and comfortable lives as result of the wonderful future that was not then far off.
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