USA > Oregon > The Oregon native son, 1900-1901 > Part 13
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Another of Jo Meek's tales was, that when O. C. Pratt was U. S. judge and he was marshal the court house at Ore- gon City was a small concern with a loft and stairs going up to it from the court room. The marshal wore a regulation uniform, of which he was very proud. One time, when there was a trial for sell- ing liquor to Indians, there were five or six Indian women as witnesses. While the court was sitting the grand jury oc- dupied this loft, and when a witness was wanted the word was passed down. Not understanding, when the marshal called one they all started to go up. Jo stopped this in a very unjudicial way, by catch- .
her down again. This was too much for his honor: "Marshal, come within the bar." said he. Jo marched inside the railing and made a profound bow. "Marshal, if ever I see you do such an act as that again, I will fine you $50." To keep the majesty of the court in proper shape the marshal used to escort the judge to his dinner. As they were on the way, Meek asked, "Did you really mean to fine me $50, judge?" "Yes," . was the response, "I shall certainly fine you $50, if I have to pay it myself." "Good enough," said Jo, "I can stand that as long as you can.'
When Yamhill county was organized, in 1846, A. A. Skinner was judge and John G. Baker, sheriff. The court house was a plebean sort of affair with one room. There was not even an attic, as was the case at Oregon City. In those lays the grand jury was a conglomerate of any number from thirteen to twenty-three. There had to be more than the number of a petit jury and not twice that number. When the sheriff asked where he was to establish his grand jury, the judge scratched his head in a contemplative way, then said: "Take them out under that broad- spreading oak. Stake out the foreman and the rest willbe apt to range near by." It was the leafy month of June and the shade of the oak was grateful. The stock interest was paramount and illus- trations taken from it were classical.
Jim Fruit was another of the charac- ters of the early time. Jim came from Missouri and was proud of that origin. One year, when emigration fell off from
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ed Jim what ailed the Missourians. He was apt at repartee, and rejoined that the crop of "buck bock" was so short that year that they hadn't enough to dye their clothes, so couldn't go west; that no self-respecting Missourian would go away from home without his regular color.
Another curious feature of that time was Jim Ware, of Clackamas. One year Ware was sent to represent Clackamas in the legislature. He was fond of ad- dressing the chair. His attitude was to lift his right foot upon the chair he sat on and then say: "Mr. Speaker!" One time he was descanting on the great ad- vantages of Oregon. He came from Sangamon county, Illinois, and thought that was God's country-except that it .
could'nt compare with Oregon. He was descanting on this favorite topic one day and illustrated his theme in a way that became historical. He said there was a Yankee, direct from Connecticut, who came to Sangamon and was infatuated with the region. Once, when he had written to a brother, in Connecticut, to tell his opinion, he came to see him (Jim Ware) to ask how it suited. His letter read: "Oh, Brother, come to Sanga- mon! If you do, you'll find bees into every hollow tree; you'll find four squir- rels up three trees ; you'll find hoop-pole: without end; rattlesnakes-oh, - Brother, come to Sangamon!" The Connecticut man was a cooper. To add effect to this harangue, Ware delivered it in the nasal Yankee tone.
SAMUEL A. CLARKE.
DAVID McLOUGHLIN.
David McLoughlin, the only son of the late and honored Dr. John Mc- Louglilin, is said to be still living in Northeastern Washington. He was · born in Clackamas county over seventy years ago, and was educated in London. After the death of his father he retired to the solitudes of Northeasten Wash- ington, where he has resided for many years. A year or two ago a Spokane paper gave an account of his first visit to that city, when he experienced his first ride in a hotel elevator, and acquired his first personal knowledge of electric street cars. A few of the older settlers here remember David McLoughlin as a young man over six feet in height, finely formed. erect, but lacking the energy and executive ability of his father. On his return from London, he lived an ap- parently easy life, assisting his father in and nonacionaller
figuring accounts for an early merchant. Mr. LaForest. Mrs. LaForest, who sti !! lives, remembers that David McLough- lin lounged around her husband's store a great deal of the time, and was notably quick in mathematics. After his father', death David was apparently dissatisfied. with life in Oregon City, and one day informed Mr. LaForest that this was n .. place for him, and left, losing his identi- ty in the Western wilderness. A story has been handed down from pioneer days that he woed and won the daughter ( :: the captain of an English tea ship, wh. was in Portland temporarily, but that Dr. McLoughlin would not consent to the marriage on account of religious- scruples. It is a fact. however, that David McLoughlin has spent the great- er part of his life away from advancing civilization, and it is not believed that lec ever married.
PAL UD IL GADDIDT
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*PIONEER DAY AND PIONEER ERA.
Again June 15 and again "Pioneer day" has come and gone. But yester- day, as it seems, these words were last written and spoken, and following them a eulogy upon those-living and dead- who laid strong and broad and deep the foundations of our state in the near and yet distant past. Proof of the number of these vanished days was seen in the white-haired men and women who pass- ed up and down our streets yesterday, called hither by this historical occasion. Elbowing their way gently through the crowds, wearing badges that tell how many years of their lives have been spent in Oregon, smilingly appreciative of the attention they receive, ready to relate in- cidents of the commonplace life of the long ago and to express satisfaction at the improvement upon primitive meth- ods that the years have brought. These men and women come among us with yearly dwindling ranks, honored guests of the occasion, and receive the welcome that is their due. Brave men and heroic women! Distinguished in the battle of life for the effort that failed not, though its fruition was not always in sight-the full fruits of the victory which civiliza- tion has won in the state are for your descendants and successors-its glory belongs to you.
It is true that hardship and privation in the sense that these terms were ap- plied to the settlement of the Middle West were in a degree unknown to the pioneer of Oregon. In the first place, the relative mildness of the climate for- bade the suffering from cold which pinched the bodies and congealed the energies of the pioneers of the Ohio val- ley; and again the supply depots of the TT ... 1 .. 1 1 .. 1 . ...... 1
settlement in the farming districts of the state by some years, while the occasional ship that felt its way successfully across the bar of the Columbia supplied with its varied cargo many needs of the settlers.
Rev. Samuel Parker, who made the journey in pursuit of the missionary idea across the continent between the 14th of March, 1835, and the 16th of October of the same year, traveling con- tinuously and reaching Fort Vancouver on the latter date, relates that he found there "a hospitable people and the com- forts of life," and that during all the months of his journey-the last fifty-six days with Indians only-he "had not suf- fered a single day for want of food." Later on, when domiciled for the winter at the post, he spoke of occupying well- furnished rooms, of having all the attend- ance he could wish, access to as many valuable books as he had time to read, opportunities to ride out and see the surrounding country, and, in addition to all these, "the society of gentlemen, en- lightened, polished and sociable." Re- membering the date of his experience. this account seems wonderful, since at that period settlers in many sections of the Ohio valley were still living lives of the most bitter contention against u11- subdued nature.
Of course the settlers that followed the missionary pathfinders in yearly in- creasing numbers after 1840 did not meet with the full-handed hospitality that fell to the lot of Parker. yet it is a matter of record that Dr. McLoughlin and other men of the Hudson's Bay Company be- friended the helpless and contributed to the needs of the destitute in many in- stances during these and succeeding .1 .1. .1 .. . 1 ..
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tained at Fort Vancouver and afterward at Oregon City, which was of incalcula- ble benefit to the earliest pioneers. Very few, if any, now remain who shared the hospitality of Dr. McLoughlin in these far-away days, yet in dealing with the pioneer era history will be true to his part in making the "first winter" toler- able and even enjoyable to many who, without the consideration shown them, would have felt more than the pinch of hunger.
In the meantime, the state-builders were at work, and the missionaries had not disregarded temporal matters in the pursuit of things spiritual, so that when the very oldest of our now-living pio- neers pitched their tents in the beautiful wilderness of "the Oregon territory they were able in a very short time to compass the ordinary comforts of home.
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But this is all of the past. The wide areas between homes that made daily in- tercourse among neighbors impossible; primitive methods of agriculture for the output of which there was no market; sparse settlements over which the dread of the always-possible Indian outbreak hovered; the long intervals between "states' mails" made anxious by the probabilities of death and disaster "at home" during the period of silence; the haunting specter of homesickness that
moved about the house and the clearing, are all of the past. These were the dis- agreeable realities of pioneer life. Dom- inating them all was the genial spirit of hospitality which isolation invokes, the gratified spirit of adventure which is the mainspring of much pioneer endeavor, the feeling of freedom which a survey of the wide expanse created, and finally the contentment which comes from a famili- arity with surroundings and the gratifi- cation of the home-building instinct.
Loyal Oregonians are these gray and genial pioneers. Not one of them would exchange his home here, endeared by the early associations of which its build- ing was a part, for a freehold in any oth- er land under the sun. Loyal Oregon- ians, The Oregonian, a pioneer among you, greets you, honors you, congratu- lates you, bids you welcome as you come and godspeed as you go, in the city whose name you knew not, but the cor- ner-stone of whose prosperity you help- ed to lay in the days wherein the "yet young state was younger yet."
* The foregoing tribute to the pioneers ap- peared in the editorial columns of the Daily Oregonian. June 16, 1899. Hon. Harvey W. Scott, editor of that paper. being the writer. The article is considered well worthy of preservation in the pages of history, and for that reason has here been republished.
The first brick dwelling house erected in the Pacific Northwest was built in Yamhill county, Oregon, carly in 1846. by Geo. K. Gay. It is still standing, and located within the townsite of Wheat- land. The brick were made by the Meth- odist mission, but it did not use thein, Rev. George Gary, the new superintend- ent of the mission, who arrived a short time previously, changed the plans in contemplation, and the brick were sold. The first brick store erected was put up by Governor Abernethy, at Oregon City
The first gold discovery in the Pacific Northwest. if not on the Pacific coast, by the whites, was made by Daniel Her- ron on the headwaters of the Malheur river. No one of the company he was with seemed to know what the shining metal was, and after being hanimered out on a wagon tire it was thrown aside. When gold was discovered in California in 1849, the circumstance was recalled to mind, and after considerable search the
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NESIKA WA-WA.
In this number we have made mention of some of the carlier liistorical educa- tional institutions of Oregon. In sub- sequent numbers others deserving of like notice will be spoken of by us. It has been the customi with some to send their children to eastern schools for an education, but observation of the pro- gress made by our young men and wo- men educated at home, bears out the idea that they stand as high, if not high- er, in the various avocations they have chosen for a livelihood, than the eastern educated. Our schools possess all the appliances required to gain a knowledge of almost any subject; our teachers are as competent as the best of the East in nearly all branches, the exceptions being confined only to a few branches of study that are of no practical value save to the very limited number. Take Oregonians away from our salubrious climate and place them in a situation where the mer- cury goes down way below zero, or where they nearly suffocate with the heat, both night and day and they can- not give their minds to study with the degree of ease and satisfaction that they can on this coast. Keep your children at home, it will save you money and will not deprive them of the very best of fa- cilities for securing the finished educa- tion you desire them to have.
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Among the many interesting chapters in the history of our country's develop-
It is most remarkable that nearly all of the membership of the fur companies coming to the Pacific Northwest. though the nature of their calling would serve to break down one's constitution. were long lived, many of them living to be over 80 years of age.
ment, none possesses greater attraction than that which deals with the vast terri- tory of which Oregon forms a part. from its occupation by a handful of British trappers to its acquisition by the United States. The struggle between Great Britain and the United States for this valuable possession, and the part played by McLoughlin of the Hudson's Bay Company, are here set forth in a most enjoyable narrative. The men and wo- men whose names are prominently as- sociated with the pioneer movement are presented in life-like portraiture, and the conditions prevailing under the old reg- ime-the semi-feudal government of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Van- couver-form a curious and fascinating portion of the story. No less interesting are the incidental sketches of Indian life and character and the passionate fear and jealousy exhibited by the red men toward the whites, which culminated in the Whitman massacre.
The author, Mrs. Eva Emery Dye, of Oregon City, has given an exceedingly vivid account of the picturesque life in the mountains; of the trappers. the In- dians, and the missionaries, regarding all of which she has had unusual facilities for acquiring information. Readers will be delighted with the narrative, which, while historically accurate and valuable, possesses all the attractiveness of a ro- mance. A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, are the publishers. For sale by the J. K. Gill Co., Portland; $1.50 per copy.
Lieut. Wilkes celebrated the 4th of July, 1841, on American lake, Washing- ton. In 1843 Rev. Gustavus Hines de- livered an address on the Nation's natal day at Oregon City. There was no gen- eral observance of the day until 1846. when Oregon City and Salemi each had a grand blow-out.
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On the 15th inst. the twenty-eighth annual reunion of the Oregon Pioneer Association was held in Portland, and the men and women who made it possi- ble for the building of the metropolis owned it for the time being.
At 10:00 o'clock in the forenoon they were entertained at the Tabernacle, by the Native Sons and Daughters. A fine luncheon was served to them and some time was spent in the shaking of hands and in conversation.
At 1:30 o'clock the Pioneers assem- bled on Morrison street, in front of the Marquam Building, and, headed by the Native Sons and Daughters and the Third Regiment band, took up the march for the Exposition Building, where the exercises of the day were held. There were many old men and women in line who came with a wagon train across the plains half a century ago. Some of these showed that time had been at work, yet when the band began to play a lively air, these stooped and halting men and women fell into line with the sprightliness of boys and girls.
There were many in the line who look- ed hale and hearty, and some who might have been taken for a Native Son or Daughter.
At Twelfth street the procession was joined by the Indian War Veterans, and, with jesting, laughter, and occasional Indian yells, the long line continued on to the Exposition Building. There the Sons and Daughters stood aside and al- lowed the older ones to enter the build- ing first.
Though the crowd was large there was room for all inside. The band play- ed while the people were seated. The stage was beautifully decorated, and among those who were seated thereon
were some of the men and women whose history would make a book. Among them was Louis La Bonte, the oldest Native Son in the state. His father was a French-Canadian, and his mother. Kil-a-ko-talı, was the eldest daughter of Cob-a-way, chief of the Clatsop Indians. F. X. Matthieu, the only survivor of the convention of 1843, and Cyrus H. Walk- er, the first living male white child born in Oregon of white parents.
After prayer by Chaplain N. Doane, President J. T. Apperson arose and, after congratulating the organization, thank- ing the people of Portland for the recep- tion they had given the Pioneers, and complimenting the Sons and Daughters, introduced J. C. Moreland, who deliver- ed the annual address. The occasional address was delivered by Cyrus H. Walker.
Concluding the address a banquet was served. There being 16 tables with 40 chairs at each. These tables were dec- orated most tastefully with the many flowers which grow in Oregon, with the Oregon fir scattered all about. Upon many of the plates was a rose or some other flower, and the good things that were on the tables were such as lords find spread upon their boards when they go to dine.
Mrs. I. W. Pratt, Mrs. E. E. McClure and Mrs. O. P. S. Plummer, of the ex- ecutive committee of the Woman's Aux- iliary, who had charge of the banquet, deserve great credit for the manner in which they handled the crowd. There was no rush, as is often the case at ban- quets. Everything was as orderly as at a home dinner, and the Pioneers enjoy- ed themselves to the limit.
The officers for the ensuing year were · elected as follows: Lee Laughlin, pres-
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ident; J. H. D. Gray, vice-president; George H. Himes, secretary, re-elected; Charles E. Ladd, treasurer, re-elected; Silas B. Smith, corresponding secretary ; D. P. Thompson, J. T. Apperson, Wil- liam Galloway, directors.
As soon as the business had been transacted, President Apperson asked William Galloway to preside, then fol- lowed:
The "Greeting Song," by the veteran male quartet, was good. Then came a recitation by Miss Hazel Hoopengarner which brought down the house. It was followed by a song from the gray-haired male singers. O. F. Paxton favored the audience with Dr. Bennett's poem, "The Pioneer," which was well received.
Again the male quartet was called for, and gave two or three selections which completely charmed the crowd. The "rooter" song, in which Judge Bullock, crowed in a manner that would have made a rooster ashamed of himself, was the feature of the evening.
This venerable quartet was composed of the following men: Judge S. Bullock, Captain W. S. Powell, first tenors; C. W. Tracy, J. R. N. Sellwood, second tenors; George A. Buchanan, John Shaver, first bass: H. A. Kineth, Dr. H. R. Littlefield, second bass; accompanist, Miss E. Cora Felt.
When it was announced that experi- ences were in order there was no lack of of speakers. As fast as one sat down another was up, and the tales that some of them told were highly interesting. There was hearty applause throughout the experience telling.
Among those who had good things to say to the Pioneers were Silas B. Smith, Mrs. A. S. Duniway. Judge M. C. George, Mrs. R. A. Miller and Van De- Lashmutt.
When all who desired had had their say, the meeting adjourned and the 22d annual gathering of Oregon Pioneers was at an end.
The fifteenth annual grand encamp- ment of the Indian War Veterans of the Pacific Northwest met in Grand Army Hall June 15, and was called to order at
10:15 by Grand Commander T. A. Wood. The officers of the encompment, most of whom were present, are as fol- lows: T. A. Wood, grand commander; Capt. James McAuliffe, senior vice grand commander; Major James Bruce, junior vice grand commander, Otto Kleeman, general adjutant and acting secretary; P. C. Nolan, first as- sistant adjutant; H. D. Mount, second assistant; G. L. Rowland, third assist- ant; Rev. W. D. Ewing, chaplain; Capt. P. Maloney, grand marshal; J. H. Mc- Millen, paymaster; T. I. Nicklin, sur- geon; John Storan, captain of the guard.
The session was opened by singing "America," by Mrs. Maggie Gillett, and the audience. In the absence of the chaplain prayer was offered by Comrade L. M. Parrish.
Grand Commander Wood read his re- port, which was an able and interesting document. Among the resolutions in- troduced and adopted was one in rela- tion to the monument in memory of the Pioneers and Indian War Veterans. Its purport was, that instead of building a monument to the soldiers of the Second Oregon alone, a memorial Hall should be erected, commemorating the dead solders of all the wars, past, present and future. There their names should be in- scribed, the archives kept; their various organizations, Pioneers, Veterans, Na- tive Sons and Daughters and others could meet; and there a great free library could be collected. He believed that if the monument fund being raised was thus diverted some rich man would endow it with $100,000, and that every- body would contribute. A single monu- ment, erected to the dead of the Second Oregon meant little; such a building would mean much, and to everybody. He thought the volunteers should not be singled out; the veteran dead of the In- dian Wars and the Civil War should stand on the same plane and receive equal honor.
At the conclusion of the business of the association the veterans adjourned for lunch, which was served in the rear
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end of the hall. The wives and daugh- ters ot fhe veterans had been busy in preparing the meal, and the tables were loaded with good things to eat, and were brilliant with many splendid bouquets. The order was that only veterans, or their wives and widows, who were over 65 years old, should have seats at the first tables. About 145 veterans, wives, widows and daughters were present, nearly filling the hall. While many of the veterans' heads are white and forms bowed, there are still among them a good many specimens of sturdy man- hood, and generally their clear faces and robust frames furnish proof of an active, well-spent life.
The Grand Cabin, Native Sons, held its second annual session on June 13 and 14. At the beginning of the year there were 18 cabins, at the close of this year, 32; all of which are in from fair to a flourishing condition. The present mem- bership is about 2000.
Grand President Blumauer submitted a very comprehensive report bearing up- on the condition and needs of the order, as well as upon other important matters.
Considerable legislation was enacted, the more important of which was the creation of the office of grand organizer; representation from the cabins to the grand cabin; striking out the provisions permitting of an honorary membership, and other matters incidental to the wel- fare of the cabins.
The report had in part the following on pioneer memorial, which is well worthy of consideration.
"The time has arrived when some con- certed effort should be made to build a monument to the pioneers, who, through herculean struggles, hardships and per- ils, found their way to Oregon, and, through their noble sacrifices and heroic valor, reclaimed its broad acres from the wild beasts and the savages; and, through their occupancy, saved it from the domination of a foreign power.
"It is recommended that a committee consisting of five members of this grand cabin be appointed to take steps to se- cure Park Block No. 7. in the city of Portland, bounded by Salmon, Main and
Park and West Park streets, for the pur- pose of erecting thereon a monument to the pioneers in the shape of a log cabin large enough to accommodate the pio- neers in their annual reunions, the Indi- an War Veterans during the yearly meet- ings, the Native Sons and Native Daughters, when they meet in annual session, and provide for the permanent preservation and exhibit of the archives. relics and curios of the State Historical Society.
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