A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic InformationGray, W. H. (William Henry)
History
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information
Gray, W. H. (William Henry)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Oregon Territory -- History
Rev. J. Lee, it will be remembered, was the first man to answer the call
of the Indian to come to his country. The Methodist Board had been
formed, and J. Lee accepted their invitation and patronage. In this
expedition he gathered his associates, and at the same time made
arrangements for future supplies to arrive by sea, coming around Cape
Horn. Captain Wyeth was in Boston, getting up a trading expedition, and
chartering a vessel for the mouth of the Columbia River, the _May
Dacre_. On board Captain Lambert's brig Captain Wyeth and the Methodist
Board shipped their goods for the two expeditions. The goods on the way,
it became necessary for the future objects of the mission to have a few
horses to carry on the improvements necessary to a civilized life. Lee
and associates start across the continent. Missouri is the most western
limit of civilization. They reach it, purchase their outfit, and, in
company with Captain Wyeth, reach Fort Hall; here they fall in with
Thomas McKay and our English nobleman, Captain Stewart. Captain Wyeth
stopped to build his fort, while McKay, Stewart, Lee, Dr. Nutall,
Townsend, and parties all made their way to Wallawalla, on the Columbia
River. The supreme selfishness of the Hudson's Bay Company seems here to
begin to develop itself. Lee and party were made to believe that the
Flathead tribe, who had sent their messengers for teachers, were not
only a small, but a very distant tribe, and very disadvantageously
situated for the establishment and support of a missionary among them.
These statements determined them to proceed to the lower Columbia, to
find a better location to commence operations. Leaving their horses at
Wallawalla, in charge of one of their party, they proceeded down the
Columbia in one of the Hudson's Bay Company's boats, being eleven days
in reaching the fort, and one hundred and fifty-two days on the way from
Missouri. They were kindly received by the gentlemen of the fort, and in
two days were on the hunt for a location.
The party that arrived just two years later, with two ladies, were not
allowed to leave the fort to look for locations till they had remained
twelve days, and been invited to ride all over the farm, and visit the
ships, and eat melons and apples (being always cautioned to save all the
seeds for planting).
Lee and party were frank to make known to the company their object, and
plans of future operations. Questions of trade and morality were
comparatively new with the company. As religious teachers and Christian
men they had no suspicions of any interference in trade. Mr. Lee hailed
from Canada, and so did Dr. McLaughlin and a large number of the
servants of the company.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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