Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of OregonHolman, Frederick V.
History
Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon
Holman, Frederick V.
McLoughlin, John, 1784-1857; Oregon Territory -- History
In vol. IV, p. 352, he says: "The next day the gentlemen of the Mission
proposed a ride to what they term 'the Mill,' distant about nine miles,
in a southeast direction.... We reached 'the Mill' by noon, which
consists of a small grist and saw mill on the borders of an extensive
prairie. They are both under the same roof, and are worked by a
horizontal wheel.... From the number of persons about the premises, this
little spot had the air and stir of a new secular settlement; and I
understood that it is intended to be the permanent location of the
Mission, being considered more healthy than the bank of the Willamette.
The missionaries, as they told me, have made individual selections of
lands to the amount of one thousand acres each, in prospect of the whole
country falling under our laws."
On page 355 of the same volume he says: "I am aware that the
missionaries come out to this country to colonize, and with the
Christian religion as their guide and law, to give the necessary
instruction, and hold out inducements to the Indians to quit their
wandering habits, settle, and become cultivators of the soil. This
object has not been yet attained in any degree, as was admitted by the
missionaries themselves; and how it is to be effected without having
constantly around them large numbers, and without exertions and
strenuous efforts, I am at a loss to conceive. I cannot but believe,
that the same labour and money which have been expended here, would have
been much more appropriately and usefully spent among the tribes about
the Straits of Juan de Fuca, who are numerous, and fit objects for
instruction." And on page 356 Commander Wilkes says: "Three years
since, O'Neill came to the valley with only a shirt to his back, as he
expressed it; he began by working part of this farm, and obtained the
loan of cattle and other articles from Dr. M'Loughlin, all of which he
has, from the natural increase of his stock and out of his crops, since
repaid. He has bought the farm, has two hundred head of stock, horses to
ride on, and a good suit of clothes, all earned by his own industry; and
he says it is only necessary for him to work one month in the year to
make a living; the rest of the time he may amuse himself. He spoke in
the highest terms of Dr. M'Loughlin, and the generous aid he had
afforded him in the beginning."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account