The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 1, No. 2, June, 1900Oregon Historical Society
History
The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 1, No. 2, June, 1900
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon -- History -- Periodicals
The first Americans since 1814 who crossed to the west side of the
Rocky Mountains was (at least to our knowledge) Mr. Jedidiah Smith with
five trappers, who, having met some of the Hudson's Bay Company on the
headwaters of Snake River came with them to the Hudson's Bay post at
the Flat Heads, where they passed the winter.
In 1825 he returned to join his people, and in 1826 he brought a large
party of his countrymen to hunt in the Snake country, where they have
been ever since. In 1826 and up to 1828, there were constantly five
or six hundred. But now, that beaver are scarce, there are only about
fifty. In 1827, Mr. Smith pushed his trapping parties to the Bay of
San Francisco, in California, and, in endeavoring to make his way here
from California in 1828, fifteen of his men were murdered by the Umpqua
Indians when he with only three of his men reached Vancouver from
whence, spring 1829, he proceeded to join his countrymen in the Snake
country.
The first American vessel that entered the Columbia River to trade
since 1814 was the Oahee, Captain Dominus, in February, 1829. The
Convoy, Captain Thompson, came a while after. These two vessels
belonged to the same party, a merchant in Boston. In summer, they
went up to the coast. Returned in the fall. The Oahee wintered in the
Columbia River, but the Convoy proceeded to Oahoo. Returned spring
1830, and in the summer both vessels left and never returned.
In 1832 a Mr. Wyeth came across by land from Boston with eleven men,
with the intention of establishing a salmon fishery and expected
to have met a vessel which he had sent from Boston, but he learned
afterwards she had been wrecked on an island in the Pacific, and the
nonarrival of his vessel obliged Mr. Wyeth to return to the United
States, but his men remained in the Wallamette.
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