Chapter M: M. McCARVER (13)

"Within a few years several Americans, of whom the writer is
one, have crossed the Rocky Mts., to the mouth of the
Columbia, with objects entirely unconnected with trade or
commerce. Mine was a desire to see a new country, a love of
adventure for its own sake, and an enthusiastic fondness for
natural history. The party with which I traveled left
Independence, Mo., about the latter part of April, 1834, and
arrived at the British Fort, Vancouver, in September, having
performed the whole journey on horseback. From this time
until October, 1836, with the exception of the first winter
which I passed at the Sandwich Islands, my residence was in
the Territory of Oregon. Dr. McLoughlin, chief factor,
treated me with uniform and singular kindness, supplying all
my wants and furnishing me with every facility in the
prosecution of my plans. This is, I believe, the uniform
character of the Superintendents of British forts in that
country. Travelers, naturalists, and all who are not traders
are kindly and hospitably treated, but the moment a visitor
is known to trade a beaver skin from an Indian, that moment
he is ejected from the community. The company has a sum of
money amounting to several thousand pounds sterling, laid
aside at Vancouver for the sole purpose of opposing all who
may come to interfere with its monopoly, by purchasing at
exhorbitant prices all the furs in possession of the
Indians, and thus forcing the settler to come to terms or
driving him from the country. If it be an individual who is
thus starved into submission he then usually clears a piece
of land on the Willamette River, takes an Indian wife, and
purchases furs of the natives, which, by previous contract,
he is bound to sell to the company at an advance which is
fixed by the governor.

Ft. Vancouver, the principal trading post of the Oregon,
stands on the north bank of the river, about 90 miles from
the mouth. The fort consists of several dwellings,
storehouses, workshops, etc., all of frame arranged together
in quadrilateral form, and surrounded by a stockade of pine
logs about 20 ft. high. The Ft. has no bastions, and
contains no armament. There are, to be sure, 4 great guns
frowning in front of the governor's mansion, 2 long 18s and
2 9-pounders, but two of them have long been spiked and the
others are unfit for service.

The rainy season begins here about the middle of October and
continues until the first of April. During this period the
weather is almost uniformly dull, foggy, or rainy. Sometimes
rain falls incessantly for the space of 2 or 3 weeks.
Occasionally, during the winter months, there will be a
light fall of snow, and in the winter of 1835-6 the river
was frozen over. The intensity of cold, however, continued
but a few days and was said to be very unusual. The general
range of the thermometer, (Fahr.) during that season was
from 36-48 degrees, but for 3 or 4 days was as low as 25
degrees.

In the vicinity of Ft. Vancouver, the cattle graze during
the whole winter; no stabling or stall feeding is ever
requisite, as the extensive plains produce the finest and
most abundant crops of excellent prairie grass. In choosing
a site for settlement on the main river, it is always
necessary to bear in mind the periodical inundations. Ft.
Vancouver itself, though built on a high piece of land at a
distance of 600 yards from the common rise of the tides, is
sometimes almost reached by the freshets of early spring.
The soil here, on both sides of the river is a rich black
loam, the base being basaltic rock.

The face of the country from Ft. George, (Astoria,) to
Vancouver, a distance of 80 miles, is very much of a uniform
character, consisting of alluvial meadows, along the
river-side, alternating with forests of oak, pine, etc.,
while behind are extensive plains, some of which receive
estuaries of the river, while others are watered by lakes or
ponds. The pine forests are very extensive, the trees being
of great size, and the timber extraordinarily beautiful. All
the timber of the genus pinus is gigantic. I measured with
Dr. Gairdner, surgeon of the fort, a pine of the species
_Douglass_, which had been prostrated by the wind. Its
height was above 200 ft., and its circumference 45 feet.
Large as was this specimen, its dimensions are much exceeded
by one measured by the late David Douglas. The height of
this tree was nearly 300 ft., and the circumference 56 ft.
Cones of this pine, according to Mr. D., were 12 to 15
inches long, resembling in size and form sugar loaves. Oak
timber of various kinds is abundant along the river, as well
as button wood, balsam, poplar, ash, sweet gum, beech, and
many other useful kinds, but no hickory or walnut. The
governor of Ft. Vancouver, who is an active agriculturist,
has exerted himself for several years in raising whatever
appears adapted to the soil. Wheat, rye, barley, pease, and
culinary vegetables of all kinds are raised in ample
quantity. Fruits of various kinds, apples, peaches, plums,
etc., do remarkably well. I remember being particularly
struck, upon my arrival at Vancouver in the autumn, with the
display of apples in the garden of the fort. Trees were
crowded with fruit, so that every limb had to be sustained
with a prop. Apples were literally packed along the
branches, and so closely that I could compare them to
nothing more aptly than ropes of onions. In the vicinity of
Walla Walla or the Ney [z] Perce's Fort, the country in
every condition for many miles exhibits an arid and
cheerless prospect. The soil is deep sand, and the plain
upon which the fort stands produces nothing but bushes of
aromatic wormwood. Along the borders of the small streams,
however, the soil is exceedingly rich and productive, and on
these strips of land the superintendent raises his corn and
the vegetables necessary for the consumption of his people.
The prong-horned antelope occasionally ranged these plains;
black-tailed or mule deer is found in the vicinity; grouse
of several species are very abundant, and large prairie hare
is common. In autumn and winter, in the vicinity of Ft.
Vancouver, ducks, geese, and swans swarm in immense numbers.
These are killed by the Indians and taken to the Ft. as
articles of trade. For a single duck, one load of powder and
shot is given; for a goose, 2; and for a swan, 4 loads. For
deer 10 loads of ammunition, or a bottle of rum is the usual
price. Early in May salmon are first seen entering the
river, and the Columbia and all its tributaries teem with
these delicious fish. The Indians take great numbers by
various modes, subsisting almost wholly on them during their
stay, and drying and packing them away in thatched huts to
be used for their winter store. Salmon also forms a chief
article of food for the inmates of the fort, and hundreds of
casks are salted down every season.

About 20 miles above this, in the Wallamet Valley, is the
spot chosen by the Methodist missionaries for their
settlement, and here also, a considerable number of retired
servants of the company had established themselves. The soil
of this delightful valley is rich beyond comparison, and the
climate considerably milder than that of Vancouver. Rain
rarely falls, even in the winter season, but dews are
sufficiently heavy to compensate for its absence. The
epidemic of the country, ague, is rarely known here. In
short, the Wallamet Valley is a terrestrial paradise, to
which I have known some to exhibit so strong an attachment
as to declare that notwithstanding the few privations which
must necessarily be experienced by settlers of a new
country, no consideration would ever induce them to return
to their former homes."

J. K. T. [TOWNSEND].

Washington, Jan. 26, 1843.

* * * * *

_St. Louis New Era_, Tuesday, February 28, 1843.

OREGON.

The following is an extract from a letter dated Honolulu,
Oct. 30, 1842. "The town is now full of strangers, the
Chenamus having brought some 19 passengers from the Oregon,
who are returning home, disgusted with the people and the
country. Then again, the Victoria brings a few families here
on their way to the river to settle. They must be encouraged
by meeting so many here, returning."

* * * * *

_New Era_, Thursday, March 9, 1843.

(Contains notice of "Travels in the Great Prairie
Wilderness, the Anahuac and Rocky Mts., and in Oregon
Territory," by T. J. Farnham; said to contain full account
of a journey overland and the Methodist missions in the
Territory. Notice copied into "_Era_" from _N. Y. Tribune_,
from which office it is issued.)

* * * * *

_Republican_, July 22, 1843.

We learn from Maj. Albert Wilson who has just returned from
the Mountains, that he met the Oregon emigrants on the big
Arkansas [Platte], one month after they had left the
settlements, and that they were cheerfully wending their way
onwards. There were 1150 emigrants, 175 wagons, and a great
number of cattle, horses, mules, etc., etc. Lord Stewart and
his party of pleasure, consisting of 100 persons, were three
days in advance of the Oregon emigrants.

Copied into _Rep._ from "_Liberty Banner_."

* * * * *

_Republican_, August 7, 1843.

A letter received from the emigrants, at Iowa City, some
days since:

OREGON EMIGRATING CO.

June 10, 1843.

The return of a company of mountain traders to the
settlements presents an opportunity for writing which I feel
much inclined to embrace. We are now between 2 and 300 miles
west of Independence, on the Blue river, a tributary of the
Kansas, in good health and spirits. I regret to say that a
division has taken place in the company, in consequence of
the number of cattle driven by some, those having no cattle
refusing to stand guard over stock belonging to others. The
result of all this was that Capt. Burnett resigned command
of the company, and the commander, in accordance with our
regulations, ordered a new election, and so altered the
by-laws that the commander should be called colonel, and
also authorized the election of 4 captains, and 4 orderly
sergeants. The cattle party selected myself as their
candidate, those opposed selected Mr. Wm. Martin, an
experienced mountaineer. There being a majority in
opposition to the cattle party, Mr. Martin was elected, and
a division of the company ensued. About 50 wagons, with
those who had large droves of loose cattle, now left, with a
general request that all in favor of traveling with them
should fall back. I was particularly solicited to leave
Martin's party, but as it would travel much the fastest, and
Col. Martin was a very clever fellow, I declined. The new
company, it is expected, will be commanded by Capt.
Applegate. Our roads, since leaving the settlements have
been very fine, except within the last few days, during
which period they have been almost impassable in consequence
of the tremendous rains, but they are again improving. We
have had no trouble with the Indians, with the exception of
horse and cattle stealing, and this business they have
carried on pretty lively. I had a very fine mule and an ox
stolen from me on the Kansas river, and we lost in all some
8 or 10 head of horses and mules. I believe there is not a
case of sickness in camp, though old Mr. Stout, from Iowa,
has a violent swelling in his eyes. Tell the boys from Iowa
to come on with all the cattle and sheep they can get, and a
company large enough to drive them.

Truly yours, etc.,