REV. JASON LEE. THE CONQUERORS OF THE American Settlement of the Oregon Country ?£mbraring IFacta in tl|p %iU nnh Wavk at REV. JASON LEE The Pioneer and Founder of American Institutions on the Western Coast of North America. By REV. A. ATWOOD Published ivii/i the Indorsement of the Officers of " The IVashington State Historical Society," Tacoma, IVashington ... , ' > > '. On Sale at ;'' ','] Boston Cincinnati Tacoma Portland New York Chicago Seattle San Francisco GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. THE ARTHUR H. CLARK COMPANY Copyright By a. Atwood 1907 • • ** t *.. *■* .•■«•»£** "^ DEDICATION -\^ \ In honor of the name and the deeds of Jason Lee and the Pioneer Missionaries who laid the foundations of American institutions in Oregon. To them and to their descendants is this volume respectfully Dedicated. C3 21C770 REV. A. ATVVOOD. PREFACE Associated with the early settlement of Oreg-on there is a blending of romance, of patriotism, of sacrifice, of noble deeds, of devotion to God and the welfare of humanity, that has not been excelled in the history of the world. The story of the traders and the trappers in the early part of 1800. The account of the several expeditions sent out by the United States Government. The Indians, enveloped in the darkness of a pagan night, turning their thoughts Godward, and asking for light. The coming of the missionaries; the conflicts through which they passed ; the trials they endured ; the difficulties they encountered; the work they accom- plished ; the victories they won, form a record that is worthy of being written in letters of gold. It challenges the admiration of the world. The story embraces an account of facts and scenes that are unique, weird, truth- ful, pathetic, and sublime. No writer can give in words of proper phrase a complete description of the great events that form this history. The spirit of love and Christian heroism that prompted the noble acts of the missionaries is ideal and Christlike ; it is indescribable, and can not be trans- ferred to canvas, nor can it be uttered in speech or expressed with pen. No part of the country over which floats the flag of the United States has such a unique and thoroughly American origin and history as has Oregon. It is the only part of the great American Republic that was ob- 5 6 Preface tained by discovery, followed by occupancy, actual settle- ment, and the formation of a local government under the sheltering folds of the American flag hoisted by the colonists themselves. The story of the American conquest of Oregon is told in these pages. The aim of the writer has been to tell it as correctly as the information at his command would permit. He acknowledges his indebtedness to Hon. C. B. Bagley, a former journalist of this coast; also to Drs. A. B. Leonard and S. O. Benton, officers of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, through whose kindly offices he secured from the records of that societ}' many facts touching the work of the Oregon Alission from 1833 to 1844. To Dr. H. K. Hines, "Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest ;" to Prof. F. H. Grubbs, son-in-law of Rev. Jason Lee, and to Rev. A, J. Joslyn, of the Puget Sound Conference. To Mr. Francis Richmond, the first American born in Oregon, north of the Columbia River, and to Dr. Oregon Richmond. To Mr. D. T. Merkley, of the Methodist Book Con- cern of New York, for valuable excerpts from the Chris- tian Advocate and jGurnal; to Mrs. Clara D. Worth, of Boston, for important excerpts from Zion's Herald, and to Rev. C. M. Tate, secretary of the British Columbia Conference of the Methodist Church of Canada. To Hon. R. L. McCormick, president, and Prof. W. H. Gilstrap, secretary, of the Washington State His- torical Society. To Mr. John A. Couslcy, editor of the Alton Tele- graph, published at Alton, 111., and Miss Harriet Dolbee, of that city, for information from the files of The Tele- graph. Also to Miss Georgic Osborne, assistant librarian of Preface 7 the Illinois State Historical Library at Springfield, 111., for access to the files of the Illinois State Journal and the Illinois State Register. From these and other sources much valuable informa- tion has been obtained, some of which is given to the public for the first time in these pages. The writer has thus been enabled to give what he believes to be a fuller and a more accurate summary of many facts cm- braced in the early history of Oregon than has hitherto been published. With these facts about the early settlement of the Pacific Northwest, there is also given much important information about the present condition of the Oregon country. The different divisions thereof, their industries and resources, and other matters of public interest, to which is added a brief description of Alaska, em- bracing facts about its purchase, area, climate, products, and other important items about that great Northland. The writer desires to call special attention to the facts given in these pages that connect the missions and the missionaries with the great national matters involved in the settlement of the Oregon question. To omit these would be like describing a piece of cloth and leaving out all reference to the warp and the woof that form the fabric; or, like telling a story and eliminating all the essential features that enter into it ; or, like Hamlet, with Hamlet left out. The missions and the work of the missionaries is the warp and the woof of the effort to Americanize Oregon. And the American conquest of Oregon can not be truthfully told if the actors in this great drama are left out, and the important events that made the conquest possible are not included in this unique and wonderful story. For it should be observed that, up to the time of 8 Preface the establishment of the Provisional Government, in July, 1843, the missionaries of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and those who had come to the coast through their in- strumentality, comprised nearly all the American citi- zens in the country. Their settlement was not only the center of American life and influence in Oregon, but it was the only place on the Pacific coast where it was possible to outrank the Hudson Bay Company in the control of Oregon affairs and in the establishment of a government under American auspices. About no settlement in the United States has there been so many absurd statements made and erroneous opinions formed as to the causes and the factors that contributed to its formation, its upbuilding, and the triumph of American sentiment in connection with it, as have been made about the American settlement of the Oregon country. The evidence of the untenability and falsity of many of the claims and statements referred to is incontro- vertible. The object of the writer is to bring to public at- tention the facts in the case and thus conserve the truth. This compilation of historical data is not the re- sult of hasty impulse, nor is it prompted by sectarian motive or purpose. The writer desires to do an act of justice to the name, the deeds, and the memory of the great and good man who established this American com- munity in Oregon and made provision for its support, and its growth, and thus laid the foundations of empire on the Pacific coast. The question. Who planned and executed the work that made Oregon an American commonwealth, and thus "saved Oregon?" is answered in the great mass of his- torical facts given in this book. Tnu Author. CONTENTS CHAPTER I BEGINNING OF MISSIONARY WORK IN OREGON Events that led up to the American occupancy of Oregon — The going out of the Indians — Letter of William Walker — Comumnication of S. P. Disosway — Proclr.- mation of Dr. Fisk — Appointment of Jason Lee — Im- portant communications — Action of Missionary Board — First tour of the United States by Jason Lee — Account of Missionary meetings held throughout the country, 17-35 CHAPTER II ON THE OREGON TRAIL Journey across the Continent — First religious services held on the Coast under American auspices — Selec- tion of locations for mission stations — The establish- ment of the Missions of the M. E. Church in Oregon — A great work involving a large expenditure of money — Important facts, touching the Oregon ques- tion'; gleaned from letters, communications, records, and valuable excerpts from Newspapers — Formation of a Cattle Company in Oregon — Hon. William A. Slacum — Facts that indicate the great influence of Jason Lee in laying the foundations of empire in Oregon— Sunday, July 16, 1837, a great day — Marriage of Jason Lee — Baptism — Organization of M. E. Church in Oregon, - 36-57 9 10 Contents CHAPTER III GOING EAST, AND WHAT CAME OF IT Mr. Lee's journey East — Death of Mrs. Lee — An important memorial — Mr. Lee's correspondence with Hon. Caleb Cashing — Arrival of Rev. Jason Lee in New York — Work outlined by the Missionary Board that culmi- nated in the establishment of American institutions in Oregon — Proclamation of Dr. Bangs — Second Mis- sionary tour of the United States by Jason Lee — Account of numerous and enthusiastic meetings held throughout the country — Large audiences and liberal offerings — Valuable excerpts from records and news- papers of that period — William Brooks . - . 58-82 CHAPTER IV JASON LEE OPENS THE GATES FOR OREGON'S DELIVERANCE A third memorial to Congress — Mr. Lee's second marriage — The Great Reinforcement — Statements of Bishop Blanchet, and of Mr. Bancroft, the Historian — Letters of Mrs. Judge Terry and Mrs. S. R. Beggs — The Lausanne — Letters from Jason Lee, giving an account of the voyage halfway around the world — Letter from Rev. A. F. Waller — Important notice — Arrival of the Missionaries in Oregon — Meeting at Fort Van- couver — Assignments to their fields of labor — A perilous journey — An eloquent prayer — A great re- vival — Rev. Daniel Lee — His marriage to Miss Maria T. Ware — Important notice — Letters of Jason Lee and others, ----- 83-105 CHAPTER V NISQUALLY— JASON LEE'S MISSION SETTLEMENT ON PUGET SOUND Dr. Richmond appointed to this station — Building of Mis- sion House, etc. — Communication from Dr. Richmond — lixploring expedition under Capt. Charles Wilkes — American Mission Settlement at Nisciually — l'irst4th of July celebration held on the Western Coast of Contents 11 North America, July 5, 1841 — Commemorative cele- bration held ou the same grounds, July 5, 1906 — Nisqually Historically — First religious service in the Oregon country — First Protestant Church erected North of the Columbia River— Dr. Tolmie — Rev. J. F, Devore and the turkeys, - - ... 106-127 CHAPTER VI THE OREGON EMIGRATION MOVEMENT Jason Lee's work in Illinois — Statements of Mr. Bancroft, the Historian— of Hon. H. W. Scott— Rev. A. D. Field, D. D. — Mr. Francis Richmond — Dr. Oregon Rich- mond—Rev. William McEl fresh— Rev. T. F. Royal and Colonel Clark E. Carr — Excerpts from the News- paper Press of that period — A matter-of-fact state- ment by Abraham Lincoln, 128-146 CHAPTER VII FORMATION OF A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT Important vote — Timely act of Joseph Meek — Election of officers — Fourth of July celebration — Five great acts in Oregon drama — Dr. McLoughlin — Great changes — F'irst flour mill — First church — First school house — P^irst frame dwelling of American construction in Oregon — First Camp-meeting — First city founded and continuously occupied by Americans on the Western coast of North America — Coming of Chris- tian women to Oregon — Statement of Daniel Webster — DiflFerences of opinion 147-176 CHAPTER VIII TRIBUTE TO JASON LEE Good leadership necessary to success — Excerpts from his report to the Missionary Board — with explanations in regard to them — Great injustice done by this action — Bringing the remains of Jason Lee to Oregon— Out- line of services — Criticisms answered — ^Jason Lee was not a Canadian — Basis of the American and of the British claim to the ownership of the Oregon country, 177-221 12 Contents CHAPTER IX MISSIONS OF THE AMERICAN BOARD IN OREGON Established in 1836 by Drs. Whitman and Spalding— The Ashburton treaty — Diplomatic correspondence— Con- ditions that prevailed in the Missions of the American Board, 222-234 CHAPTER X MISSIONS OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AND THE MISSIONS OF THE AMERICAN BOARD IN OREGON COMPARED Emigration of 1842— Appointment of Dr. White sub- Indian agent for Oregon— Letter of Rev. W. H. Lee — Erroneous statements answered and false claims refuted— Facts about Jason Lee's Mission and coloni- zation work were published very extensively, - - 235-268 CHAPTER XI OREGON, THE OLD AND THE NEW Oregon— Washington— Idaho— Montana— British Colum- bia — Their scenic conditions — Resources — Geograph- ical and Commercial importance, etc., - - - - 269-290 CHAPTER XII ALASKA Facts about the discovery — purchase — extent — Great wealth — Variety and vastness of Resources — Climatic conditions and rapid development of this great Northland, etc., 291-309 APPENDIX Important letters and communications, - . . . 310-316 ILLUSTRATIONS Rev. Jason Lee, Frontispiece Facing Page Rev. a. Atwood, 4 Mr. Geo. Catlin, Flathead Indian, Hee-oh-ks-te-kin, h'co-a-h-co-ah-coates-min, 20 Generals Lewis and Clark, Rev. Wilbur Fisk, D. D., REV. Nathan Bangs, D. D., 26 Excerpt from the Diary of Jason Lee. Written in 1834. 38 Forts Vancouver and Walla Walla, - - - - 40 W^iLLAMETTE Falls, Willamette Plains, - - - 42 Mission House — Willamette, Wascopam, - ... 44 Mrs. Anna M. Lee, Prof. F. H. Grubbs, Mrs. F. H. Grubbs, Rev. Daniel Lee, Mrs. Daniel Lee, Rev. W. H. Lee, 86 Rev. David Leslie, Rev. A. F. Waller, Mrs. S. R. Beggs, Hon. George Abernethy, 88 Dr. John P. Richmond, Mrs. America Richmond, Dr. Oregon Richmond, Mr. Francis Richmond, - - no Capt. Charles Wilkes, Slugamus Koquilton, Meth- odist Episcopal Mission House, Nisqually, - - 120 Hon. R. L. McCormick, Prof. W. H. Gilstrap, Com- memorative Monument, 122 Grounds Where Celebration was Held, - - - 124 13 14 Illustrations Facing Page Fort Nisquai.i,y in 1843, Methodist Episcopai, Church Near NIS2UAI.I.Y, .----.. 126 Crossing North Pi^atte, South Pass, - - - - 138 Dr. John McLoughlin, Dr. W. F. Toi^mie, Sir James DouGi^ASS, Mr. Edward Huggins, - - - - 162 Church, Oregon City ; Lee Mission Cemetery, - - 166 Oregon Institute, Jason Lee's Residence, - - - 168 Rev. Gustavus Hines, Rev. H. K. Hines, D. D., Rev. A. J. Josi^YN, Hon. C. B. Bagi^ey, 220 Map of the Originai, Oregon Country, - - - 270 Hon. W. H. Seward, 292 Unci,e Sam's Most Northern Schooi,-House, - - 304 Bishop J. W. Hamilton and Others, 306 THE CONQUERORS CHAPTER I Beginning of Missionary Work in Oregon, and the Causes that Led Up to It The; events that preceded and led up to the estab- lishment of the American mission settlements in Oregon were as follows : The Indians who inhabited the east- ern part of the Oregon country had learned from the trappers, the traders, and the explorers who had passed through their settlements, that beyond the confines of their own land and east of the great mountains that marked the outline of their plains, their forests, and their inland seas, there lived a people whose knowledge of God made them great and good ; that this people who lived in the land far away had in their possession the Book of Heaven, and that it contained information of very great importance about God, about themselves, about sin and its destructive consequences, and about heaven, and that if they would know the truth about these things they must secure this Book and learn and practice its teachings. From these Indian people sitting in the shadows of a pagan night, to whom had come a gleam of light and hope, there came a cry for help. The sound was weird and majestic, like the echo of a distant waterfall. It was earnest, practical, pathetic, and had in it a sacredness and an eloquence that was Christlike and sublime. They wanted to know about God, the Great Spirit ; 2 17 18 The Conquerors their duty to Him; how to approach Him and secure His favor and enjoy His blessing. They had seen His signature written in letters of golden light upon the archways of the sky. They saw His glory shining out from the stars that are set as jewels in the crown of the night. They had heard His voice in the wind, and listened to the echo of His footfall in the earth- quake. They recognized His power in the thunder. They saw His goodness reflected in the sunbeams, mirrored in the seas, and photographed upon the brow of Nature everywhere. They wanted to know about the Bible, God's Book, the Book of Heaven, and about the great after-life beyond. They wanted teachers to come among them and turn the feet of their people into the pathways that would lead them Godward. In 1832, up among the plains and hills whence come the waters of the Columbia (known also as the Oregon) and its tributaries, the chiefs and representatives of the Indian tribes who inhabited that region met in council. Their coming together was grand in its conception and purpose. From the beautiful hills and valleys, the sunny skies, the running brooks and charming water- falls of their own home land, they turned their thoughts to God in reverent and sublime contemplation. They decided to send four of their number as messengers to the white settlements beyond the mountains to secure information and help. St. Louis at that time was but a little hamlet on the frontier, a resort for traders and trappers. To this place the messengers came. They had heard of a strange star in the East, and like the Magi of the olden time, had come to inquire where they might find Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write. They appealed to General William Clark, who had, a quarter Settlement of the Oregon Country 19 of a century before, with General Meriweather Lewis, passed through the country where these messengers lived. A book entitled, "The North American Indians," was published in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1903, by John Grant, consisting of letters and notes of the travels and ex- periences of Mr. George Catlin among the Indians of North America from 1832 to 1839. Mr. Catlin was a skillful artist and painted the faces of many of the prominent tribesmen with whom he met in his long and extensive travels among the Indians. We quote from the one hundred and twenty-fourth page of the second volume of this interesting publication : FLATHEADS. These are a very numerous people inhabiting the shores of the Columbia River and a vast tract of country lying to the south of it. The name "Flathead" was applied to many tribes of Indians who inhabited the Pacific coast, and was given be- cause of a custom that prevailed among them of flattening the heads of their children by strapping them to a board and holding them as if in a vise; this process was continued until the heads presented the deformed appearance seen in the picture. The Nez Perces inhabited the upper waters and mountainous parts of the Columbia.^ 1 The names of the two Indian messengers are given in the exact form that they appear in Mr. Catlin's book. Hee-oh-ks-te-kin (the rabbit skin leggins) and H'co-a-h-co-ah-cotcs-min (no horns on his head) are young men of this tribe. These two young men, when I painted them, were in beautiful Sioux dresses, which had been presented to them by the Sioux, who had treated them very kindly while passing through the Sioux country. These two men were a part of a delegation that came across the Rocky Mountains to St. Louis, a few years since, to inquire for the truth of a representation, which they said some white man had made amongst them, " that our religion was better than theirs, and that they would be lost if they did not embrace it." Two old and venerable men of this party died in St. Louis, and I traveled two thousand miles, companion of these two young fel- lows, towards their own country, and became much pleased with their manner and dispositions. The last mentioned of the two died near the mouth of the Yellow Stone River on his way home, and the other one, I have since learned, arrived safely amongst 20 The Conquerors An exploring expedition, under the leadership of Gen- eral Meriweather Lewis and General William Clark, was sent overland to the Pacific coast by the United States Government in 1805. They reached the mouth of the Columbia River, November 14th of that year. They es- tablished winter quarters at Clatsop, where they remained until March 23, 1806, when they started homeward over the same route by which they came. It is possible that the journey of many moons made by the Indians in their effort to find the Book of Heaven Avas brought about in some measure by the expedition of Lewis and Clark. General Clark was a Catholic, a religious man, and observed the ceremonial rites of his Church. His company, in going West and on their re- turn East, camped in the country inhabited by the In- dian tribes who in the after years sent their representa- tives to St. Louis. They were cognizant of the acts of worship and religious ceremonies observed by this band of explorers. They may have participated to some extent in them. There is no doubt but that a deep and lasting inipres- his friends, conveying to them the melancholy intelligence of the deaths of all the rest of the party ; but assurances at the same time were given them from General Clark and many reverend gentlemen that the report that they had heard was well founded, and that missionaries, good and religious men, would soon come amongst them to teach this religion, so that they could all understand it and have the bene- fits of it. When I first heard the report of the object of this extraordinary mission across the mountains I could scarcely believe it, but on conversing with General Clark, on a future occasion, I was fully convinced of the facts, and 1, like thousands of others, have had the satisfaction of witnessing the complete success that has crowned the bold and daring exertions of Mr. Lee and Mr. Spalding, two reverend gentlemen who have answered in a Christian manner to this unprecedented call, and triumphantly proved to the world that the Indians, in their native wilds, are a kind and friendly people, and susceptible to mental improvement. I have seen the Rev. Mr. Lee and the Rev. Mr. Spalding, and I am fully con- vinced of the complete success of the work of these excellent and persevering gentlemen. MK. GEO. CATLIX. FLATHEAD INDIAN. HEE-OH-KS-TE-KIN HCO-A-H-CO-AH-COATES-MIN. Settlement of the Oregon Country 21 sion was made upon their minds by the presence of these men and the observance of their forms of worship. Rev. George F. Whitworth, D. D., of the Presby- terian Church, who is famihar with the history of the religious work done among the Ncz Perces, says, "The four Indians who went to St. Louis were Nez Perces." He refers to a letter written by Miss McBeth, a mis- sionary at Lapwa?, Idaho, which greatly strengthens his own view of this matter. The letter is as follows : Some time after Lewis and Clark left here, the Nez Perces heard from some source about God, and very soon the Sun Pole was set up near Walla Walla. They recalled the upward gestures of Lewis and Clark, saying, "Now we know what they meant. The sun is called God." Years passed on, and in their groping they added more ceremonies to their worship, but still their hearts were not satisfied, and their annual councils were closed with these words, "If we could find the path of Lewis and Clark, they would tell us the truth about God and the Book the white man has from heaven." At last they decided to go, and two Indians from the Kamiah community were chosen. A third was from a Salmon River band of Nez Perces. Their road led them through the Flathead country, and they were joined by a half-and-half Flathead and Nez Perces. These are the four men who went to St. Louis. Not a Nez Perces, old or young, but that has heard of their fathers going out to find the truth or the light. The appeal they made touched the hearts of Christian people everywhere. The pulpit and the press of the Methodist Episcopal Church urged that the call be answered promptly.^ An Important Letter. The Christian Advocate and Journal, New York, the leading official organ of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 2 The Nez Perces are a branch of the Flathead Indian family. They did not conform rigidly to the custom of flattening the head. They possess greater vigor of body and mind than any of the tribes that occupied the Oregon country, and have not succumbed as readily and rapidly to the ravages of disease and death. 22 The Conquerors in its issue of March i, 1833. publishes a letter written by Mr. William Walker to Mr. G. P. Disosway. Mr. Walker was the agent and interpreter in the Wyandot Indian Mission. We give herewith a few extracts from this important letter: Immediately after we landed in St. Louis, I proceeded to Gen. Clark's superintendent of Indian affairs to present our letters of introduction from the Secretary of War. While in his office and transacting business with him, he informed me that three chiefs from the Flathead Nation, west of the Rocky Mountains, were at his house and were sick, and that one, the fourth, had died a few days ago. Never having seen any of these Indians, but often heard of them, I was prompted to step into an adjoining room to see them. I was struck with their appearance. They differ from any Indians I have ever seen; small, delicately formed, and the most exact symmetry. The distance they had traveled on foot was nearly three thousand miles. They said they had come to see General Clark, their great father, upon very important business. General Clark related to me the object of their mission, and, my dear friend, it is impossible for me to describe my feelings while listening to his narrative. I will relate it briefly: Some white men had passed through their country and witnessed their religious ceremonies, that they scrupulously perform.ed at stated periods. He informed them that their mode of worship was radically wrong, and, instead of being acceptable, it was displeasing to the Great Spirit. He also informed them that the white people, away over toward the rising sun, had the true mode of worship- ing God, that they had a Book containing directions so that they could hold converse with Him, and all who would follow the directions given in this Book would enjoy His favor in this life and, after death, would be received into the country where the Great Spirit resides and live forever. Upon receiving this information, they called a national council to take the subject into consideration. Some said: "If this be true, we must know more about it ; it is a matter that can not be put off." They accordingly deputed four of their chiefs to proceed to St. Louis to see their great father, General Clark, and learn the whole Settlement of the Oregon Country 23 truth about it. General Clark, being sensible of his responsi- bility, gave them a history of man, from his creation down to the advent of the Savior; explained to them the moral precepts contained in the Bible; informed them about the Savior, His life, His death, resurrection, ascension, and the relation He bears to man as a Mediator — that He would judge the world, etc. . . . Poor fellows, the change of climate and of diet operated very seriously upon their health. . . , How dense their night and dark their day. They sought for light to guide their way Through life, and to the great beyond. They traveled far to find the Book That bade them to the Savior look For help and hope and heaven. He-oh-ks-te-kin, upon his departtire from St. Louis, made a speech of remarkable beauty and tenderness. Dr. H. K. Hines, in his book, "Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest," gives the text of this address, from which we take a few excerpts: We come to you over a trail of many moons from the setting sun. . . . We come to you with our eyes partly opened for more light for our people, who sit in darkness. . . . We made our way to you with strong arms, through many enemies and strange lands. . . . The two fathers who came with us — the braves of many winters — we leave here asleep by your great wigwam. They were tired in their journey of many moons, and their moccasins were worn out. Our people sent us to get the white man's Book of Heaven. . . . You have made our feet heavy with burdens of gifts, and our moccasins will grow old with carrying them, but the Book is not among them. We are going back over the long, sad trail to our people. When we tell them in our big council, after one more snow, that we did not bring the Book, no word will be spoken by our old men, nor by our young braves. One by one they will rise up and go out in silence. Our people will die in darkness, and they will go on the long path to other hunting grounds. No white man will go with them, and no Book of Heaven to make the way plain. We have no more words — Farewell. 24 The Conquerors This was a wonderful speech — weird, pathetic, elo- quent, and sublime. Dr. Hines says : "There is a sad, wild pathos in that speech. As soon as the words had fallen from the lips of the speaker, these red men turned away westward, toward their homes." Was this mission of these children of the moun- tains a failure? To them individually, Yes. But to the American Church, to the Pacific coast, and to Meth- odism, No. A few months after the departure of these Indians, their story was published in the newspapers and was read in all the cities and villages of the land. Its publication in the Christian Advocate and Journal thrilled the heart of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal Church as it never had been thrilled before. The communication from Mr. Walker is followed, in the next column of the same paper and date, with an article by Mr. G. P. Disosway, from which we give a few excerpts: How deeply affecting is the circumstance of the four native chiefs traveling on foot three thousand miles, sincere searchers after truth ! The story has scarcely a parallel in history. . . . With what intense concern will men of God, whose souls are fired with holy zeal for the salvation of their fellow-men, read of their journey. . . . They are not ignorant of the immortality of their souls, and speak of a great country where departed spirits rest. May we not indulge the hope that the day is not far distant when missionaries will penetrate these wilds, where the Sabbath bell has never yet tolled since the world began? . . . Let the Church awake from her slumbers and go forth in her strength and labor for the salvation of these wandering children of the forest. We are citizens of this vast universe, and our life embraces not merely a moment but eternity itself. Thus exalted, what can be more worthy of our high destination than to be- friend our species and assist them in the efforts they arc putting Settlement of the Oregon Country 25 forth to free themselves from the chains of error and super- stition, and bring them to the knowledge of the true God? New York, February i8, 1833. G. P. D. The following is a verbatim copy of the appeal of Rev. Wilbur Fisk, D. D., as it appeared in the Christian Advocate and Journal, and in Zion's Herald, IMarch 22, 1833: A GREAT PROCLAMATION. MISSIONARY INTELLIGENCE. HEAR! HEAR! Who will respond to the call from beyond the Rocky Moun- tains? Messrs. Editors, — The communication of Brother G. P. Dissosway, including one from the Wyandot agent, on the subject of the deputation of the Flathead Indians to General Clark, has excited in many in this section intense interest. We are for having a mission established there at once. I have proposed the following plan: Let two suitable men, un- encumbered with families, and possessing the spirit of the martyrs, throw themselves into the nation, live with them, learn their language, preach Christ to them, and, as the way opens, introduce schools, agriculture, and the arts of civilized life. The means for these improvements can be introduced through the fur traders, and by reinforcements with which from time to time we can strengthen the mission. Money shall be forthcoming. I will be bondsman for the Church. All we want is the men. Who will go? Who? I know one young man who, I think, will go, and of whom I can say, I know of none like him for the enterprise. If he will go (and I have written to him on the subject), we only want another, and the mission will be commenced the coming season. Were I young and unencumbered, how joyfully would I go! But this honor is reserved for another. Bright will be his crown. Glorious his reward. Affectionately yours, W. FiSK. Wesleyan University, March 9, 1833. Rev. Nathan Bangs, D. D., was the corresponding secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 26 The Conquerors Rev. Wilbur Fisk, D. D., was the president of Wil- braham College. Mr. G. P. Disosway was born in New York City, December 6, 1798. For many years he was a suc- cessful drygoods merchant. He possessed fine literary ability and was an extensive writer. He was at one time a prominent officer of the Missionary, the Sunday- school, and the Tract Societies of the Methodist Epis- copal Church. He was regarded by Drs. Fisk, Bangs, Olin, Jason Lee, and others, as the father of the mis- sion to the Flathead Indians. This fact was referred to at his funeral service and also in the obituary notice of him that appeared in the Christian Advocate and Journal, July 30, 1868. He died July 10, 1868. The money contributed by Mr. Disosway to the cause of missions led to the formation of the Missionary So- ciety of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1819. He was not only the father of the Oregon Mission, but of the Missionary Society itself. A large number of letters and communications ap- pear in the Christian Advocate and Journal immediately following the publication of the articles referred to; they embrace different dates and came from sundry places and persons. All of the writers commended the effort to establish a mission in Oregon, and some of the letters contained a remittance to assist in beginning the work. The following is from the Christian Advocate and Journal of May 10, 1833: THE FLATHEAD INDIANS. St. Louis, Mo., April i6th. DF.AR Brethren: The comniunicalion respecting the Flathead Indians, which appeared in your paper, and the call of Dr. Fisk, excited con- siderable attention. Settlement of the Oregon Country 27 General Clark informed me that the publication which ap- peared in the Advocate was correct, and that the cause of the visit of the Indians was: Two of their number had received an education at some Jesuitical school in Montreal, Canada, and had returned to the tribe and endeavored, so far as possible, to instruct their brethren how the whites approached the Great Spirit. A spirit of inquiry was aroused, a deputation was appointed, and a tedious journey of three thousand miles was performed to learn for themselves of Jesus and Him crucified. . . . Yours as ever, E. W. SKhon. A very interesting and lengthy article, bearing date, December 13, 1833, appeared in the Christian Advocate and Journal under the caption, "Mission to the Flathead Indians." The chief points are as follows : ist. Visit of Jason Lee to Boston, accompanied by Dr. Fisk. 2d. Meets Captain Wyeth at Cambridge, lately returned from the Columbia River, with two natives from the Flathead tribes, one a boy of fourteen (half-breed), the other an Indian boy of twenty. 3d. Missionary meeting at P.romfield Church; sermon by Dr. Fisk, address by Captain Wyeth and Jason Lee. 4th. Another missionary meeting (Sunday), "intense inter- est." Sermon by Dr. Fisk; address by Jason Lee. The two Indian boys were presented. The following is copied from the records of the Mis- sionary Society in New York: Green Street, March 20, 1833. Communication from Rev. Wilbur Fisk in relation to a mission to the Flathead Indians. After some conversation, it was : Resolved, That the cor- responding secretary be requested to correspond with the bishop on the subject and also to open a correspondence with General Clark, the Indian agent, and with any other person he may judge expedient in relation to said mission. Wednesday, April 17, 1833. 28 The Conquerors The corresponding secretary reported that he had had an interview with Bishop Emory, who stated that he had seen Mr, Raub, of the War Department, in re- gard to the Flathead Indians, and that a correspondence had been opened up with General Clark on the subject. On motion of Rev. Nathan Bangs, the following reso- lutions were passed : Whereas, A providential opening appears to be presented for the establishment of a mission among the Flathead Indians west of the Rocky Mountains, and Whereas, Several young men have ofifered their services for this work, and money has been pledged for their support; there- fore. Resolved, That this board earnestly and respectfully request the bishops to adopt such measures as they see fit for the speedy establishment of an aboriginal mission west of the Rocky Moun- tains, at such place, or places, as they shall think proper to select. May 4, 1833. A special meeting of the board was held. Rev. Samuel Merwin presided. Dr. Ruter, of Pittsburg, opened with prayer, after which highly interesting letters were read from sundry persons in St. Louis in relation to the Flathead Indians who had recently visited that place. July 17, 1833- The treasurer reported having received a letter from Bishop Hedding announcing the appointment of Rev. Jason Lee as superintendent of the mission among the Flathead Indians. Two associates were appointed, viz.. Rev. Daniel Lee, a nephew of the superintendent, and Cyrus Shepard. Before Mr. Lee started upon his journey across the continent, the names of Mr. P. L. Edwards and a Mr. Walker were added to the company. These were the vanguard of missionaries who came to Oregon. Mr. Lee was admitted into the New England Con- Settlement of the Oregon Country 29 ference at its session in 1833, and ordained deacon and elder, and received from the bishop the official desig- nation of "Missionary to the Flathead Indians." The following fall and winter he traveled south in the in- terest of his work. He visited Washington with a view to securing the endorsement of the Government to his contemplated settlement in Oregon. This was necessary for the reason that, under the treaty of "Joint Occupancy," the country was open alike to settlement by the citizens of the United States and of Great Britain, therefore he needed the permit of the Government to shield him from interference from those who might be hostile to him and his work. Hence he secured the endorsement of the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of War. — "Missionary History of the Pacific North- zc'cst," by Dr. H. K. Hincs. Mr. Lee seems to have had an adequate conception of the greatness of the Oregon country, and of the importance of his work. Before leaving the Atlantic Coast, he visited Wash- ington and interviewed the President, to whom he unfolded his plans and from whom he secured executive endorsement and promise of assistance. — From address of Hon. Allen Weir, at the Jason Lee Memorial Service held in Salem, Oregon, June 15, 1906. He thus entered upon his work backed, not only by the authority of what he believed to be a divine com- mission and by appointment of the Missionary Society of the Alethodist Episcopal Church, but also with the consent and co-operation of the United States Govern- ment, made in such manner as to give the stamp of its authority and approval to him and to his work. The Government thereby assumed a measure of responsibility in this transaction and entered into a kind of co-partner- ship with him in his effort for the evangelization and colonization of Oregon. In January, 1834, the Mission- ary Board gave its sanction to the arrangements made by Mr. Lee with Captain Nathaniel Wyeth, of Boston, 30 The Conquerors who had visited the Columbia River the preceding year, and was preparing to dispatch a vessel to that river, and in the spring would lead a party overland to the same point. This was regarded as a providential oppor- tunity to ship the outfit designed for the establishment of the mission. These goods were forwarded in Cap- tain Wyeth's brig, the Maydacre, and it was determined that Mr. Lee and his helperss should accompany the over- land expedition in the spring. We give herewith a brief statement of some of the many missionary meetings held by Jason Lee, and the amount of the offerings contributed by the people at these gatherings for the founding of an American missionary colony in Oregon, as reported in the Christian Advocate and Journal of that period : New Haven, Conn. — Missionary meeting, held in this city No- vember 10, 1833; offering, $422.71. Forsyth Church, New York, November 20, 1833. — Meeting of intense interest; offering, $159.68. Syracuse, N. Y., November 22, 1833. — Offering, $50. This was a Presbyterian Church ; the pastor's name was J. W. Adams. Boston. — Missionary meeting in Bromfield Church, Decem- ber 13, 1833; offering, $210. Washington, D. C, March 21, 1834. — Offering, $52.02. Samuel Dickinson, of Louisville, Ky., under date of March 28, 1834, writes: "Rev. Jason Lee arrived in this city March 22d; Tuesday evening following a great missionary meeting was held; on the platform were Methodists and Presbyterians. A collec- tion was taken." October 10, 1833, the missionaries met in New York for conference with the Missionary Board and final preparation for their work. The Board appropriated $3,000 for the outfitting of the mission, and arrangements were made for the early de- parture of the missionaries. A farewell missionary meeting was held in Forsyth Street Church in New York, November 20, 1833, at which Bishop Hedding presided, and Dr. Bangs, corresponding secretary of the Missionary Society, and Dr. McAuley, of the American Board Settlement of the Oregon Country 31 of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and several others made addresses. From the Pittsburg Journal, and republished in the Christian Advocate and Journal, April i8, 1834: On last Sabbath our friends in this city were favored with Ibc ministerial services of Rev. Jason Lee, on his way to tlie I'lathcad Indians on tlie other side of the Rocky Mountains. . . . His colleague remained at Alexandria for ordination. He will join Mr. Lee at Cincinnati. ... On Tuesday evening, the nth inst., a large audience assembled in the Methodist Church to hear Mr. Lee. Rev. C. H. Caston took the chair. . . . Rev. Jason Lee addressed the audience for over one hour with great effect. A collection of one hundred and twenty dollars was taken. Notices of missionary meetings and of collections taken for the Flathead Mission in Oreja^on are found in almost every issue of the Advocate, and in some of them several such notices appear : FLATHEAD MISSIONARIES. Revs. Jason and Daniel Lee left the city of New York on the 29th inst. on their way to St. Louis, preparatory to their journey over the Rocky Mountains. They will spend next Sabbath in Philadelphia, the Sabbath after in Baltimore, and the following Sabbath in Washington. In each of these places they will hold meetings and take collections for the benefit of the Flathead Mission, in conformity to the instruction of the Board of Managers of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On leaving the city of Washington, they will proceed on their way West, stopping at all important places, and present the claims of the Mission. — Christian Advocate and Journal, January, 21, 1834. FLATHEAD MISSION. In issue of February 21, 1834, under the above caption, is published a letter from Jason Lee, dated Philadelphia, February 8, 1834. He speaks of the liberal offerings of the people, and 32 The Conquerors "the strongly indicated providence of God, that had marked the development of his missionary enterprise from its commence- ment," and says : "We have made arrangements to cross the mountains with Captain Wyeth, whose company will consist of about fifty persons. . . . <=xi-^^— C The following excerpt is from a letter written by Cyrus Shepard, "On Board the steamer lozvay, ascend- ing the Missouri River, April lo, 1834," and published in the Christian Advocate and Journal, June 20, 1834: The Lord has graciously given us favor with our friends in the West, so that at every place where we have called we have received the most cordial and hearty welcome, been entertained freely, and have received liberal contributions from the people for the support of the mission. ... At Cincinnati we were favored with the society of Bro. James B. Finley. ... At Louisville and St. Louis we were received in the arms of Christian affection. . . . Yours in Christian affection, Cyrus Shepard. Zion's Herald contains a large amount of valuable information touching the work of Jason Lee. We give herewith a few references to this subject found in its columns, with date of publication : In issue of April 3, 1833, is an article entitled, "Flat- head Indians," containing extracts from and comments on the letter of Mr. William Walker, previously referred to in these pages. In issue of May i, 1833, are two communications in response to the above article and an announcement of the formation of a society, the object of which was to aid Jason Lee in his work in the Oregon Mission. In issue of May 8, 1833, there appears an important Settlement of the Oregon Country 33 letter from Rev. Wilbur Fisk, and that of May 22d contains an article written by A, McAllister, of St. Louis, touching the Oregon Mission. Issues of June 19, July 3, 24, and 31, 1833, con- tain facts and items of interest and importance about the preparation that was being made for the establish- ment of the mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon. Issue of August 7th has an article taken from the New York Observer, also a letter to Wilbur Fisk, signed "X X New London," each of them referring to matters of interest connected with the Oregon Mission. Also a letter to Mr. G. P. Disosway, containing an offer of two thousand dollars for mission work in Oregon. Issues of August 21st and 28th contain acknowledg- ments of contributions received for Mr. Lee's mission work. In issue of November 13th, an article is copied from the New York Observer, which refers to the effort of the Methodist Episcopal Church to establish a mission in Oregon, and the writer makes a contribution of money to this work. Issue of December 4, 1833, gives an account of a visit of Rev. Jason Lee to Boston on the eve of his departure for the West. A great missionary meeting was held in Bromfield Street Church ; many questions were asked about the Oregon country, and were answered by Captain Nathaniel Wyeth. A liberal contribution was made to the Oregon Mission. Issue of December 18, 1833, contains an article en- titled, "Missionary Meetings," and embraces an account of large and enthusiastic meetings held at New Haven and another at Lynn, addressed by Jason Lee. The con- tributions aggregated $572.71. 3 34 The Conquerors The paper of the same date reproduces an article from the New York Observer, under the caption, "Ore- gon Expedition," with extracts from a letter of John Ball, in which reference is madeto Captain Wyeth, to Jason Lee, and to the mission the Methodist Episcopal Church was about to establish in Oregon. The writer gives a graphic description of the Oregon country, its geographical formation, climate, character of soil, its location, and its political and commercial importance as a part of the territory of the United States. Issue of January i, 1834, contains a second letter from Mr. Ball on the "Oregon Expedition," copied from the New York Observer. On January 8th is published a third letter from Mr. Ball on the "Oregon Expedition." It is copied from the New York Commercial Advertiser. Issue of January 22d contains an account of ser- mons and addresses delivered by Rev. Jason Lee at Charlestown, Mass., and other points. Paper of January 29th publishes acknowledgments of moneys received for the Oregon missionary move- ment. Issues of March 26th and of the following week give an interesting account of Jason Lee's work in be- half of the Oregon Mission, in Pittsburg, Pa., and Louisville, Ky. ; of the contributions taken, and of the great interest and enthusiasm manifested. May 21, 1834; issue of this date describes a great missionary meeting held in St. Louis, addressed by Revs. Jason and Daniel Lee. The service was held in the Methodist Church. A large congregation was present. Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Howell, of the Epis- copal Church ; address by Rev. Jason Lee, of which the writer says: Settlement of the Oregon Country 35 In a most forcible manner he advocated the cause of mis- sions. . . . He gave a history of the origin of this mission and his call to the same. . . . The deepest interest was felt during his address. . . ." Daniel Lee was the next speaker. "He failed not to gain every eye and affect every heart. He said this is a very interesting meeting, and no doubt deemed such by all present, but particularly so by himself, when he remem- bered that he stood upon the verge of civilization and that this was the last time for years, perhaps forever, that he should stand within walls like these and worship God with his brethren. He told of the farewell scene between his father and himself, and referred to the death of the two Indians in the city while on a visit to General Clark and said, if their graves could be pointed out, he would go there and on his knees beg the God of missions to aid them in their great undertaking. He then asked the prayers of the congregation and bade them farewell." Rev. Mr. Botts, of the Presbyterian Church, made an elo- quent address and very touchingly referred to the visit of the Flathead Indians to General Clark's Indian Agency. Rev. Mr. Hatfield, of the Presbyterian Church, was the last speaker. A collection was taken, and prayer was offered by Rev. John Mitchell, of the Illinois Conference. The closing paragraph of this long and important letter is as follows : "Brother Lee wished an agent appointed in this city by the Missionary Board, who should act as a medium of corre- spondence and transact here the general business of the mission. This is very important. We spoke to Rev. J. Tabor, a local preacher of this city, and we heartily recommend him as a suitable person for such an office. I hope that the appoint- ment may be made. Brother Lee will write you from Liberty." This communication is signed by E. W. Sehon. In issue of June i8, 1834, is published an interest- ing letter from Jason Lee, and in issue of September 24th a communication from Cyrus Shepard, each of which give important facts associated with this great missionary movement. CHAPTER II On the Oregon Trail On the way across the plains and over the moiintin trails, Jason Lee wrote several letters to the Missionary- Society. They are written under the heading, "Flat- head Mission," and are directed "To the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church." These letters describe the journey and show the in- tense interest of the writer in the great missionary work upon which he had entered. They are lengthy and in- teresting ; one of them is dated "Rocky Mountains, July I, 1834," and contains much memoranda bearing dif- ferent dates, and was published in the Christian Advo- cate and Journal, September 26, 1834: Mr. Lee and his party left Independence, on the Missouri frontier, on the last day of April, 1834. They traveled with Captain Wyeth and his band of trappers and traders, numbering about two hundred men. Once beyond the pale of civilization, these men were a law unto themselves. They were bold and reckless and chafed under the restraints of civilized life. Threats of violence to the missionaries had been made. Mr. Lee had been advised of this by Captain Wyeth. He thanked the Captain for the information, but said that "he feared no man, and had no apprehension of difficulty." He sought an introduction to those who had threatened him. He talked to them about the different phases of their mountain life. He so won their respect that thereafter they were ready to serve him in any way in their power. 36 Settlement of the Oregon Country 37 Mr. Townshand, a scientific gentleman traveling with the expedition, says of Mr. Lee, in his own journal: Mr. Lee is a great favorite with the men — deservedly so, and there are probably few persons to whose preaching they would have listened with so much pleasure. I have been amused and pleased with Mr. Lee's manner of reproving them for their carelessness and profanity of expression. The reproof, though decided, clear, and strong, is always characterized by the mild- ness and affectionate manner peculiar to the man, and although the good effect of the advice was not always discernible, yet it is always treated with respect and its utility is acknowledged. — "Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest," page 71. Mr. Lee reached the summit ridge of the Rocky- Mountains June 15th. Here the misssionaries changed their companionship and associated themselves with the company of Mr. T. McKay, with whom there were a number of Indians from the Columbia River region. When they learned who the missionaries were and what was their purpose in the country, they presented Mr. Lee with two fine horses, and expressed much gratifi- cation that there was a prospect of his stopping per- manently in the country. "The bark that bore Caesar and his fortunes bore not half so momentous a burden as did the beast that bore Jason Lee on his mission to Oregon." — Dr. H. K. Mines. First Religious Services. The first religious services west of the Rockies, con- ducted by Rev. Jason Lee, were held at Fort Hall, in latitude 43° 14' north and longitude 112° 30' west, on the south bank of the Lewis, or the Snake River, in what is now Southwestern Idaho, July 27, 1834. Mr. Lee, in his journal, says : We repaired to the grove about half past three o'clock for public worship. I did not attempt to preach, but gave a short (^ :i IJ s' ^ '■0 38 The Conquerors exhortation from i Cor. x, 31 : "Whether, therefore, yet eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." In the evening two of Mr. McKay's men ran a horse race; one of the men was thrown from the horse and killed. The next day, Monday, Mr. McKay asked me to conduct a funeral service. I attended at twelve o'clock, read the 90th Psalm, prayed, and then went to the grave, where I read a part of the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and also read the burial service as foimd in our Discipline. This was the first funeral service held west of the Rockies by an American clergyman. Mr. Lee preached twice at Fort Vancouver, Sep- tember 28, 1834. This was a cosmopolitan congrega- tion and consisted of Ainericans, English, Scotch, French, Irish, Japanese, Kanakas, half-breeds, and Indians. Among them were persons of the highest intelligence and others of the deepest ignorance. We give herewith a facsimile excerpt from Mr. Lee's diary, in which he refers to this service.^ October 19th he preached at the house of Mr. Ger- vais, near the present town of Gervais, from Ezekiel xxxiii, II, "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel." These were the first religious services held on the Pacific coast of North America under American auspices. They marked the beginning of the work that has been remarkable in the magnitude and significance of its results, not only in a religious, but in a civil and commercial sense as well. On the 14th day of December, 1834, Mr. Lee preached at Fort Vancouver, and baptized four adults and seven- teen children. No doubt these were the first persons 1 The service held at Fort H.iU was an incident in the journey of Mr. Lee to Oregon. That at Vancouver viras his first dchvcrance on the coast that he called a sermon. It was also the first service he held in the region of country where his mission was established. ^^ EXCERPT FROM THE DIARY OF JASON LEE. Written in 1834. Settlement of the Oregon Country 39 consecrated to the Lord in baptism in the Oregon coun- try. Mr. Lee was a great favorite with the people at the fort, as he also was with the French and half-castes near Gervais. They for the most part were Canadians and Catholics, yet his influence with them was very strongly marked, and continued as long as he remained in the country. The pioneer Methodist ministers and laymen who, under God, laid the foundations of empire in this land of the setting sun, builded better than they knew. They were men of heroic mold. They endured trials, made sacrifices, and braved dangers that, in the light of the changed conditions of the present, seem almost incred- ible. They not only blazed the pathway for the on- coming of Christian civilization, but they brought it with them ; they themselves were the founders and the ex- ponents of civilization in this new land. They incor- porated its principles in their own hearts and lives and, with voice and pen and themselves consecrated to their God-given work, they laid the foundations of individual, of social, civil, and religious liberty and life in Oregon. First in the order of his coming, and pre-eminently first in point of sanctified leadership, was Jason Lee. Strong in body and in mind, of princely mien and kingly birth, he and his compeers could claim a lineage that outranked that of earthborn royalty. They were the children of a King to whose reign there will be no end. In His name they set up their banners. The greatness and far-reaching benefits of the work of these stalwart men and women is seen in its effects in molding the character of the white population com- ing to these shores ; in the splendid citizenship they fos- tered and encouraged ; in the pure and elevated home life they inspired and exemplified ; in the institutions 40 The Conquerors they established — these were the outgrowth of their ex- ample, their teachings, and their efforts. They thus be- queathed to the people an inheritance of priceless worth. In addition to those who came to the coast with Jason Lee in 1834, Revs. David Leslie and H. K. W. Perkins came in 1837. These ministers, with their fami- lies, constituted the vanguard of the great missionary corps of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon, Associated with them were lay members of the Church, who, with their families, were sent out as physicians, teachers, tradesmen, mechanics, farmers, and laborers, whose services were needed to carry on the work at the several missionary stations. In the spring of 1837, Dr. Elijah White and wife, Alanson Beers and wife. Miss Anna M. Pittman, Miss Susan Downing, and Miss Elvira Johnson came as a reinforcement to the mission, and in the autumn of that j'car Miss Margaret Smith's name was added to the list. This year was marked by the coming of a large number of efficient helpers in the work at the mission stations. Mr. Lee's wisdom and forecast is indicated in a marked degree in his selection of the places where he established his mission stations. Salem, the center of the Willamette Valley, one of the most beautiful val- leys on the continent ; the Dalles, the key to the great inland empire ; Astoria, at the entrance of the Columbia ; Oregon City, contiguous to Portland ; Nisqually, on Puget Sound, practically the region now occupied by Tacoma. Every one of these places is a strategic point to reach and from which to touch the regions beyond. In the unfolding light of the years that have inter- vened, it is easy to see that it would have been impos- sible to have made better selections. ^ .-.a ^■=-J^i''llf[il;|,(l'|||l|i|:,'V Y - ]rrrr J—- / FORT VANCOUVER. FORT WALLA WALLA. Settlement of the Oregon Country 41 Dr. John McLoughlin, general manager of the Hud- son Bay Company, was a man of great candor and clear judgment. He suggested to Mr. Lee the importance of establishing a mission in the Willamette Valley, as the following note, found among his papers, will indi- cate: In 1834 Revs. Jason and Daniel Lee and Messrs. Walker and P. L. Edwards came, with Mr. Wycth, to establish a mission in the Flathead country. I observed to them that to do good among the Indians they must establish themselves where they could collect the Indians around them, teach them first to cultivate the ground and live more comfortably than they do by hunting, and, as they do this, teach them religion. That the Willamette afforded them a fine field, and that they ought to go there. They followed my advice and went to the Willamette. IVIr. Lee investigated this matter carefully before he selected the point near Salem as the licadquartcrs of his mission work on the Pacific coast, and, no doubt, as the result of the exercise of his own view of the case, yet it is pleasing to note that his judgment accorded with the opinion of Dr. McLoughlin. The control of these centers became factors of great influence and power, and before the close of 1840 Lee's army of occupation had taken such possession of them that the United States Government held the key to the permanent occupancy and control of the Pacific coast country. At the mission station on the Willamette three log houses were erected. The main building was twenty by thirty feet in size ; on the table in the mission room was a copy of the Bible, and on the wall over the fireplace was a copy of the Declaration of Independence. The Oregon of to-day was born and cradled in this house. The settlement thus established on the banks of the Willamette had a vigorous growth. In 1840 the swad- 42 The Conquerors dling clothes the child had worn were exchanged for garments of larger size and of American pattern, and in July, 1843, the youth of yesterday set up housekeeping for himself. The influence exerted by and through this mission settlement reached all parts of the United States and touched every phase of the Oregon question, and made the American conquest of Oregon inevitable. Regular Sunday and week-day services were held at the mission house. Special revival services, however, were held from time to time. One of the most notable meetings of this character had its beginning at a love- feast held Sunday morning, December 30, 1838. The services were in charge of Rev. David Leslie and Rev. H. K. W. Perkins. The attendants consisted for the most part of Indian youths and children of the mission school, many of whom declared their desire to give their hearts to God. Most of the pupils were converted before the series of services were closed. Many adults, white people and Indians, were also converted, and a great moral uplift was given to the settlement. Two men, formerly friends, but now deadly enemies, attended this meeting. Each of these mountaineers had sworn to take the life of the other. One of them was converted at the meetings. A mutual friend of these men had also been converted. He sought and secured the attendance of the third man in the case. He came and seated himself in a distant part of the room, among a motley group of whites, half-castes, Hawaiians, and Indians. He seemed to be troubled. Did it mean for- giveness for his foe, or revenge ? Who could tell ? Pres- ently he dropped upon his knees and began to pray. The missionaries pointed him to Christ, the Savior of 7 ^ ..- FALl.S OF THE WILLAMETTE. WILLAMETTE PLAINS. Settlement of the Oregon Country 43 men. An hour passed. When he arose, his late enemy was standing but a few feet away. The assembly was hushed into silence. As their eyes met, with tears and shouts they embraced each other and besought pardon for the wrongs they had inflicted the one upon the other. The Prince of Peace had changed their will And bade their troubled hearts be still. Thus by the kindly efforts of the missionaries and the blessed influence of the Gospel in transforming the lives of men, these mountaineers were saved from the destructive effects of their own misdeeds. We give a brief extract from a letter received by Mr. Lee at a little later date: WiLAMET, January 12, 1841. Dear Mr. LrEE: Having so far recovered my strength as to be able to ride to this place, ... I arrived in the same state of feeling as when you visited me. My mind was full of enmity against God and man. The world appeared to me a vast desert in which was nothing desirable. Life seemed a curse, and I had no hope beyond it. Although weary of skepticism, I felt no disposition to believe in God, or in His Word. . . . But through His mercy and the prayer of friends, my mind became powerfully exercised, and unbelief began to give way. I made an effort to believe in God. I called on His name, and soon found peace and love to Him and to all mankind, which I had never known before. Thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ for His mercy to sinners, of whom I am chief! Yours truly, Robert Shortess." 2 Th« statement of Jason Lee made in his report to the Missionary Board, as given elsewhere in these pages, touching the moral transformation that had taken place in Oregon, is abundantly corroborated by these and other facts of a kindred nature stated in this book. 44 The Conquerors A Great Work, Involving a Large; Expenditure; of Money. The undertaking and the plans outHned for mis- sionary work in Oregon were extraordinary. It re- quired a mighty faith at that period to project an en- terprise of such immense proportions, that embraced so many difficulties, and that demanded so large an expendi- ture of money. Dr. Nathan Bangs, the corresponding secretary of the Missionary Society, said: The projection of this important mission had a most happy- effect upon the missionary cause generally, as the funds of the society up to this time had not exceeded $i8,coo a year; and, as this mission must necessarily cost considerable, with a view to augment the pecuniary resources of the society, a loud call was made through the Christian Advocate and Journal to the friends of missions to come to our help in this emergency. The Messrs. Lee were ifistructed to travel as extensively as possible, hold missionary meetings, and take collections. The Flathead Mission, as it was called, possessed a charm around which clustered the warm affections of the friends of this great missionary enterprise, and special donations for the "Flatheads" were sent to the treasury with cheering liberality and avidity. Dr. H. K. Hines says of this statement of Dr. Bangs's : If this was true of the inception of the mission in 1834, it was true in a much larger sense in the great expansion of the work in 1839. So rapidly had it grown and so completely had it been fixed in the public mind, that it came to have the character of a national propagandism on the shores of the Pacific, as well as that of a religious evangelism among the Indians. That the public sentiment of the Methodists and of the people of the United States heartily approved of the action of the Missionary Society in establishing a mission in Oregon ; that they felt a deep and abiding FIRST MISSION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN OREGON, ESTABLISHED IN 1834. METHODIST MISSION AT THE DALLES. Settlement of the Oregon Country 45 interest in the work of Jason Lee and in the presenta- tion he made of the financial claims of his work ; that they gave him enthusiastic support in his efiforts to make his great missionary enterprise a success, is evident from the following facts: Not only did the people in large numbers attend upon his ministrations in the Churches whither he went, but the prompt response they made to his appeals for financial help was unprecedented in its liberality. In 1883, $17,097 were raised to sustain the missionary operations of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1834, under the inspiration given to the missionary movement in behalf of Oregon, and as the result of the work of Rev. Jason Lee, $35,700 were raised — more than double the amount of the preceding missionary year. In 1840, the receipts of the Missionary Society were $136,410.87. The: Cost oi^ Founding and Sustaining thb American Missionary Colony. The money expended by the Missionary Society in establishing the mission work of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon from 1834 to 1844, as given in the records of the Missionary Society in New York, was $173,365 for that period, and for that purpose this sum was one of colossal proportions. The raising of this money was made possible by the strong and convincing missionary appeals and the eloquent descriptions of Oregon made by Jason Lee. The use of these funds enabled missionaries to come to Oregon in large numbers. By it their transportation was secured, their equipment provided for, their food supplies purchased, and the American settlement estab- 46 The Conquerors lished and furnished with facilities for maintaining an independent American colony. It is a remarkable fact, and no doubt providential, that Jason Lee obtained access to the hearts of the mem- bership of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States to such an extent that he was enabled to raise large amounts of money with which to inaugurate and equip his great missionary enterprise, and closely inter- woven with this fact is another of equal importance; by the payment of this money, and the information and the conviction that had prompted the gifts, the donors were linked in bonds of interest and friendship to Oregon and the mission that their money, their prayers, and their efforts had helped to establish. Thus Mr. Lee, by his addresses and the publication of facts incident to his work, was creating public interest in behalf of Oregon that was of inestimable value in securing an American solution of the Oregon question. To be added to this in the cost of maintaining the mission was had in the products of the farm and in the increase and use of the stock. To be added to this in the cost of maintaining the American mission settlement, was the money put into it by the settlers who were not missionaries. While it is true that in many cases the early emigrants were moneyless, having exhausted their means in coming to the coast, and were assisted by the missionaries in estab- lishing their home life in Oregon, it is also true that many of them had a limited amount of money ; they had sold their farms, stock, and farming utensils, and used this in erecting houses and barns, and providing for their wants in such way as their means would allow and the primitive conditions of the country would permit. Zion's Herald, issue of January 18, 1837, contains Settlement of the Oregon Country 47 an account of a great missionary meeting held in McBen- nett Street Church, Boston, on the eve of the departure of a small reinforcement to Jason Lee's American mis- sionary settlement in Oregon. Revs. David Leslie and H. K, W. Perkins and Miss Margaret Smith addressed the meeting. Collection, $95. At Lynn, $50. June 14, 1837, is published a letter from Jason Lee, and July 19th a letter from Cyrus Shepard. August 2d contains an interesting article on the Oregon mission, November 27th has a long letter from Jason Lee, em- bracing two columns. It gives an account of the work, situation, and description of the country, needs of the mission, etc. Issue of December 27, 1837, contains a letter from Rev. David Leslie, in which he tells of their safe ar- rival at Honolulu and of the many kindnesses shown them by the missionaries of the American Board sta- tioned in the Hawaiian Islands. Mr. Lee Forms a Cattle Company. A meeting was called at the Methodist Mission for this purpose January 13, 1837. Mr. Lee furnished a draft for $500. Dr. McLoughlin gave valuable assistance to the move- ment and took shares in the stock. The men went down the coast in the brig Loriot. Eight hundred head of Mexican cattle were bought, at from $3 to $5 a head, and sixteen horses. About one hundred cattle were lost on the route from Mexico (California) to Oregon. Mr. P. L. Edwards and IVIr. Ewing Young had charge of the expedition. The mountains, the absence of roads, the great dis- tance, the attacks of Indians, the lack of facilities for their own protection, and the protection and care of 48 The Conquerors their cattle, made their work one of great hardship and peril. The wonder is that, with the several desultory attacks made upon them by the Indians, they escaped with their lives. The success of this expedition was an important milestone on the road to American su- premacy in Oregon. The Christian Advocate, June 9, 1837, has a letter from Jason Lee, dated January loth : Went to the lower part of our settlement to meet Wm. A. Slacum, an officer in the United States Navy, and Government agent. I went with him to the houses of all the settlers, and introduced him at the Mission House. He expressed great astonishment at what had been done in the settlement in an agricultural line, and the progress the children had made in speaking and reading English. The settlers have no neat cattle of their own, and the Hudson Bay Company refuses to sell. They have loaned us cows for milk, but to eat a piece of beef is out of the question. We are heartily tired of this state of things, and as it is not a difficult thing to bring cattle from California, we have resolved to form ourselves into a joint stock concern to effect our object. Our reason for embarking in this enterprise is . . . It is impossible to carry on an establishment of this kind successfully without cattle. . . . The party, consisting of eleven whites and two or three Indians, availed themselves of the kind offer of Mr. Slacum and will sail to-morrow on the Loriot, free of expense. . . . Mr. Slacum takes great interest in our mission. . . . The same issue contains a copy of ''articles of agreement entered into this 13th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1837." for the formation of the "Oregon Cattle Company ;" a list of the names of the subscribers, with amount of stock taken, follows. Settlement of the Oregon Country 49 When Mr. Lee came to Oregon in 1834, he and his party drove a number of cows and horses as far as Walla Walla. These were the first cattle brought across the Rocky Mountains, He exchanged them with the Hudson Bay Company at Walla Walla, the understand- ing being that the same number should be returned io him when he should establish his mission in the Wil- lamette Valley, or elsewhere west of the Cascade Moun- tains. Accordingly, Dr. McLoughlin, at Vancouver, supplied Mr. Lee with eight cows, and sent his men to assist in driving them to the mission station near Salem ; these were the first cattle and horses owned and used in the American settlement in Oregon. But this provision met the demand of the case for a short period only. Within two years thereafter they desired to enlarge their herd. The prairies of the Wil- lamette Valley, embracing an area of many thousands of acres, were covered with natural grasses. Cattle and horses relished it and soon became sleek and fat from eating it. As a food for stock it was of much greater value than any of the domestic grasses of the present day. These native grasses have disappeared ; like the wolves and the foxes, they could not stand the effect of civili- zation. Facts that Indicate the Great Ineeuence oe Jason Lee in Laying the Foundations oe Empire Oregon. Prominent among the many incidents that pointed to the mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church as the center of American influence in Oregon, and to Jason 4 50 The Conquerors Lee as its representative, is the case of ]\Ir. William A. Slacum, just referred to. He came up the coast in the brig Loriot. The vessel anchored at the mouth of the Willamette. He spent most of his time at the mission. He called on the people, took notes of their number and of the products of their lands and of the conditions that prevailed. He did all he could to encourage the settlers and to strengthen American sentiment in the country. Mr. Lee accompanied him and assisted him in mak- ing the investigation that had occasioned his visit, and placed in his hand a petition with a request from the mission settlement, urging that the Government of the United States extend protection over them. On the oc- casion of their last interview, he gave Mr. Lee a letter, from which we give a brief extract : American Brig Loriot, orr the Willamette, January i8, 1837. Rev. Jason Lee. My Dear Sir, — It was indeed a cause of regret that I could continue no longer at your mission on the banks of the Willamette, for the visit was to me one of exceedingly great interest. . . . As evidence of my good-will toward the laudable efforts you are making in this remote quarter, debarred of almost every comfort, deprived of the association of kindred and home, I beg you to accept herewith the sum of fifty dollars, only re- gretting that my means at present will not allow me to add more. I pray you to accept my assurance of unfeigned regard. Your friend and obedient servant, Wm. a. Slacum, U. S. N. Upon his return to Washington he made an exhaustive report. He also presented the memorial or petition en- trusted to his care, and urged attention to the request embraced in it. Settlement of the Oregon Country 51 The objective point in Mr. Slacum's official journey was the Methodist Mission in Oregon, and the man with whom he was to communicate was J ason Lee ; and the purpose of the Government in senchng him to the Pacific coast was to ascertain the conditions that prevailed in the missionary colony. This action was a recognition of the fact that this American settlement was the basis and controlling factor in establishing and maintaining the American claim to the ownership of the Oregon country. Note the following facts: 1st. Mr. Slacum came direct to the missionary settle- ment. 2d. He made examinations in line with his instruc- tions. 3d. He conferred with Jason Lee. 4th, He gave valuable assistance in securing cattle for the mission, and immediately thereafter left for Wash- ington. 5th. That this, and this only, was the object of his coming is clearly indicated in his report to the Govern- ment, extracts from which may be found elsewhere in these pages. 6th. The facts in the case show that upon the growth of the settlement and the success of the colonization features of the mission work hinged the American solu- tion of the Oregon question. Dr. John McLoughlin often gave expression to his esteem for Mr. Lee and appreciation for his work, as the following note will indicate : Fort Vancouver, March i, 1836. Rev. Jason Lee. Dear Sir, — I do myself the pleasure to hand you the en- closed subscription, which the gentlemen who have signed it 52 The Conquerors request you will do them the favor to accept for the benefit of the mission. And they pray onr Heavenly Father, without whose assistance we can do nothing, that of His infinite mercy He will bless and prosper your pious endeavors, and believe me to be, with esteem and regard, your sincere well-wisher and humble servant, John McLoughlin. The amount enclosed was $150. Another incident that indicated the confidence reposed in Jason Lee by all classes of men was the case of Capt. T. McKay, a prominent leader among the mountaineer trappers and traders of that period. Mr. Lee accompanied him and his men from Fort Hall to the coast in 1834. They became personal friends. LIr. Lee visited him at his home on the west side of the Willamette River, below the point now occupied by the city of Portland. When Mr. Lee went East in 1838, at the request of Captain McKay, he took three of the captain's sons with him and placed them in school at Wilbraham, Mass., where he (Mr. Lee) had been educated. ]\Ir. Lee secured the consent of the Missionary So- ciety of the Methodist Episcopal Church to pay the bills for the education of the boys, and became personally responsible in behalf of Mr. McKay for the return of the money at a subsequent period. Most of the meetings held for the purpose of inaugu- rating plans for strengthening the American colony ; the formation of the cattle company herein referred to, and action looking to the enlargement of the settlement and increasing its facilities for the maintenance of a healthful existence, were held under the personal super- vision of Jason Lee, and for the most part at the Mission House or at his residence. Another event that taught the same lesson was this : Two men, Messrs. Young and Carmichael, were about Settlement of the Oregon Country 53 to bcpn the manufacture of ardent spirits. They had purchased the machinery, made all the necessary arrange- ments, and were going forward with the work of estab- lishing their plant. To have done this would have meant : 1st. The destruction of the mission and the probable death of the missionaries. 2d. Ruin and death swift and certain to the Indians. 3d. The closing of the mission would not only have destroyed the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon, but it w^ould have extinguished the only pos- sible opportunity, so far as the conditions that then prevailed were concerned, of bringing this Pacific coast country under American control and saving it from the dominance of the Hudson Bay Company. Mr. Lee and his helpers threw themselves, with all the energy and enthusiasm of which they were capable, into the effort to break up this distillery. They waited upon the two would-be business men of that day. The men stated that, being Americans, they desired to free themselves from the dominance of the Hudson Ba)'' Company and that this was one of the ways by which the Americans could assert their independence and throw off the control of the foreign company. Mr. Lee reminded them that their action was con- trary to the laws of the United States; that the lives of the people would be endangered thereby ; that peace and order would be impossible under the conditions that would prevail ; that riot, ruin, and death would come to the Indians and the American community that the mis- sionaries were seeking to establish, and that their action was the surest and most effective method that it was possible to adopt to make the dominance of the Hudson Bay Company in Oregon certain and perpetual. Mr. Lee promised to give them the amount they had 54 The Conquerors paid. They abandoned the business altogether, however, and refused to accept any return for the money expended. It is perhaps true that there was no one in the country at that time whose efforts and influence could have averted this threatened danger except Jason Lee. The Christian Advocate and Journal of June 9, 1837, contains a letter from Mr. P. L. Edwards, in which he gives a very interesting account of this temperance move- ment. A letter from Dr. Elijah White is published in issue of July 7, 1837, of the Christian Advocate and Journal. A brief excerpt must suffice: ". . . The plan of op- eration adopted by Mr. Lee is here universally consid- ered to be founded in wisdom, and they think can not fail to result in affecting a greater amount of good than any other could have done. . . ."^ The following paragraphs are from a letter written by Jason Lee to the corresponding secretary of the Mis- sionary Society: OREGON MISSION. Rev. and Dear Sir: My last was dated January, 1837, and forwarded by William A. Slacum, Esq., of the United States Navy, and Government agent sent to examine this mission settlement. . . . Thank God, I do not wish to exchange my field of labor for any other upon the face of the earth ! Hither I firmly believe God has directed my steps. . . . At the special request of Dr. McLoughlin, I am about to send him a note of introduction to you. Would it not be well to present him with a certificate of life membership in our Missionary Society? a The masterful influence of Jason Lee in securing American control in the Pacific Coast Country is seen in the mighty volume of popular favor with which his plea in behalf of Oregon was received by the American people. Settlement of the Oregon Country 55 We have been obliged to draw frequently upon him for medicine, for which he refuses to take any remuneration. . . . I mentioned in my last that I was fully convinced that this country would be settled at no distant period. . . . ^ - c^ Mission House, Willamette, March 28, 1837. Marriage, Baptism, and Organization of Methodist Episcopai, Church in Oregon. Sunday, July 16, 1837, was an epoch-making clay in the history of the mission and of Oregon. The mis- sionaries, with their families and a few others, together with a goodly number of Indians, met in a grove on the mission grounds in the Willamette Valley for public worship. Jason Lee announced the hymn, "When all Thy mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys," etc ; after singing, he led in prayer, following which he led Miss Anna M. Pittman to the altar, and they were mar- ried by Rev. Daniel Lee. Cyrus Shepard then led Miss Susan Downing forward, and they were married by Jason Lee, after which, Charles Row and Miss Nancy, an Indian maiden, were married. Jason Lee preached from Numbers x, 29, "Come thou with us and we will do thee good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel." The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was then administered. These acts were the first of their kind in Oregon. The exercises closed with a love-feast; and, in addi- tion to the testimony given by every member of the Methodist Church present, several of the French Canad- ians (Catholics) spoke, and penitently expressed their 56 The Conquerors intention to turn away from their sins and live Christian Hves. ]\Ir. Lee said of this service, "I have seldom known the presence of the Lord to be more sensibly and power- fully manifested." Dr. H. K. Hines says: Around the outskirts of the audience were the Indian men and the daughters of the forest, with scarlet shawls about their shoulders, and with beaded leggings and moccasins. The Canadian Frenchmen of the settlement, with their Indian wives and half-caste children, in decent attire, occupied seats with the Americans. The children of the Mission School were there, and seven men and five women from the Mission House; also a few white men who some chance day had strayed over the mountains, or floated in from the sea, prompted by curiosity or led by the Good Spirit, found their way to the shaded sanctuary. Few such congregations were ever gathered. All were greatly moved ; even the furrowed cheeks of the old mountaineers were bathed in tears. Among those who were baptized and united with the Church at this time were Mr. Charles Row and Mr. Webley Hauxhurst, of Long Island, N. Y. The former came to the mission settlement January i, 1837; it was the evening of the prayer and class meeting. He was invited to be present. In a letter dated January 13, 1837, he expressed his convictions thus: "I am thankful that my business led me week before last to your house. I learned more in that week than in thirty-one years before. When I saw the Indian children praying and wor- shiping God, I thought it was high time for me, who had lived so long in sin without once praying for my own soul . . . In your class meeting I felt like a person lost forever. . . ." Mr. Daniel Lee says : "He was truly alive to his danger. We pointed him to Jesus, and ere long he found peace to his troubled soul." So far as known, he was the first white person converted in the Oregon country. He settled near Salem, and was trustee of the Oregon Institute and afterward of the Wil- lamette University. For fifty years he lived a devoted Christian life and tlicn went up to join the innumerable company of the first-born in heaven. The eulogies we pay to the old apostlcship who carried the Settlement of the Oregon Country 57 Gospel into Macedonia arc but tlic just tribute we should give to those who planted the Gospel in Oregon. From the American viewpoint they were the prelude to the better conditions that would follow them. As the Woodmen of Oregon would say, they blazed the way for the enlargement of the scope, numbers, and influence of the mission, as indicated in the facts given in the next chapter. CHAPTER III Going East and What Came of It That Mr. Lee recognized the great importance of making this journey, and the necessity for the immediate enlargement of his mission settlement; that his purposes and plans respecting it and the work associated with it, were thoroughly outlined in his own mind before he entered upon their execution, is evident from the facts touching the case, and it is also evident in the known character of Mr. Lee for care and sagacity in all his undertakings. It required a mighty faith, great self- denial, and an unusual completeness of personal conse- cration to God and His service, to make the journey and enter upon the work contemplated in making it. Dr. H. K. Hines says: "When it was determined that Mr. Lee should visit the Atlantic coast in the in- terest of his work, his wife said: *I will not put myself in the way of the performance of your duty. If you feel that you should go, go; for I did not marry you to hinder but, rather, to aid you in your work.' Under the circumstances, braver words were never uttered." Mrs. Lee was a woman of fine literary attainments, as well as great natural ability and Christian devotion. She had a special taste for poetry. Of the noble women who came to Oregon before 1840. she was among the first in literary and spiritual attainments. Just before Mr. Lee left home on the morning of the 25th of March, she put into his hands the following lines, tenderly ex- 58 Settlement of the Oregon Countr// 59 pressive of her love and devotion to God, to her hus- band, and to the missionary work in Oregon to which she had consecrated her hfe : Must my dear companion leave me, Sad and lonely here to dwell? If 'tis duty thus that calls thee, Shall I keep thee? No— farewell. Though my heart aches As I bid thee thus farewell. Go, then ; leave me ; God go with thee To protect and save from harm; Though thou dost remove far from me. Thou art safe beneath His arm. Go in peace, then ; Let thy soul feel no alarm. Go ; thy Savior will go with thee, All thy footsteps to attend; Though you may feel anxious for me, Thine and mine He will defend. Fear not, husband; God, thy Father, is our Friend. Go and seek for fellow-laborers; Tell them that the field is white. God will show them gracious favor While they teach the sons of night. Bid them hasten Here to bring the Gospel light. Though thy journey may seem dreary While removed from her you love, Though you often may be weary. Look for comfort from above. God will bless you. And your journey prosperous prove. Farewell, husband ; while you leave me, Tears of sorrow oft will flow ; 60 The Conquerors Day and night I will pray for you, While through dangers you may go. O, remember Her who loves you much. Adieu. Anna M. Lee. While on his way across the continent, Mrs. Lee died. She with her infant son, but a few days old, were buried together in Lee Mission cemetery, near Salem, Oregon. A marble slab, marked by the storms of more than sixty years, stands at the head of the grave, on which is chiseled this inscription: Beneath this sod, The first ever broken in Oregon For the reception of a White mother and child. Lie the remains of Anna Maria Pittman, Wife of Rev. Jason Lee, And her infant son. She sailed from New York in July, 1836; Landed in Oregon June, 1837 ; Was married July 16, 1837; And died June 26, 1838, Aged 36 years. Mrs. I^ee was the first 7\merican woman to be married west of the Rocky Mountains, and she was the first American wife and American mother to find sepulcher in Oregon. Dr. H. K. Hines says: Mr. Lee reached the Shawnee Mission, near Wcstport, Mo., September i, 1838. This was a mission of the Methodist Epis- copal Church among the Indians, and was eslablished in 1829. Rev. Thomas Johnson was the agent or superintendent. Settlement of the Oregon Country Gl Late at night, after Mr. Lee had retired, a messenger arrived and placed in his hand a package of letters. They were from Oregon, and one of them bore a black seal. He opened it and learned that his wife and infant son were dead. To him the night was sleepless. In its darkness and loneliness his great soul wrestled with self, with sorrow, and with God. In tiie morning his brow had a deeper shade, and his eyes told a talc of weeping; but his calmed spirit breathed out its wealth of trust and lofty faith in God. An Important Memorial. Previous to starting upon his perilous journey east- ward, the people composing the mission and others met and formulated a second memorial to Congress. Its description of the country ; its needs and possibiHties ; the conditions that prevailed, together with the sugges- tions it contained, were timely, patriotic, and wise, and had in them the ring of true statesmanship. It is one of the most important State papers ever presented to Congress from this coast. As seen in the light of the present, its statements arc especially noteworthy and prophetic. We give herewith a large part of this im- mortal document. It is worthy of careful perusal. It was written by Jason Lee; P. L. Edwards and David Leslie assisted in its preparation. It was addressed : To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America: The undersigned settlers of the Columbia River beg leave to represent to your honorable body that the settlement begun in 1834 has hitherto prospered beyond the most sanguine ex- pectations of its projectors. The products of our fields have amply justified the most flattering description of the fertility of the soil, while the facilities which it affords for raising cattle are, perhaps, exceeded by those of no country in North America. The people of the United States, we believe, are not gen- erally apprised of the extent of valuable country west of the Rocky Mountains. A large portion of the territory from the 62 The Conquerors Columbia River south to the boundary line between the United States and the Mexican Republic, and extending from the coast of the Pacific for about 250 or 300 miles into the interior, is either well supplied with timber or adapted to pasturage or agriculture. The fertile valleys of the Willamette and the Umpqua are varied with prairies and woodlands, and intersected by abundant lateral streams, presenting facilities for machinery. Perhaps no country of the same latitude is found with the climate so mild; the winter rains, it is true, are an objection, but they are generally preferred to the snows and the intense cold which prevailed in the northern parts of the United States. The ground is seldom covered with snow, nor does it remain but a few hours. We need hardly allude to the commercial advantages of the territory. Its happy position for trade with China, India, and the western coast of America will be readily recognized. The growing importance, however, of the islands of the Pacific is not so generally known or appreciated. As these islands progress in civilization, their demand for the produce of more northern climates will increase. Nor can any country supply them with beef, flour, etc., on terms so advantageous as these. A very successful effort has recently been made at the Sandwich Islands in the cultivation of coffee and sugar cane. A colony here can easily secure these articles and other tropical products in exchange for the products of their own labor. We have briefly alluded to the natural resources of the country, and to its external relations. They are, in our opinion, strong inducements for the Government of the United States to take formal and speedy possession. We urge this step as promising to the general interests of the Nation. The ad- vantages it may confer upon us and the evils it may avert from our posterity are incalculable. Our special intercourse has thus far been associated with reference to a feeling of dependence upon the Hudson Bay Company. Under this state of things we have thus far pros- pered, but we can not hope that it will continue. The agri- cultural and other resources of the country can not fail to induce emigration and commerce. As our settlement begins to draw its supplies from other channels, the feeling of dependence upon the Hudson Bay Com- pany will begin to diminish. We are anxious when we imagine Settlement of the Oregon Country 03 what will be, what must be, the condition of so mixed a com- nninity, free from all legal restraint, and superior to that moral influence which has hitherto been the pledge of our safety. Our interests are identical with those of the country of our adoption. We flatter ourselves that we are the germ of a great State, and are anxious to give an early tone to the moral and intellectual character of its citizens. We are fully aware, too, that the destinies of our posterity will be intimately affected bi' the character of those who emigrate to this country. The territory will be populated. The Congress of the United States must say by whom. The natural resources of the country, with a well adjudged civil code, will invite a good community. But a good community will hardly emigrate to a country which promises no protection to life and property. Inquiries have already been submitted to us for information of the country. In return we can only speak of a country highly favored by nature. We can boast of no civil code. We can promise no protection but the ultimate result of self-defense. By whom, then, shall our country be populated? By the reckless and unprincipled adventurer, and not by the hardy and enterprising pioneer of the West. By the Botnay Bay refugee ; by the renegade of civilization from the Rocky Mountains ; by the profligate deserted seamen from Polynesia, and the unprincipled sharpers from South America. We are assured that it will cost the Government of the United States more to reduce elements of discord to social order than to promote our permanent peace and prosperity by a timely action of Congress. Nor can we suppose that so vicious a population could be relied upon in case of rupture between the United States and any other power. Our intercourse with the natives, guided by the same in- fluence which has promoted harmony among ourselves, has been generally pacific, but the same causes which will interrupt harmony among ourselves will also interrupt our friendly rela- tions with the natives. It is, therefore, of primary importance, both to them and ourselves, that the Government should take prompt and ener- getic measures to secure the execution of all laws affecting Indian trade and intercourse with the white men and Indians. We have thus briefly shown that the security of our persons 64 The Conquerors and our property, the hopes and the destinies of our children, are involved in the objects of our petition. We do not presume to suggest the manner in which the country should be occupied by the Government, nor the extent to which our settlement should be encouraged. We confide in the wisdom of our National Legislators, and leave the sub- ject to their candid deliberations, and your petitioners will ever pray. J. L. Whitcomb, and Thirty Others. A few of Dr. H, K. Hines's observations about this important document are as follows : This memorial was safely taken to its destination by Mr. Lee and presented to the Senate of the United States by Senator Linn, of Missouri, January 28, 1839. Within ten days Mr. Linn presented a bill establishing a territory north of latitude 42 and west of the Rocky Mountains to be called "Oregon Territory," authorizing the erection of a fort on the Columbia River, and the occupation of the coimtry by the military forces of the United States, establishing a port of entry, and requiring that the country should be held subject to the revenue laws of the United States, with an appropriation of $50,000 for the beginning of the work. This action, led by the missionaries of the ^Methodist Epis- copal Church, and wholly dependent on their influence for its effect on Congress and the public mind, occurred when there were only two male missionaries of the American Board west of the Rocky Mountains, namely, Dr. Marcus Whitman and Rev. H. H. Spalding. They were two hundred miles in the interior and entirely removed from what little American sentiment and settlement there was in the country. The Roman Catholic missionaries had not yet reached Oregon. No more important and eminent milestone was ever set in Oregon history than was set in this memorial ; its second paragraph, that relating to trade with China, Lidia, and the islands of the Pacific, would seem to have been written under prophetic inspiration in 1838 and found its literal and wonder- ful fulfillment in 1899. Surely there was a marvelous prescience in the minds that conceived this masterful memorial. Settlement of the Oregon Country 65 Upon reaching the Atlantic coast, Mr. Lee went direct to Washington and placed this memorial in the hands of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which Hon. Caleb Cushing was chairman. He then visited New York and other points in the interest of his mission work. Fearing lest his efforts in behalf of Oregon might not receive prompt attention on the part of the officers of the Gov- ernment, and having in the meantime received a letter of inquiry from Mr. Cushing, he wrote from Middle- town, Conn., under date of January 17, 1839. We give a part of this important letter : It is believed that if the Government of the United States takes such measures in respect to this territory as will secure the rights of the settlers, most of those who are now attached to the mission will remain as permanent settlers in the country, after the mission may no longer need their services. Hence it may be safely assumed that ours, in connection with other settlers there, is the commencement of a permanent settlement of the country. In view of this, it will be readily seen that we need two things at the hands of the Government for our protection and prosperity. First: We need a guarantee from the Government that the possession of the land we take up and the improvements we make upon it will be assured to us. The settlements will greatly increase the value of the Government domain in that country, should the Indian title ever be extinguished. We can not but expect, therefore, that those who have been pioneers in this arduous work will be liberally dealt with in this matter. Second: We need the authority and protection of the Government and laws of the United States to regulate the intercourse of the settlers with each other, protect them against the peculations and aggressions of the Indians, and to protect the Indians against the aggressions of the white men. To secure these objects, it is not supposed that much of a military force is necessary. If a suitable person should be sent out as a magistrate and governor of the territory, the settlers would sustain his authority. In proof of this, it is only neces- 5 66 The Conquerors sary to say that almost all the settlers in the Willamette Valley have signed a memorial to Congress, praying that body to extend the protection of the United States Government over the ter- ritory. You are aware, sir, that there is no law in that country to protect or control American citizens, and to whom shall we look, to whom can we look, for the establishment of wholesome laws to regulate our infant and rising settlements, but to the Congress of our beloved country? The country will be settled, and that speedily, from some quarter, and it depends very much on the prompt action of Congress what that population shall be, and what shall be the fate of the Indian tribes of that territory. It may be thought that Oregon is of little importance; but rely upon it, there is the germ of a great State. We are resolved to do what we can to benefit the country, but we are constrained to throw ourselves upon you for protection. I am, sir, with great respect, Hon. Caleb Cushing. Copies of the memorial and the letter herein referred to, together with other references to Jason Lee and the mission in the Willamette Valley, are found in the Con- gressional Records of tliat period. That Mr. Lee's interviews with the President and with other officers of the L^nited States Government in 1834 and 1838, together with the letters and documents he had presented, were not in vain ; that his eloquent pleadings in behalf of the Pacific coast country accom- plished its purpose is evidenced in the fact that this memorial was acted upon immediately, and a bill for the formation of the territory was brought forward without delay. Dr. IT. K. Hines says: "Such was the impres- sion made by Mr. Lee upon the Congress, the President and his Cabinet, and such the estimate they placed upon Settlement of the Oregon Country G7 the expedition he was organizing as an instrument in Americanizing tlie Pacific coast, that the Government, out of the Secret Service fund, assisted in its outfit." Referring to the grant of $475,000 made by Congress in behalf of the Lewis and Clark Exposition at Port- land, the Pacific Christian Advocate, in its issue of April 20, 1904, says: This is not the first time that the Government has granted aid to Oregon by special donation. In 1839 the sum of $5,000 was given to the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to aid in sending a shipload of Methodists to Oregon. This use of the public funds was justified on the ground that the Methodist Church was laying the foundations of State. It should not be forgotten that the sailing of the Lausanne with a shipload of Methodist missionaries on board was in the nature of a colonization scheme, and that for a decade — from 1834 to 1844 — the story of Oregon was mainly the story of the Methodist mission. Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and a part of Montana are in a sense gifts to the Republic by the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. That society pioneered the peopling of the territory with American settlers. History re- cords to the honor of our Church that Jason Lee and his co- laborers were first on the ground, and that the missionary centers they established became the centers of American senti- ment and settlement, and their efforts in securing American protection and statehood were crowned with success, ARRIVAL OF REV. JASON LEE. On the morning of the 31st ult., Mr. Lee arrived, after a tedious passage over land of seven months, in the city of New York, accompanied by three Indian youths. . . . The object of Mr. Lee's visit among us at this time is to mature plans for the enlargement and more energetic prose- cution of the important mission he has so successfully begun, and conducted at the expense of so much labor and sacrifice. — from Christian Advocate and Journal, November 9, 1838, 68 The Conquerors The work outlined by the Missionary Society at this time was of inestimable value in its effect in evangelizing and Americanizing Oregon. From the Christian Advocate and Journal of Decem- ber 21, 1838: OREGON MISSION. Since the return of Rev. Jason Lee from Oregon, the Board of Managers have had various consuUations with him respect- ing the present state of the mission, its future prospects, and the means necessary to prosecute it with vigor and success. The whole subject was referred to a committee who had several interviews with Brother Lee and others, and agreed upon the following report, which was submitted to the Board on the 5th inst., and unanimously concurred in: The committee to whom was referred the proposed reinforcement of the Oregon Mission, after mutual consultation with Brother Lee, have agreed to recommend that, in addition to those already connected with the mission, measures be taken to increase the establishment there by sending out additional help as follows, viz. : Five mission- aries, one physician, six mechanics, four farmers, and one mis- sionary steward, with their wives, making thirty-two adults, who shall be connected with the Oregon Mission under the super- intendence of the Rev. Jason Lee. It is recommended that educated physicians be selected for missionaries as far as possible, and that, in appointing the mechanics, as many with their wives as may be found capable as school teachers be preferred. The committee also agreed to make the following additional suggestions, viz. : That a saw mill be authorized, together with all necessary building materials, tools, and implements. . . . That goods, to be selected by Brother Lee, to the amount of $5,000 be sent out. That the selection of the laymen, etc., to be sent, be re- ferred to the resident Corresponding Secretary and Brother Lee. That a female teacher be sent, for the benefit of the children of the missionaries — her salary not to be paid by the Board. That all persons engaging in this mission shall obligate themselves to remain in our service for ten years, unless sooner released by the Board or the superintendent of the mission. Settlement of the Oregon Country 69 That Brother Lee be deputed forthwith to visit Boston, and open negotiations with John N. Barbour, Esq., in relation to his proposal for joint ownership of a vessel for passengers and freight, and that he report the results to the Board for their decision in the premises. . , . It was also resolved that Brother L,ee be requested to build a grist-mill at the Willamette Falls, whenever it shall in his judgment become necessary for the interests of the mission. It is estimated that the outfit, including a half year's salary and passage, will cost $30,000. This, with other missions we are now pledged to support, will require at least $130,000 for this year; $61,000 having been already drawn since the first of May last. The friends of the cause, therefore, will have to be on the alert to meet the demand. Past experiences, however, induces the firm conviction that there will be no lack of means to carry forward this holy work. But a united and persevering effort is essential to success. SECOND MISSIONARY TOUR OF THE COUNTRY. To aid the society in furnishing the funds necessary for the support of its mission. Brother Lee, while detained in the United States, will devote as much of his time as practicable in visiting various parts of the country with a view to holding missionary meetings and taking collections. For this purpose he left this city on the 13th inst. for Washington City, where he will spend one week. On the 22d he will visit Baltimore, and remain there until the 31st. From January i to 7, 1839, he is expected to be in Philadelphia and vicinity. On the evening of the loth he has an appointment in Morristown, N. J. On the evening of the 15th, in New Haven, Conn. The l6th and 17th he will spend at Middletown, and the evening of the i8th in Hartford, and the Sabbath following in Norwich, Conn. On the evening of the 23d, in Providence, R. I. From the 24th to 31st he will spend in Boston and its vicinity. The evening of February ist he will hold a missionary meeting in Newburyport, and on the evening of February 3d in Portland, Me. 70 The Conquerors After this, he will make a tour north, and will hold meet- ings in as many places as he may find it convenient ; of the times and places for which he will give timely notice himself. In respect to the persons wanted to make up the mission family, we do not now advertise for any persons to make application, as several names are already on our reserve list, and those who wish to volunteer their services, either as mis- sionaries, farmers, or mechanics, physicians, or teachers, can make known their views and feelings to Brother Lee when he may visit their neighborhoods. We wish to become well acquainted with the persons before they are engaged, that we may, as far as possible, guard against the employment of incompetent or improper persons. It may be well, however, to remark here, that none will be accepted but such as have an established character for piety, are members of our Church, well recommended for their com- petency in the department of labor for which they may be engaged, and are clear of debt — the Board having passed a resolution that they will not advance money to pay the debts of any one they may employ in their service. It has already been resolved that the missionary family must be sent by water, by the way of the Sandwich Islands ; and as it will require considerable time to select suitable persons, procure the necessary supplies, and provide a convenient passage, the probability is that the expedition will not leave until the latter part of next summer or autumn. Nathan Bangs. The foregoing is a verbatim copy of a statement or proclamation made by Dr. Bangs, corresponding sec- retary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, to the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church throughout the United States in particular, and to the general public, outlining the provision made by the Board of Managers of the Missionary Society for the sending of the Great Reinforcement to Oregon. A number of important facts vitally related to the American conquest of Oregon are involved in this pro- Settlement of the Oregon Country 71 vision, and also in the herculean lahors committed to Jason Lee in connection therewith. 1st. This provision was remarkable for its compre- hensiveness, for the expense that would be incurred in its execution, and for its far-reaching significance in securing an American solution of the Oregon ques- tion. 2(1. The wisdom of this provision and the careful- ness with which the recruits to the American missionary colony in Oregon were secured is worthy of note. They were men of excellent character, and were selected for their fitness for the work to which they were appointed. They were men of affairs and could adapt themselves to the difficult conditions that would confront them. The wisdom exercised in their selection is evidenced in the effectiveness of their work and the success of their efforts in establishing American institutions in Ore- gon. They were equal to the demands of the case. It would have been difficult, perhaps impossible, to have found a man more thoroughly equipped for this great work than was Jason Lee. They could erect churches, and take charge of the services within their sacred portals. They could build school houses, and supply them with teachers. Their capability is evidenced by their success as preachers, teachers, physicians, farmers, mechanics, merchants, stockmen, traders, salesmen, home builders, patriots, statesmen. The settlement and the government they founded was a great test and triumph for their skill and statesmanship. These were the outgrowth of their wis- dom and their toil, and will stand through the centuries as a monument to their names and memory. 72 The Conquerors Dr. H. K. Hines says of these men: They were capable of the highest service in State or Church. Men worthy to be Presidents and Cabinet Ministers, who only lacked the opportunity to become such, drove ox teams from the Missouri to the Columbia. Warriors without a command walked between the plow-handles in old Marion, Linn, Yamhill, and Lane Counties. Senators without the toga blew the fires of the forges or plied the rustic industries of village and prairie in Clackamas, or Polk, or Multnomah. Bishops without the mitres preached sermons fit for metropolitan pulpits, or admin- istered missionary cures in log schoolhouses and pioneer cabins. Orators and governors pruned fruit trees and planted vineyards in rural precincts. They were the best fruit of our splendid democracy, which, by placing government in the hands of the people, trains men everywhere for highest service. — "Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest." 3d. The touring of the country and the visitation of the Churches by Jason Lee was the means by which the fimds were secured to carry on and strengthen his Amer- ican missionary colony in Oregon. His success in this effort is evidenced in the large amounts of money he raised ; in the American sentiment he created and strengthened, and in the encouragement he gave to emigration, etc.^ Dr. H. K. Hines says : Mr. Lee devoted the winter of 1838 and the summer of 1839 delivering addresses in the cities and towns of the Atlantic States. His appeals were irresistible. The fire of his zeal caught on the altars of the Church everywhere. The age of apostolic fervor seemed to have returned. Poverty and wealth gave its silver and its gold. TIic culture of Boston and New York cast their jewels into ihc treasury. Philadelphia wept and gave, and Balti- more outdid her ancient missionary fame. Lee, who had dipped his banner in the spray of the Pacific, was the hero of the hour. 1 For an account of the causes that led to the coming of the emigrants of 1842-3, see chapter on emigration in this book. Settlement of the Oregon Country 73 Large and Enthusiastic Missionary Meetings Were HEI.D Throughout the Country and Liberai, Contributions Were Made. The following excerpt is from a letter published in the Christian Advocate and Journal, February 15, 1839: Washington City, January 29th. D^AR Brethren: It may be interesting to you to know that the cause of missions is not forgotten by the Missionary Society of Ebenezer Station. The fourth anniversary of this society was held on the 31st day of December. After the usual introductory exercises, the meeting was addressed, briefly but very appro- priately, by the Hon. C. Morris and the Hon. P. G. Goode, members of the House of Rreprcsentatives. They were followed by Rev. Jason Lee with an address of some length. Next came William Brooks, an Indian youth, who made his first speech in English. His tears spoke with resistless eloquence. . . . Deep attention and solemnity marked the exercises through- out. The financial results of the meeting were $103, to which are to be added the proceeds of the sale of some jewelry. . . . Respectfully yours, B. N. Brown.* 2 William Brooks had, previous to this date, spoken in his own language, and Mr. Lee acted as his interpreter. He was one of the Indian young men who ac- companied Mr. Lee in his tour among the Churches of the country in 1838-9, and on account of whose illness Mr. Lee was detained in Illinois, and was thus enabled to give sufficient time and attention to his work in that region to make his emigra- tion movement a great success. He was quite a wit. On one occasion before a large audience he said: "The Indians of Oregon must have agreement in writing that white man do not sell whisky to Indians; white man make it, and white man must drink it." After a moment's pause, with a kind of quizical air he said, "O, these Yankies I" He took his seat amid a storm of applause. On another occasion a lady questioned William about the process by which the Indian flattened the head, and criticised the custom quite severely, to which the young man replied: "AH people have fashions. Chinamen make little the foot, Indian make flat the head. You (looking at her waist and putting his hands on his own) make little here." William seems to have had a very slender constitution. He died after a brief illness, and was buried from Bedford Street Methodist Episcopal Church, New York City. A short time before his death he said, " I want to go home." " To your home in Oregon," asked Mr. Lee. " No, to my home in heaven," replied the dying young man. 74 Tlie Conquerors Mr. Lee held a meeting in behalf of his mission work in Oregon, at Bridgeport, Conn., of which he writes to the Christian Advocate and Journal as follows: December ", 1838. Messrs. Editors, — I made an appeal here in behalf of our mission work in Oregon. The people responded nobly. . . . The liberality of the people of Bridgeport surpassed anything I have seen this side of the Rocky Mountains. . . . In Oregon, at our first missionary meeting, we averaged more than seven dollars for each man in the settlement. I think if you were to search the annals of missionary history, you could not find a parallel. . . . o'^^ — t— • Christian Advocate and Journal, December 21, 1838: Brooklyn, December 10, 1838. Last night we held a highly interesting missionary meeting; in some respects it surpassed any I ever attended. Brother Lee, superintendent of the Oregon Mission, gave some interesting and affecting details of his work; his word was in the demon- stration of the Spirit and with power. I am persuaded that the effects of this meeting will be manifest long after the cir- cumstances which produced them shall be obliterated from the mind. A collection of $170 was taken. Yours, etc., J. L. Gilder. In the same issue: tt -m r^ HiLLSBORO, N. C. Since my appointment to Oregon, I have been doing a little to aid the society's funds. Collection, $204.12. W. W. KoNE. The Christian Advocate and Journal of July 5, 1839, contains a letter from Jason Lee, dated New York, June 28th. He says: Contrary to my expectations when I reached this country, Providence opened the way for me to remain and travel ex- Settlement of the Oregon Country 75 tensively, and urge the claims of the Oregon Mission. I am persuaded that the receipts of the Missionary Society will suffer no diminution from my poor services. That the blessings of many thousands who arc ready to perish may be upon you, is the fervent prayer of your friend and co-laborer in the Gospel. ^ — "--^ c^—-*^ — <>-' Christian Advocate and Journal, July 12, 1839: West Troy, New York. After a visit from Rev. Jason Lee — collection, $106.15. Through the Eastern, the Middle, the Southern, and the Western States, great interest was awakened in be- half of the work of Jason Lee in Oregon. His eloquent appeals won the attention and the hearts of the people, and multitudes crowded the churches to hear him. The Oregon Mission was the most expensive mis- sionary enterprise that the Methodist Episcopal Church had inaugurated. In this respect it was unparalleled in the history of the missionary movements of that or any previous period; yet such was the effect of the elo- quent appeals of Jason Lee in his tours throughout the country, that the inoney with which to begin and carry on this work was easily secured. His success in raising funds, in awakening enthusiasm in behalf of Oregon, and in securing large and timely reinforcements to his American colony, was the provi- dential, the effective, and the determining element in ob- taining the American occupancy and control of the Ore- gon country. The Oregon ^Mission was born in the light and the warmth of the great missionary fires kindled by Jason Lee, and American institutions in Oregon had their in- 76 Tlie Conquerors spiration and their birth in the reflex influence of the fires that he kindled upon the altars of the Methodist Episcopal Churches throughout the United States. The missionary movements of Christendom were strengthened and accelerated by his great success. For his own Church he set the pace for liberal giving and successful work in raising money for the cause of mis- sions. From that time until now, the offerings of our people have continued to increase until, for the year ending October 31, 1906, the receipts of the Parent So- ciety amounted to $2,071,648.28. An Important Announce;me;nt. The following excerpts from the Twentieth Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Missionary So- ciety in regard to the Oregon Mission were published in the Christian Advocate and Journal, July 5, 1839: From the advantages of the location of the territory, the salubrity of its climate, the richness of its soil, it may be pre- sumed that the country will be filled with white inhabitants at no distant day. . . . It is therefore highly important that the best interests of all be secured and that the institutions of Christianity be early established there, that the settlements may be saved from the contaminating influences of vicious indulgences. . . . It has been determined to send out a reinforcement . . , together with those farming and mechanical utensils necessary to carry on the respective trades and occupations, as well as a large quantity of goods composed of such articles as are necessary to supply the mission. . . . Though this outfit will be very expensive, and for a time it will require much to keep the mission in operation, yet, if success crowns our efforts, the expenditure to the Missionary Society will be diminished by the cultivation of farms, etc. And this mode of conducting the mission is considered essential to its successful operation. . . . Settlement of the Oregon Country 77 A large farm has been brought under cultivation and is well stocked with cattle, etc., by which provision is made for the support of the mission. . . . Zion's Herald, from April, 1838, to December 31, 1843, gives many facts of great historical importance about Jason Lee and his work. In issue of April 11, 1838, is published a letter written by Miss Margaret Smith, descriptive of the work of the mission and of the Oregon country. Issue of October 17, 1838, contains an editorial, from which we give a few excerpts : OREGON. We have long looked with peculiar interest upon this terri- tory and have fancied that we could see in the lofty battlements of the Rocky Mountains, in the shores of the great ocean of the West, in the snows of the North, and the vast plains of the South the bounds of a great empire — yet to be. With a climate in which health is a common blessing, a soil on which vegetation assumes its most luxuriant forms, a coast indented with harbors, and a back country teeming with all the gifts of nature, with rivers throughout its whole extent affording an opportunity for hundreds of miles of inland navigation, furnish a situation which for trade and commerce is unrivaled. With these and other advantages, it can not fail to entice the steps of the emigrant, and to afford a most delightful home for him. We hazard nothing in saying that the time for the realization of Jefferson's wish can not be far distant, when the whole length of that coast shall be inhabited with free and independent Americans. . . . Entertaining these views, we have been pleased to learn that a society has been formed, the object of which is to prepare the way for the settlement of that country on the principles of Christianity, which will secure the virtue and happiness of the emigrants and the civilization and salvation of the aborigines. We learn that the society intends publishing a monthly journal, in which they will embody all the facts which can be collected respecting that territory. For the society and for the paper we bespeak the patronage of our friends. Further information 78 The Conquerors can be obtained by application to Rev. F. P. Tracy, secretary of the society.' Issue of December 19, 1838, gives an account of a great missionary meeting held at Wilbraham, Mass. The writer says: Brother Lee, accompanied by three Indian youths from west of the Rocky Mountains, visited us and spent the Sabbath of the 25th of November in this place. At six o'clock in the evening he held a great missionary meeting. The exercises began with singing by the Indians. After prayer, Brother Lee addressed the audience for over an hour in a manner and spirit showing that his whole soul was in his work. Every heart was deeply affected. He gave an account of his labors, privations, and sufferings ; of the good accomplished by the missionaries, and of the great importance of the work in Oregon. It would be fruitless to attempt a description of the address. To have a correct idea of his power and of the great interest he arouses in behalf of his Oregon Mission, he must be seen and heard. I think I never attended a meeting of greater in- terest, and never saw a nobler specimen and example of what a missionary should be. The collection was one hundred and twenty dollars. Twenty dollars were given to constitute Rev. Mr. Bowns, the Congregational minister of the place, a life member of the Parent Society. . . . We think the impulse given by Mr. Lee to the cause of missions in the Churches of the country will increase until the end of time. Two of the Indian boys remain at the academy, having been sent out by their father to be educated. . . .* 3 Mrs. Clara D. Worth, an assistant on the staff of Zion's H*rald, No. 36 Bromfield Street, Boston, who examined the files of that paper, says, "Jason Lee was present at a meeting of this society on the occasion of one of his visits to that city." 4 This was a great meeting, and the occasion was one of unusual interest. It seemed as if a little section of heaven was let down among the people. Mr. Lee was at his best. His auditors embraced the faculty of the college, his schoolmates, his personal friends, and a large number of the adult population of the town and of the country in the vicinity of Wilbraham. His address created intense enthusiasm. The convictions, purposes, and sentiments respecting Oregon that had their birth in this and in similar large gatherings of the people throughout the country gave life, power, and success to the American cause on the Pacific Coast, and made the Oregon of to-day possible and certain. Settlement of llic Oregon Country 79 In same issue, December 19, 1838, is a communica- tion from Jason Lee to the secretary of the Missionary Society, under the caption, "Missionary IntelHi^ence." He gives an account of places visited and amount of cash collections taken in a short period immediately pre- ceding the mailing of his letter. Unpaid pledges are not embraced in these amounts. Had these been in- cluded, the aggregate would have been greatly increased : "Alton, 111., Baptist Church, $50; St. Louis, $57; Carlin- ville, $7.86; Springfield, $33.12; Peoria, $22.75; Chi- cago, $40.35; Detroit, $30; Utica, $172; Fairfield, $8.40." Issue of February 6, 1839, contains an account of a great missionary meeting held in Bromfield Street Church, Boston. Address by Jason Lee, in which he gives an outline of his work in behalf of Oregon, from the beginning, in 1833, to the date of that meeting. "His address occupied two and a half columns. It was one of great eloquence and power, and created intense en- thusiasm." Issue of February 20, 1839: "Missionary meetings held at Lowell; collection, $100; Portsmouth, N. H., $63 ; Portland, Me., $200." Issue of February 27th : "Meetings held and collec- tions taken at Haverhill, $50; Newburyport, $100. Issue of the same date gives an account of a large and enthusiastic missionary meeting held in Philadelphia, December 4, 1838 : "Addresses were made by Rev. Jason Lee and William Brooks. Hon. William A. Slacum, of the United States Navy, employed by the Government to make inquiries and investigations into the political, statistical, and geographical conditions of Oregon, was also present and addressed the meeting." 80 The Conquerors We give the following extracts from his address : I called upon Dr. McLoughlin at Fort Vancouver, who told me that the fact was fairly established that the Western Indians were willing to receive instruction. ... I visited the mis- sion, embarking with my servant and six Indians. I soon entered the Willamette or Multnomah, which flows into the Columbia about eighty miles from its mouth. . . . It is now nearly two years since I was greeted by the friendly voice of Jason Lee, who called to me from the shore to direct me where to land, for the current was rapid and the night was dark and chill. ... I have seen Jason Lee at his post, imparting mental and physical instruction to those who slumbered in the profoundest ignorance of God's command- ments. I have seen him rearing the temple of God in the wilderness. I have seen him administering the consolation of our holy religion to those who were without a pastor and of a different faith. I have seen him, too, arresting one of the greatest evils to which the white men and the red men are subject and establishing a temperance society among those who are proverbially beyond the pale of moral restraint — I mean the trappers west of the Rocky Mountains. ... He bore their revilings with the true courage of a Christian minister. At length these very men became convinced of the purity and integrity of his character. . . . Mr. Slacutn read extracts from an oflficial report he had previously made to Congress.^ The extracts he read are as follows: The Rev. Jason Lee, missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church, came eighteen miles to meet me. In company with him, I called on all the settlers in the lower settlement, and next day visited the Mission House and the upper settlement. No language of mine can convey any adequate idea of the great benefit those worthy and most excellent men, the Messrs. Jason and Daniel Lee and Messrs. Shepard and Edwards, and their assistants, have conferred upon this part of the country, not by precept only, but by example, as the result of their labors show. 6 Thousands of copies of this report were printed by order of Congress for circulation among the people. Settlement of the Oregon Country 81 He then described the mission buildings, the work accomphshed by the missionaries and by the Indian boys; the quahty of the land, the desirableness of the country, and gave the number of the families and of the people in the settlement. In conclusion, I will only add that the day that witnessed Jason Lee's descent from the Rocky Mountains was a day of gladness and joy, and it will be for you, my friends, to assist in perpetuating the glorious work in which he has periled every- thing to give life and light to those who sit in darkness. The collection was $560. These facts afford conclusive proof that the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, through its publications, its pulpits, and its membership, and especially through the untiring and well-directed labors of its chosen repre- sentative and matchless leader, Jason Lee, gave pub- licity, enthusiasm, and success to the Oregon movement. Jason Lee created conditions that made American su- premacy in Oregon certain. Issue of March 6, 1839 — meeting at Newberry; col- lection, $74. The writer says : "The addresses of Brother Lee and the Indian were listened to with deep attention, and the effect will doubtless be lasting." April 24, 1839 — item signed, "S. Kelley:" "Mis- sionary cause at Danville, Vt. Meeting addressed by Mr. Lee and William Brooks. Collection, $200 cash, and many -pledges." Issue of June 5, 1839, an article is copied from the New York Spectator, giving an account of the twentieth anniversary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The meeting was one of great in- terest. Issue of March 4, 1840, gives a few items copied from the Richmond Journal, Richmond, Va. It consists 82 The Conquerors of extracts from the diary of Rev. W. Kone, giving information about Oregon, Collections taken, etc. Issue of March 23, 1842, publishes a communication from the wife of Rev. Jason Lee, dated March 11, 1841. It gives an account of the death of Mrs. David Leslie and Mr. Cyrus Shepard, and many items of interest touching the sickness and death of the Indians, and their customs in the case of the illness and death of their people. It embraces two columns. This letter was pub- lished just three days after the death of the writer.'^ 6 That Jason Lee foresaw the necessity for making known the material wealth of the Oregon country, and taking the initiative in its development as a factor in his great work ; that he recognized the importance of encouraging the educational interests of his American settlement and furnishing it with the facilities necessary to a healthful growth and the maintenance of a permanent existence along the highest and best industrial, intellectual, and moral lines, is evident in the use he made of the forces that would contribute to these results, and the prominence he gave them in the prosecution of his labors in behalf of Oregon. CHAPTER IV Jason Lee Opens the Gates for Oregon's Deliverance We have referred to the memorial presented to Con- g'ress in 1838 by Rev. Jason Lee, and now ask atten- tion to a tliird document of a kindred sort, written and sent to Congress in 1839 by Rev. David Leslie and others, and it shows three things very clearly : 1st. That, from the viewpoint of the missionaries, the ultimate control of the Oregon country by the United States was a matter of great importance. 2d. That great difficulties were in the way of secur- ing that for which they hoped and prayed and labored. These difficulties are outlined in this important document. 3d. The vigor and persistency with which they pushed the American claim for the control of the Oregon country is especially noteworthy, AN IMPORTANT MEMORIAL. To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled: Your petitioners represent to your honorable bodies that they are residents of Oregon Territory, and citizens of the United States, or desirous of becoming such; that they have settled in said territory under the belief that it was a portion of the domain of the United States, and that they might rely upon the Government for the blessings of its institutions and the pro- tection of its arms. . . . And your petitioners would repre- sent that they have no means of protecting their lives and the lives of their families, other than by self-constituted tribunals. 83 84 The Conquerors . . . They represent these means of safety to be an in- sufficient safeguard of life and property, and that the crimes of theft, murder, infanticide, etc., are increasing to an alarm- ing extent. . . . Your petitioners therefore pray the Congress of the United States to establish a territorial government in Oregon. And if other reasons were needed to induce your honorable bodies to grant the prayer of the undersigned, they would be found in the value of the territory to the Nation and the alarm- ing circumstances that portend its loss. Your petitioners would represent that the English Govern- ment has had a surveying party on the Oregon Coast for two years, employed in making accurate surveys of all its bays, rivers, and harbors; and that recently the said Government made a grant to the Hudson Bay Company of rights in land lying between the Columbia River and Puget Sound, and that the said company is actually exercising acts of ownership over said lands, etc. And their declaration that the English Government owns and will hold that portion of Oregon Territory north of the Columbia River, together with the facts that the said com- pany are cutting and sawing into lumber and shipping to foreign marts vast quantities of the finest pine trees in Oregon, have led your petitioners to apprehend that the English Government does intend at all events to hold that portion of the territory lying north of the Columbia River. And your petitioners represent that the said territory north of the Columbia River is an invaluable possession to the American Union; that the Puget Sound are the only harbors of easy access and commodious and safe upon the whole coast of the territory. . . . Your petitioners would further represent that the country south of the Columbia River, and north of the Mexican line, is one of unequaled beauty. The mountains covered with per- petual snow, pouring into the prairies below around their bases transparent streams of the purest water. The white and black oak, pine, cedar, and fir forests that divide the prairies into sections convenient for farming purposes ; the rich mines of coal; the quarries of limestone, chalk, and marble; the salmon in the rivers, and the various blessings of the delightful and healthy clim.ate are known to us and impress your petitioners with the belief that this is one of the most favored portions Settlement of the Oregon Country 85 of the globe. . . . Many other circumstances could be named showing the importance of this territory in a national, com- mercial, and agricultural sense. And, although your petitioners would not undervalue con- siderations of this kind, yet they beg especially to call the attention of Congress to their own condition as an infant colony, without military force or civil institutions to protect our lives and property, our children, sanctuaries, and tombs from the hands of the uncivilized savages around us. We respectfully ask for the civil institutions of the American Republic. We pray for the higli privilege of .A.merican citizen- ship, the peaceful enjoyment of life; the right of acquiring, possessing, and using property, and the unrestrained pursuit of national happiness. And your petitioners will ever pray. David Leslie, and about Seventy Others. Mr. Leslie was at this time superintendent pro tern of the mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon during the absence of Mr. Lee in the East ar- ranging for and bringing to the coast the Great Re- inforcement. Mr. Lri5;'s Second Marriage;. In 1839, before starting for the Pacific coast, Mr. Lee was married to Miss Lucy Thomson, of Barre, Ver- mont. For over two years she shared in the trials and toils of mission life and work in Oregon. Suddenly, on the morning of March 20, 1842, she went up to join the innumerable company whose robes are woven in the looms of heaven and whose feet touch the pathways of light with angelic fleetness. A daughter was born of this union. Of her, Dr. H. K. Hines says: She lived to become one of the accomplished graduates of the Willamette University, the school her father had founded as the "Oregon Institute." She was the most successful pre- ceptress that institution ever had. Then, in her full-orbed and 86 The Conquerors majestic womanhood she lay down to rest by her mother's side in Lee Mission Cemetery, at Salem, Oregon, the old Chemekete, a spot consecrated by more of the pioneers, heroes, and heroines of American Christianity than sleep anywhere else by the shores of these Western seas. After her death, Mr. Lee wrote to his nephew, Rev. Daniel lyee: . . . I stand like one bewildered. ... Is it possible that the sod in Oregon covers another companion who was dearer to me than life? . . . To his old friend, Bishop Baker, he wrote: My Dear Brother, — May heaven long save you from the pangs I feel, . . . but in the midst of all, I rejoice that my companions will suffer no more and that I shall join them in that glorious realm. ... I feel that it would be a sin to waste my energies in fruitless grief. ... I can exult in the midst of the furnace, for one like unto the "Son of man" is with me, and I expect to come forth without the smell of fire upon my garments. . . . THE GREAT REINFORCEMENT Lee brought to the coast, in eighteen forty The largest missionary party That ever came o'er land or sea. To Oregon, to make her free; They built mills, and opened farms ; They erected storehouses and barns; They established homes and schools ; They built churches, and adopted rules American ; in form and fact, The result of Lee's work and tact. LEAVING NEW YORK. On ihc evening of the 3d of October, 1839, the Missionary Society held a farewell meeting for iho Oregon Mission family in the Green Street Methodist Episcopal Cliurcli, New York. The family consisted of Rev. Jason Lee and wife; Rev. J. H. Frost and wife; Rev. Guslavus Hines, wife and child; MRS. ANNA PITMAN LEE. PROF. F. H. GRUBBS. MRS, F. H. GRUBBS. Tj y V \v "■ u IKK REV. DANIEL LEE. • • ^ • ^^^^^^ DANIEL LEE. Settlement of the Oregon Country 87 Rev. W. H. Kone and wife; Rev. A. F. Waller, wife and two children; Rev. J. P. Richmond, M. D., wife and four children; Dr. I. L. Babcock (physician), wife and one child; Mr. Geo. Abernethy (missionary steward), wife and two children; Mr. W. W. Raymond (farmer) and wife; Mr. L. H. Judson (cabinet maker), wife and three children; Mr. J. L. Parish (blacksmith), wife and three children; Mr. James Alley (carpenter) and wife; Mr. Hamilton Campbell (carpenter), wife and child; Miss C. A. Clark, teacher; Miss Maria T. Ware, teacher; Miss Elmira Philips, teacher; Miss Orpha Lankton, stewardess; Miss A. Philips, and Thomas Adams (Indian boy). It is probable that a more impressive missionary service was never held in New York. Rev. Nathan Bangs, D. D., cor- responding secretary of the Missionary Society, presided, and Mr. G. P. Disosway was secretary. An address was delivered by Rev. Robert Alder, D. D., of London. Several of the mis- sionaries also addressed the meeting. The entire missionary family was introduced, and the chair- man delivered a farewell address. On the 9th day of October the Lausanne went to sea. — "Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest," by Dr. H. K. Ilines. Of this missionary expedition, the following state- ment appears in the ''History of the Catholic Church in Oregon:" "It was the greatest exodus ever sailing from an Eastern port to any coast." Bishop Blanchet says : "No missionaries were ever dispatched to represent the various sects in any land under more favorable auspices than were the ladies and gentlemen belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church amidst the wilds of Oregon." And it is worthy of note that the favorable auspices referred to were effected by the overwhelming Oregon sentiment created by Jason Lee; by the large amount of money he had raised to make the movement successful, and the wise management that characterized his con- trol of this Great Expedition. 88 The Conquerors Air. Bancroft says of the missionaries who sailed from New York in 1839, under the leadership of Rev. Jason Lee: No company ever sailed from that port whose departure was watched with more interest by religious and political circles. The ship reached Honolulu on the nth of April, 1840, where all disembarked and were hospitably entertained until the 28th, when they set sail for the Columbia River. During their sojourn, Mr. Lee held a conference with Kamehameha III, relative to the exchange of productions between the islands and Oregon, and an informal treaty of commerce was entered into, to the manifest pleasure of the king. — Bancroft, "History of Oregon," Vol. I, page 178. Mr. Bancroft says, "The cost of this expedition was $42,000." Wilson, in "Oregon Sketches," Mss. 23, says, "It involved an expenditure of $42,000." Quotations from Important LeITTErs. The following is an extract from a letter written by Mrs. Judge Terry, of Los Angeles, Cal., to Dr. D. L. Rader, editor of the Pacific Christian Advocate, and was published in that paper June 28, 1905. She says: I enjoyed every word about dear Jason Lee. A better man, I suppose, never lived. His moral qualities were so enlarged and always in the ascendancy. Never shall I forget the moral lesson he taught me at twelve years of age. We were on our way from the Sandwich Islands to Oregon. Passing through the dining saloon on the way to the deck one morning, I spied a plate of molasses candy, and I stowed away a great lump of it in my mouth, when I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard the word "daughter" (he always called me his oldest daughter) come sadly and reprovingly from his lips. He asked me if I had any right to take the candy that did not belong to me, and as we promenaded the deck, with my little hand in his broad palm, he talked to me of truth, fidelity, and righteous- ness in such a way as to give me a longing for purity of heart. I was but twelve years of age, but the impression was lasting. REV. DAVID LESLIE. REV. A. F, WALLER. MRS. S. R. liKGGS. HON. GEORGE ARERNETHV. Settlement of the Oregon Country 89 Of the missionaries who formed a part of the "Great Reinforcement" and came to Oregon with Jason Lee in 1840, it is quite certain that at this date, January i, 1906, there is but one survivor, viz., Mrs. S. R. Beggs, of Rosebud Indian Agency, South Dakota. She resides with her nephew and niece, Dr. and Mrs. E. J. DcBell. Mrs. Judge Terry, of Los Angeles, Cal., whose com- munication has just been given, was twelve years of age when she came to the coast ; and, though a member of the mission family, she was not a missionary. Rev, John O. Foster, D. D., an old friend of Mr. and Mrs. Beggs, has permitted me to read a letter which contains information of great historical importance. We give herewith a few excerpts from it: Brother Foster: I received your letter a few days since; in answer to your inquiries, will say: I was born on New-Year's day, 1816; I was married New-Year's day, 1834, to Rev. J. H. Frost. In May, 1834, he joined the New York Conference. . . . In 1839 he was appointed as missionary to the Flathead Indians in Oregon by Bishop Hcdding. , . . October 9, 1839, Wednesday, according to previous arrange- ment, carriages came to convey us to the White Hall Dock in New York. The steam tug Hercules had been chartered to carry some missionary friends and to tow our ship into the bay. A vast multitude had come to witness our departure. At ten o'clock, A. M., all things being ready, we took an affectionate leave of those on shore and, accompanied by as many as could be accommodated on the tug, were soon alongside the ship, and under motion for the bay, where we arrived about noon. After taking off some light articles on the vessel, some of the friends going aboard to see our cabins, we gathered on the Hercules for a brief religious service. After singing and prayer. Brothers Richmond and Campbell each had a child baptized. Dr. Nathan Bangs, the missionary secretary, addressed us in a very pathetic and appropriate manner. One of the secre- 90 The Conquerors taries of the American Board also made a short address. They sent out a missionary and family, Rev. L. M. Dibble, to the Sandwish Islands with us. Now came the parting scene; amid sighs and tears, we bade a final adieu to friends and embarked on the Lausanne. The tug loosed from the ship and took a long half-circle route around our bow, then bore away for the city. Hats, handker- chiefs, and flags were waved by us and also by them till distance obscured them from our view. After sixty-five days we arrived at Rio de Janeiro, South America, and as we sailed up the harbor, saw the most beauti- ful scenes we had ever looked upon. No ladies appeared on the streets unveiled, but we missionary women walked where we pleased and were a great curiosity. We visited the palace and were introduced to the emperor of Brazil, Don Pedro. He was a fine looking gentleman and was very courteous. We also saw a beautiful Portuguese lady of the court. Two of our United States war vessels were in the harbor, and during our stay of a week they sent their gig down and took us ashore and showed us much attention. It was hard to say farewell to beautiful Rio, as we weighed anchor and sailed away for Cape Horn and Valparaiso. Soon after leaving this port we were detained about a month by terrific head winds, and before we rounded Cape Horn were driven southward to the 6oth degree of south latitude. One day the captain requested all the ladies to come on deck dressed in their best attire, and as we appeared, he gave the order to square away the yards, and we were delighted to learn that the wind was now fair. The captain said, "I knew if you ladies came on deck we would have a fair wind." With a good breeze we started north. Presently our ship ran into a shoal of whales; they played about our ship for some time. The captain said that some of them were over sixty feet long, and tlial these were the first whales he had seen in thirty years in these waters. After two months from Rio, we arrived in Valparaiso to find that the smallpox was raging as an epidemic in the city. We lay in the harbor for two weeks without going ashore; then, via Juan Fernandez, we sailed for the Sandwich Islands. When we crossed the equator, going south, the captain called Settlement of the Oregon Country 91 us on deck to assist him in burying the North Star. As it went down into the ocean, the men took off their hats, and we all bowed our heads and said good-bye until we meet again on the western side of the continent. When we crossed the equator going north, the captain called us on deck to witness the resurrection of the North Star, and as it arose above the waves the men bared their heads, and we all cheered, so glad were we to sec our old friend again. And there in mid-ocean we consecrated ourselves anew to the work of God. . . . A little later we struck the trade winds, and had warm weather and fair sailing till we reached the Sandwich Islands. The thing that attracted my attention here was the extinct volcanoes, and Diamond Head, which, we were told, had a little lake on the top. We could see the bold headland far out to sea and enjoyed the sight. We entered the Columbia River in May, 1840, after a sea voyage of nearly eight months. We left our ship at Fort Vancouver, where we remained three months. We went down the river in a flat-boat and established our mission on the Clatsop Prairie. With the mission as a base, we traveled up and down the river, doing all the good we could among the Indians. Mr. Birnie, of the Hudson Bay Company, said, "Do n't go to those Clatsop Indians; they will kill you." My husband said, "I am under orders and must go, and shall consider myself immortal until my work is done." Mr. Frost told the Indians that they must not kill, or steal, or lie, or commit adultery; they must love God, and love each other. Tlicy promised to do as he said, and they literally kept their word as long as we remained among them. They never showed any rudeness or indignity to us. They willingly assisted us in building the mission house. I mention these things to show that they were not as bad as represented, except in the matter of infanticide— many of the female children were destroyed. One dark, rainy night, when the snow, the sleet, and the wind added their rigors to the winter on the Clatsop plains, a cry was heard; again and again the cry rang out upon the curtains of the night, and I said, "Husband, I am going to find out what that cry means." I went out into the darkness 92 The Conquerors and soon came to an abandoned Indian camp; they had thrown the baby girl among the weeds and left her there to die from starvation or exposure, or to be devoured by wild beasts. I fed, clothed, cared for, and instructed the child as a necessary preparation to a useful and happy Christian life. . . . While we were at the Clatsop Mission, a terrific storm came in from the ocean; it was terrible beyond description. Word reached us that a shoal of whales had been stranded on the beech. We ventured out to view the scene, and, sure enough, there they were; some of them were fifty feet long and weighed several tons. We counted twenty-five. The huge monsters rolled like great logs on the shore. Some of them did not die for days. Their struggles were a sight never to be forgotten. Of Dr. McLoughlin and his associate, Mr. Douglass, she says : I was well acquainted with these gentlemen, and am pleased to say a word as to their noble character. These men and Mr. Lee stood for law and order, and arranged a code of rules and regulations for the preservation of order and the protection of life and property in the Oregon country. Dr. McLoughlin had a son and daughter. The son was highly educated in a military school in England. He traveled for two years on the continent, then came to America and visited all places of interest in the United States and Canada. He was an elegant and noble young man and maintained the virtues of his father. My husband, Dr. Frost, was obliged to give up his mission work because of failing health. At the end of five years of service in Oregon we returned East, where, a little later, he died. A few years afterward I was married to Rev. S. R. Beggs, one of the pioneer ministers of the Rock River Con- ference. I assisted him in his work for many years and or- ganized a large number of Woman's Foreign Missionary Societies. Mr. Beggs died a few years ago, I have seen three generations come and go. I am old, gray, blind, and wrinkled, and time threatens to push me into the tomb very soon. Dr. E. J. DeBcU, my nephew, brought me to his home, where I am pleasantly situated. He says the Lord has dealt very kindly with me in leaving me the use of my mind. I dictate my letters, but must use a borrowed hand to write them. My nephew and niece say I must stay with them until Settlement of the Oregon Country 93 I am a century young. The years of my life have been full of Christian work. I have attended service frequently at the old church at Willamette Falls, to which you refer. I was at that place when Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, the bride and groom, were swept over the Falls and were drowned. I have camped many times upon the grounds where the beautiful city of Portland now stands and in which city the Methodist Congress and the Lewis and Clark Exposition, of which you speak, were held. Your reference to these and other things awakened precious memories of the olden time and brought forth a flood of tears. I am, with kind regards, yours as ever, Sarah R. Beggs. 1st. This, so far as the author of this book is aware, is the most graphic and coinplete description of the sail- ing of the Lausanne of which we have any record, 2d. The large nuinbers present on this notable occa- sion, many of whom came from distant and different parts of the country. The intense interest and enthusiasm they manifested in this Great Expedition shows with tretncndous force the effectiveness of Mr. Lee's work in behalf of Oregon, and the strong hold he had upon the attention and upon the hearts of the people of the United States. Nothing equal to it has ever been witnessed in the history of missionary movements. The Lausanne was to the Pacific coast in 1839 what the Mayflower was to the Atlantic coast at an earlier date. The Mayilozvcr brought to the shores of New Eng- land the men who laid the foundations of empire in the New World. The Lausanne brought a shipload of Methodists to the Pacific coast who, by the settlement they made and the work they wrought, established an American Coinmonwealtli in Oregon. 94 The Conquerors In each case the British Government claimed owner- ship of the country. In the first instance, victory came to the American contention at the close of what is known as the War of the Revolution. In the other, it came as the result of the larger numbers and the greater influence and effort that was brought to bear upon the situation through the American Mission Settlement es- tablished by Jason Lee. An Important Letter. A long letter, written by Jason Lee, on the good ship Lausanne, when on the way to Oregon, is given in the Christian Advocate and Journal, from which we give a few brief excerpts. It is dated February 22, 1840, and published in issue of January 27, 1841. "Oregon Mission Famii,y at the Sandwich Isi,ands." Here follows a description of the journey from New York ; a statement of the health of the missionaries and their families, and an account of the services held on shipboard, consisting of preaching, love-feasts, sacra- mental services, prayer-meetings, and lectures by Mr. Lee descriptive of Oregon, its climate, and the conditions that prevailed ; the difficulties that the missionaries had to encounter ; the grandeur of the work, etc. He gives a very interesting account of his visit to the king of the islands, as follows : According to previous arrangement, the mission family met on the 1 6th inst. at the house of the United States Consul, and walked thence to the palace to pay our respects to the king, accompanied hy tlic consul. We were shown into a spacious apartment and seated, where we awaited the presence of the king. He soon entered, at- Settlement of the Oregon Counlrij 1)5 tended by the Rev. Mr. Richards, his interpreter, and his prime minister. The consul presented to liim Brother Lee as the superin- tendent of the expedition. The salutation over and all quietly seated, the consul stated our object in going to Oregon; the mutual intercourse and exchange of commodities which would exist between the two countries, and recommended us to the same favorable consideration his majesty had always granted to the citizens of the United States, and hoped that the same friendly feelings which had characterized the intercourse of his Government between the United States and its citizens might continue between the people in these islands and the American settlement in Oregon. The king, in reply, said he was pleased to see us going to Oregon for such a purpose, it was good, and that he had no doubt but that an exchange of commodities would be beneficial to both countries; that we were welcome to the shores of his island home, and hoped that our friendly relations would con- tinue. Brother Lee then arose and stated the object of his work in Oregon, the long distance he had to come, and the difficulties encountered, etc. The king replied, "He is very perse- vering." Brother Lee expressed his joy for what the Gospel was accomplishing in the Sandwich Islands and his ardent desire and prayer for the prosperity of the country, and especially for the happiness and welfare of his majesty, both here and hereafter. The king seemed considerably affected when his own personal salvation was the subject of conversation. The Flathead Indian boy was then introduced. The king was very nmch interested and inquired how long he had been learning, if he could speak English, upon what his people lived, and expressed a wish to hear him speak in his own language, etc. The prime minister is a female of immense stature. She said, "I have little to say, except to express my admiration for you and your work and my best wishes for your success." When we arose to depart, the king arose and took us each by the hand, and we retired pleased and gratified with the interview. . . . There arc two large native churches in this place, in each of which, perhaps, there assembles from two to three thousand persons to hear the Word of Life. . . . O, what a field is open to the Church all along the coast of the vast 96 TJie Conquerors Pacific, from Cape Horn to the North Pole! . . . You will hear from us soon after we reach Oregon.^ ^jj^^^-tx-'S^— «<— »-«^ <5>