Misplaced Pages

#969030

171-649: The Methodists were active participants in the Oregon boundary dispute . Members of the mission were part of sending three petitions to United States Congress requesting that the United States extend its jurisdiction over the Pacific Northwest south of the Columbia River . The Methodist stations became important centers for local European-American politics as well. Staff took part in establishing

342-458: A missionary who had established a mission near present-day Walla Walla , Washington , led a wagon train westward from Fort Hall, despite discouragement from the British. His reports, when received back east amidst the country-wide expansionist mindset of true believers in manifest destiny , started a growing flood of settlers increasing in numbers year by year. The settlers were reinforced by

513-575: A Columbia River boundary was rejected. The argument used to counter these offers was the same as in 1824, that a boundary along the Columbia would deny the U.S. an easily accessible deep water port on the Pacific Ocean . The British negotiators to allay this attack offered a detached Olympic Peninsula as American territory, giving access to both the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. This

684-561: A Polk campaign slogan, even in many textbooks. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations attributes the slogan to William Allen. 54°40′ was the southern boundary of Russian America and considered the northernmost limit of the Pacific Northwest. One actual Democratic campaign slogan from the election (used in Pennsylvania ) was the more mundane "Polk, Dallas , and the Tariff of '42 ". The southernmost border of Alaska remains 54°40′ since

855-741: A cemetery in Salem bear the name of Jason Lee. A statue of Jason Lee stands in the U. S. Capitol Building's Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. as one of the two statues allotted to the state of Oregon. Oregon boundary dispute The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in

1026-641: A church in San Francisco . In 1848 the Methodists organised the "Oregon and California Mission Conference" which had six clergy, four being in Oregon. In an endeavor with large sums of money were spent, the Methodist Mission of Oregon ultimately had results left in a "painful mystery". After 14 years of operation the Methodists had 348 members in Oregon, the vast majority being settlers. Before

1197-399: A colonial settlement. The territory proposed to be occupied is already a part of the United States." Monroe inquired the opinion of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams for potential revisions. Adams retorted that "The paper was a tissue of errors in fact and abortive reasoning, of invidious reflections and rude invectives. There was nothing could purify it but the fire." Read twice before

1368-581: A column in the New York Morning News on December 27, 1845, editor John L. O'Sullivan argued that the United States should claim all of Oregon "by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us". Soon afterwards, the term " Manifest Destiny " became a standard phrase for expansionists, and a permanent part of the American lexicon. O'Sullivan's version of "Manifest Destiny"

1539-616: A deer hunt on the island, Gordon informed Finlayson that he "would not give one of the barren hills of Scotland for all he saw around him". America departed from the Strait of Juan de Fuca on October 1. Modeste entered the Columbia River and arrived at Fort Vancouver on November 30, 1845, where it remained until May 4, 1847. Modeste was not favorably viewed by American colonists in the Willamette Valley, threatened by

1710-414: A firm stance would compel the British to accept a resolution agreeable to the United States. While meeting with Representative James A. Black on 4 January 1846, Polk stated that "the only way to treat John Bull was to look him straight in the eye ... if Congress faultered [ sic ] ... John Bull would immediately become arrogant and more grasping in his demands". But Polk's position on Oregon

1881-568: A grist mill opened on Mill Creek , with operational costs being upwards of $ 10 daily to run. The main mercantile store of the Mission was transferred to Oregon City in August 1842. As early as February 1838 Jason Lee had considered establishing a mission among the Umpquas and explored the area but was unable to come in contact with any. The considered station was to be located in the vicinity of

SECTION 10

#1732779975970

2052-597: A high enclosure, like prisoners." In Salem on January 17, 1842, at Jason Lee's home, a group of settlers met and formed the Oregon Institute as a school for the Euro-American children in the area, eventually evolving into present-day Willamette University . A ten-person board of trustees was created; they selected the Wallace House three miles north of Salem to serve as the school. Later in 1844,

2223-428: A joint expedition in 1831, with intentions to establish a company for fur trading and developing a salmon fishery to rival New England's cod fishery. Organizing the expedition suffered delays and it never took place. In 1832 Wyeth decided to proceed on his own with an independent expedition. With a company of 70-100 men, he intended to establish a fishery and trading post on the Columbia River near its confluence with

2394-669: A joint military occupation of the islands. Kaiser Wilhelm I of the German Empire was selected as an arbitrator to end the dispute, with a three-man commission ruling in favor of the United States in 1872. There the Haro Strait became the border line, rather than the British-favored Rosario Strait . The border established by the Oregon Treaty and finalized by the arbitration in 1872 remains

2565-641: A meeting on 10 May 1840 the missionaries were given their appointments. After returning Lee ordered the abandonment of Mission Bottom to the Mission Mill or Willamette station in what is now Salem . Two new stations were ordered to begin missionary operations, the Clatsop Mission and Nisqually Mission . George Abernethy was appointed steward of the secular services of the Mission, allowing for Lee to focus on proselytization. Methodist commercial activities reached their zenith, with two timber mills and

2736-531: A meeting with General William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition per the instructions of their tribe. General Clark was trusted, having met with their fathers and hearing the stories of his greatness from them. They viewed him as "the first great chief of the white man to visit their nation" and wanted to inquire about the "book of which they were informed by the hunters, which the Great Spirit had given

2907-496: A number of factors, including traditional distrust of the British and a belief that the U.S. had the better claim and would make better use of the land. The debate was not strictly divided along party or sectional lines, with many who clamored for the 54°40′ border were Northerners upset at Polk's willingness to compromise on the Pacific Northwest border. Polk's uncompromising pursuit of Texas, an acquisition seen favorable for Southern slave owners, angered many advocates of 54°40′, as

3078-400: A personal friend, on 26 February 1846, that it would be a "stupendous folly and enormous crime" for the two nations to declare war over the Pacific Northwest. During the height of tensions with the United States in 1845 and 1846, there were at least five Royal Navy vessels operating in the Pacific Northwest. The 80-gun ship-of-the-line HMS  Collingwood was deployed to Valparaíso under

3249-484: A post at Fort William , in present-day Portland , Oregon , as part of a plan for a new trading and fisheries company. In 1837, unable to compete with the powerful British Hudson's Bay Company , based at Fort Vancouver , Wyeth sold both posts to it. Great Britain and the United States both operated in the Oregon Country in these years. After being included in United States territory in 1846 upon settlement of

3420-745: A speech in Peoria, Illinois , Thomas Adams fell ill and stayed there to recover. His stories of the lands west of the Rocky Mountains helped inspire the Peoria Party . Lee also lectured along the way and on the East Coast , leading to the raising of $ 42,000 for the missionary efforts. The lectures included speeches from William Brooks, and both speakers tended focused more on public donations than amassing pioneers to head West. The Board continued this theme in an advertisement recruiting farmers for

3591-527: A time when the European continental balance was a far more pressing problem, a costly war with a major trading partner was not popular with the British government. Aberdeen and McLane quickly worked out a compromise and sent it to the United States. Pakenham and Buchanan drew up a formal treaty, known as the Oregon Treaty, which was ratified by the Senate on June 18, 1846, by a vote of 41–14. The mainland border

SECTION 20

#1732779975970

3762-520: Is claimed by Great Britain as part of its territories ..." and additionally stated the intention of the NWC to build a trading post there. Fort Nez Percés was later established at the location in 1818. The American Pacific Fur Company (PFC) began operations in 1811 at Fort Astoria , constructed at the entrance of the Columbia River. The eruption of the War of 1812 did not lead to a violent confrontation in

3933-538: Is not far distant when the last deathwail will proclaim their universal extermination." It is often said that on September 28, 1834, Rev. Jason Lee preached the first Protestant sermon on the Pacific coast, yet, to be precise, he was perhaps fifty miles from the Pacific coast. Lee ignored the missionary board's instructions and set up a mission located 60 miles up the Willamette River from its junction with

4104-649: Is now Vancouver, Washington . Lee and his companions were greeted by Chief Factor John McLoughlin , district director of the HBC. McLoughlin recommended the Willamette Valley as a better spot for settlement than the area to the north where the Flathead lived. Upon entering the valley, the Methodists came in contact with the Kalapuya , residents of the Willamette Valley . Epidemics of malaria had begun to afflict

4275-583: The Nikolai , with the captain "ordered to explore the coast south of Vancouver Island, barter with the natives for sea otter pelts, and if possible discover a site for a permanent Russian post in the Oregon Country." The ship wrecked on the Olympic Peninsula and the surviving crew did not return to New Archangel for two years. The failure of the vessel to find a suitable location led to

4446-780: The Aroostook War and formulated the Webster–Ashburton Treaty . At the final session of the 27th Congress on 19 December 1842, Linn presented a similar bill to colonize the Pacific Northwest, as he put it, "by the Anglo-American race, which will extend our limits from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean." Arguments over the bill lasted over a month, and it was eventually passed in the Senate 24–22. In opposition to Linn's bill, Calhoun famously declared that

4617-620: The California sea lion , North American beaver and the Northern fur seal were used to create an economic network called the maritime fur trade . The fur trade would remain the main economic interest that drew Euro-Americans to the Pacific Northwest for decades. Merchants exchanged goods for fur pelts along the coast with indigenous nations such as the Chinookan people , the Aleuts and

4788-621: The Columbia . The original mission became known as either the Willamette Mission or Mission Bottom. Missionaries untrained in manual labor slowly built log cabins and a school before the first winter set in. Lee remarked, "Men never worked harder or performed less." At the request of the superintendent, the Board changed the Mission's designation to "Oregon Mission" on October 21, 1835. In March 1836, Rev. Lee wrote to Dr. Fisk telling of

4959-730: The Columbia River and the Puget Sound their modern names and charted them in the 1790s. Overland explorations were commenced by the British Alexander Mackenzie in 1792 and later followed by the American Lewis and Clark expedition, which reached the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805. These explorers often claimed in the name of their respective governments sovereignty over the Northwest Coast. The knowledge of fur-bearing animal populations like

5130-637: The Democratic Party proposed ending the Oregon Question by annexing the entire area. The U.S. Whig Party , in contrast, evinced no interest in the question – due, some scholars have claimed, to the Whig view that it was unimportant compared to other domestic problems. The Democratic candidate, James K. Polk , invoked the popular theme of manifest destiny and appealed to voters' expansionist sentiments in pressing for annexation, and defeated

5301-653: The Gulf Islands from the United States. As a result, a small portion of the Tsawwassen Peninsula , Point Roberts , became an exclave of the United States. Vague wording in the treaty left the ownership of the San Juan Islands in doubt, as the division was to follow "through the middle of the said channel" to the Strait of Juan de Fuca . During the so-called Pig War , both nations agreed to

Methodist Mission in Oregon - Misplaced Pages Continue

5472-607: The Louisiana Purchase gave them an incontestable claim to the region. British diplomats wanted a border further south along the Columbia River , so as to maintain the North West Company 's (later the Hudson's Bay Company 's (HBC)) control of the lucrative fur trade along that river. The diplomatic teams could not agree upon mutually satisfactory terms and remained in deadlock by October. Albert Gallatin ,

5643-781: The Methodist Episcopal Church , now the United Methodist Church . He was appointed superintendent of the newly created "Aboriginal Mission west of the Rocky Mountains" to preach to the Salish. The entrepreneur Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth was contacted by the Methodists to travel overland with his party and to ship supplies around Cape Horn on Wyeth's ship May Dacre , a proposition he agreed to. The now Rev. Lee left Boston for St. Louis in March 1834 with Daniel Lee, to rendezvous with Wyeth and his group. Along

5814-592: The Mormon Exodus had already begun in Illinois and Missouri. U.S. Army forces were assigned to send patrols and safeguard the road. In the following years, the number of emigrant wagon trains increased dramatically as the migration of people increased to the West. Fort Hall became a welcome stop along the trail for hundreds of thousands of emigrants. It continued as an important trading post for mountain men and

5985-654: The Nuu-chah-nulth . A series of expeditions to the Pacific Northwest were financed by the Spanish to strengthen their claims to the region. Creating a colony called Santa Cruz de Nuca on Vancouver Island , the Spanish were the first European colonisers of the Pacific Northwest outside Russian America to the north. A period of tensions with the United Kingdom, called the Nootka Crisis , arose after

6156-492: The Provisional Government of Oregon , a settler organization based in the Willamette Valley . Jason Lee's leadership was criticized by members attached to various posts; his failure to provide adequate financial accounting led to his dismissal in 1843 as superintendent. To reduce the financial burdens on the church, many mission stations were abandoned and the commercial activities were sold off in 1844. While

6327-605: The Qing Empire and the Tokugawa shogunate . His interest in the distant region likely began after meeting former PFC employee Russell Farnham . Floyd had the support of fellow Virginian Representative Thomas Van Swearingen and Representative Thomas Metcalfe of Kentucky . The bill was presented to both the House and to President Monroe . In the House, Floyd's bill was defended by one member who stated that it did not "attempt

6498-591: The Rocky Mountain Fur Company , its agents at the rendezvous refused to accept his goods. They paid only to cover the advance and the forfeit, claiming that they were dissolving the business. Wyeth notified Tucker & Williams of the problems. As he was left with stocks of goods, he advised them of his intention to go west about 150 miles (240 km) to the Snake River country (present-day southeastern Idaho) and try to do business there. He

6669-678: The Russo-British Treaty of 1825 , and the Spanish signed the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, by which Russia and Spain formally withdrew their respective territorial claims in the region, and the British and the Americans acquired residual territorial rights in the disputed area. But the question of sovereignty over a portion of the North American Pacific coast was still contested between the United Kingdom and

6840-402: The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs , held discussions with Governor Pelly of the HBC as to a potential settlement with the United States. Pelly felt a border along the Snake and Columbia Rivers was advantageous for the United Kingdom and his company. Contacting American minister Rufus King in April 1826, Canning requested that a settlement be reached over the Oregon dispute. Gallatin

7011-408: The South Pass of the Rocky Mountains. This route had been rediscovered by trappers in 1824. It led back to the North Platte River valley, which was being developed as a key route in connecting the East by a wagon road to the Oregon Country . The Platte Rivers were chief transportation corridors, and the river valleys provided level land for wagons. This was the route for 500 miles (800 km) from

Methodist Mission in Oregon - Misplaced Pages Continue

7182-445: The War of 1812 , called for the joint occupation of the region for ten years. As the expiration of the Joint Occupation treaty approached, a second round of negotiations commenced in 1824. American Minister Richard Rush offered for the extension of agreement with an additional clause on 2 April. The 51° parallel would be a provisional border within the Pacific Northwest, with no British additional settlements to be established south of

7353-455: The Whig Party led to Webster's disinterest in continuing to act as the Secretary of State and his plan was shelved. The American minister to the UK, Edward Everett , was given authority to negotiate with British officials to settle the Oregon Question in October 1843. Meeting with Prime Minister Robert Peel 's Foreign Secretary , Earl of Aberdeen on 29 November, Everett presented the terms considered by President John Tyler . The old offer of

7524-438: The Willamette Cattle Company in 1837 to bring over 600 head of cattle to the Willamette Valley, with about half of its shares purchased by McLoughlin. Over 700 U.S settlers arrived via the Oregon Trail in the " Great Migration of 1843 ". The Provisional Government of Oregon was established in the Willamette Valley during 1843 as well. Its rule was limited to those interested Americans and former French-Canadian HBC employees in

7695-407: The 1824 treaty, that no American settlement would be established on the coast or adjacent island north of 54°40′, and no Russian settlement to the south (Russian Fort Ross was in Alta California , Mexico, and was outside the purview of the treaty). The treaty did not make any explicit statements about sovereignty or territorial claims. The 1825 treaty with Britain was more strongly worded and defined

7866-418: The 49th parallel U.S. citizens. Henry Commager appraised the factors leading to the settlement as "a combination of temporary, fortuitous, and circumstantial phenomena, extraneous to the local situation, largely outside of American control, and foreign to American influence." Canadian Hugh Ll. Keenleyside and American Gerald S. Brown wrote a century after the treaty that under the existing conditions, [it]

8037-427: The 49th parallel to the Pacific Ocean. U.S. Secretary of State James Buchanan on 12 July offered the British any desired ports on the portion of Vancouver Island south of this line, though navigation rights of the Columbia River were not included. Because this proposal fell short of the Tyler administration's earlier offer, Pakenham rejected the offer without first contacting London. Offended, Polk officially withdrew

8208-431: The 49th parallel was once more presented, along with a guarantee to free access to the Columbia River. However during President Tyler's State of the Union address that year on 6 December, he claimed "the entire region of country lying on the Pacific and embraced within 42° and 54°40′ of north latitude". After receiving this declaration, Aberdeen began to consult with the committee and Governor Pelly, previously left out of

8379-418: The American minister in the United Kingdom, reported to Buchanan on 2 February that the British were prepared "to commission immediately some thirty ships-of-the-line in addition to steamers and other vessels held in reserve". Polk's bluff had been called. American diplomat Edward Everett contacted the Whig leader John Russell on 28 December 1845, supporting a revision of the American offer so as to allow

8550-432: The Americans. He felt the recognition of American rights to ownership of Astoria, despite its continued use by the NWC and later HBC, was "absolutely unjustifiable". This diplomatic courtesy Canning felt weakened the territorial claims of the United Kingdom. A border along the Columbia River would give "an immense direct intercourse between China and what may be, if we resolve not yield them up, her boundless establishments on

8721-412: The British government should offer terms to settle the dispute. Despite the cooling diplomatic relations, a repeat of the War of 1812 was not popular with either nation's government. Time was of the essence, because it was well known that the Peel government would fall with the impending repeal of the Corn Laws in the United Kingdom, and then negotiations would have to begin again with a new ministry. At

SECTION 50

#1732779975970

8892-421: The British to keep the entirety of Vancouver Island. He warned Russell that influence among the Whigs could stifle the negotiations. "If you choose to rally the public opinion of England against this basis of compromise, it will not be easy for Sir R. Peel and Lord Aberdeen to agree to it." While still considering the Columbia River important for British interests, Russell assured Aberdeen of his support in settling

9063-407: The Columbia Department) from their headquarters at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. As the British did not want American pioneers in Oregon, the HBC managers newly installed at Fort Hall discouraged pioneers. They showed new emigrants the abandoned wagons of earlier emigrants who lost their oxen. They were forced to proceed on foot with any remaining domestic animals. In 1843, Marcus Whitman ,

9234-480: The Columbia River with members of his expedition. They encountered the Methodist missionary Jason Lee on his way to start the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley . Once Wyeth reached the lower Columbia, he built Fort William to serve as the 'envisioned' "regular rendezvous point" on the Columbia. The HBC had been trapping in the Snake country for years. Using its trading post at Fort Boise , it drove Wyeth's company out of business, and he sold Fort Hall to

9405-422: The Columbia River. Without the protection of the American government, a "good community" would not form and only "the reckless and unprincipled adventurer..." would move to the region the address warned. Upon entering the United States in Missouri a messenger dispatched from John McLoughlin informed Lee that his wife Anna Maria Pittman Lee and infant child died in June. While the Methodists and Chinooks were holding

9576-410: The Columbia basin (most of New Caledonia lay south of 54°40'N). The HBC's headquarters for the entire region became established at Fort Vancouver (modern Vancouver, Washington ) in 1824. During that year George Simpson while discussing the company's "uncertain tenure of the Columbia" with Governor Colville , discussed the possibility of closing operations along the river. "If the Americans settle on

9747-508: The French-Canadians. François Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers reached the region in 1838 and held the first mass at the St. Paul church in January 1839. By the end of 1837 Lee was leading a community divided about his leadership. The community advised him to return to the east as it "would result advantageously to himself and the mission." Additionally a petition was sent to him from fellow missionaries advising he resign as superintendent. In March 1838, Jason Lee and Phillip Edwards began

9918-467: The HBC Fort Umpqua . After the Lausanne and its passengers arrived in Oregon, Gustavus Hines and Rev. William W. Kone were appointed to work in the region. A party was organized in August 1840 composed of Jason Lee, a native guide, Hines and White to find a suitable location for the mission. The group was greeted at Fort Umpqua by Jean Baptiste Gagnier and his wife Angelique, a daughter of an Umpqua chief, acted as an interpreter for them. While meeting with

10089-407: The HBC headed to the annual rendezvous the party spent several weeks at the ABCFM missionary posts ran by Henry H. Spalding and Marcus Whitman . On this journey they carried a petition signed by 36 pioneer farmers from both the American and French-Canadian communities along with members of the Methodist mission asking the United States Congress to create a territory out of Oregon lying south of

10260-398: The HBC was an economic threat to American commercial interests in the west. ... so long as the traders of the British Fur Company have free access to the region of the Rocky Mountains from the various posts ... they will in great measure monopolize the Fur Trade West of the Mississippi , to the almost entire exclusion in the next few years of our trade. The 1844 presidential election

10431-415: The HBC. The peak of the fur market had already passed, as furs were becoming scarce due to over trapping and European demand had declined due to changes in taste. Having struggled to keep workers and failed to make enough money, in August 1837, Wyeth sold both his forts to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). It controlled most of the fur trade in the Oregon Country (which they called the Columbia District or

SECTION 60

#1732779975970

10602-455: The Kalapuya and neighboring Chinookan peoples of the Lower Columbia region starting in 1830, and continued throughout the decade. While accurate reports of population numbers of local indigenous peoples are few, the diseases certainly decimated their populations. Upon visiting the various indigenous tribes of the Lower Columbia region, Daniel Lee reported that they were the "most degraded human beings that we have met", and concluded that "the time

10773-403: The Mission on September 7, 1837. As the number of members increased, missionaries added a large granary and hospital to Mission Bottom and eventually a small retail store was opened. Surplus manufactured goods were traded for items such as lumber or food stuffs with the French Canadian settlers and the Native Americans. The mission also began to provide for the protection of American immigrants in

10944-441: The Missionary Board once more. While in the Kingdom of Hawaii he learned from Ira Babcock of his dismissal and replacement. Shortly after reading the letter, the former superintendent crossed Mexico and reached New York City in May 1844. During a conference with his superiors in June, it was determined that Lee would not be given his position back until after a financial report from Gary arrived. Lee began to collect donations for

11115-520: The Missouri River fur ports at Independence and St. Joseph , Missouri . Other emigrants went overland starting from St. Louis , Missouri, where the fur companies and emigrant suppliers were based. The Native Americans had used South Pass, as well as a more northerly trail which they had guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition to follow during their 1804–1806 journey into Oregon and to the Pacific Coast. It had frequent obstacles, turns and switchbacks, making it difficult for wagon trains, mules and oxen,

11286-535: The N. W. Coast of America". Huskisson was appointed along with Henry Unwin Addington to negotiate with Gallatin. Unlike his superior, Canning, Huskisson held a negative view of the HBC monopoly and found the region held in dispute with the Americans "of little consequence to the British". At the time the HBC's staff were the only continuous white occupants in the region, though their economic activities were not utilized by Huskinisson in exchanges with Gallatin. The division suggested by Pelly and Canning's 1824 offer of

11457-401: The Native Americans of the region, in particular the Shoshone . In 1846, the Oregon Treaty settled boundaries in the Northwest between Great Britain (Canada) and the United States; Fort Hall was included within the US and its territories. From 1849 to 1850, Cantonment Loring, a US military camp, was located three miles (5 km) downriver from Fort Hall. Its garrison was assigned to protect

11628-495: The North West Coast" and avoid any potential confrontations with American settlers. On May 5, Fisgard reached Fort Victoria, later moving to Fort Nisqually on the 18th, where it remained until October. Sent to aid other British vessels navigate difficult channels and rivers, HMS  Cormorant , a paddle steamer , arrived at the Strait of Juan de Fuca in June. Two survey ships were dispatched from Plymouth in June 1845, HMS  Herald and HMS  Pandora , for charting

11799-404: The Northwest. Fort Hall is considered the most important trading post in the Snake River Valley . It was included within the Fort Hall Indian Reservation under the treaty of 1867. No building remains at either of its sites. The Old Fort Hall site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and the New Fort Hall site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . This area

11970-431: The Oregon Country. Because of the Oregon boundary dispute between the United States and Great Britain, the region was open to settlement and economic activity, but not any formal claims. In practice, the Hudson's Bay Company maintained an effective monopoly on trade in the region. The British company controlled the Columbia River 's watershed. It shut out the independent trapper-trader mountain men and cut severely into

12141-399: The Oregon Question. While Everett's was influential in this political move, Russell felt it was, as Frederick Merk stated, "prudent Whig policy" to support Aberdeen in this case. Although Polk had called on Congress in December 1845 to pass a resolution notifying the British of the termination of joint occupancy agreement, it was not until April 23, 1846 that both houses complied. The passage

12312-708: The Oregon Trail, but the camp was abandoned due to long-distance supply difficulties. Instead the Army dispatched expeditions from Oregon to guard the trail to Fort Hall during each summer after 1855, as the migrations continued. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, emigrant traffic declined and the Army abandoned Fort Hall. It was briefly occupied by the Volunteer soldiers of the Union Army . Flood waters of

12483-527: The Oregon Treaty were essentially the same ones that had been offered earlier by the Tyler administration, and thus represented a diplomatic victory for Polk. However, Polk has often been criticized for his handling of the Oregon Question. Historian Sam W. Haynes characterizes Polk's policy as " brinkmanship " which "brought the United States perilously close to a needless and potentially disastrous conflict". David M. Pletcher notes that while Polk's bellicose stance

12654-587: The Oregon boundary, however undesirable, would be decided, like the War of 1812, on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. and the Great Lakes. The Royal Navy's presence on the Atlantic seaboard was not as numerically prominent as the American forces, yet its overall superiority to the U.S. Navy was decisive upon American decision-making during the crisis, especially their decision to compromise. Louis McLane ,

12825-461: The Pacific Northwest between the competing companies. Led by Donald Mackenzie , PFC officers agreed to liquidate its assets to their NWC competitors, with an agreement signed on 23 November 1813. HMS  Racoon was ordered to capture Fort Astoria, though by the time it arrived, the post was already under NWC management. After the collapse of the PFC, American mountain men operated in small groups in

12996-472: The Pacific Northwest offered a means of mollifying Northern fears of allowing Texas, another slave state , by a counterbalance of additional free states. Democratic candidate James K. Polk went on to win a narrow victory over Whig candidate Henry Clay , in part because Clay had taken a stand against immediate expansion in Texas. Despite the use of the Oregon Question in the election, according to Edward Miles,

13167-537: The Pacific Northwest. Lord Stanley , the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies , favored the plan, declaring that the HBC had to finance military operations west of Sault Ste. Marie . Aberdeen had no intention of going to war over a region that was of diminishing economic value to the United Kingdom. Furthermore the United States was an important trading partner, especially with the need of American wheat in

13338-458: The Pacific Northwest. The arrival of Baron Ashburton in April 1842, sent to resolve several territorial disputes with the United States, delayed Linn's legislation. Initially focusing on the Pacific Northwest, Ashburton presented Secretary of State Daniel Webster the 1824 partition proposal made by Canning of a division along the Columbia River. Webster rejected the offer for the same reasons it

13509-537: The President was a Southerner and a slave owner. As historian David M. Pletcher noted, "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight" seemed to be directed at the southern aristocracy in the U.S. as much as at the United Kingdom. Moderates like Webster warned that the U.S. could not win a war against the British Empire , and that negotiation could still achieve U.S. territorial goals. Webster confided to Viscount Ossington ,

13680-528: The Presidential politics with Democrats demanding a settlement of the " Oregon Question " and proposing a border far to the north of today's boundary between the United States and Canada. The election year's slogans and bad press, Democratic hawks' control of the U.S. legislatures , the steep decrease in fur market demand, and finally the declaration of war by Mexico over the annexation of their rebel state of Texas all had an accelerating effect greasing

13851-585: The Russians to not consider much of the Northwest coast worth colonizing. Their interest in the Puget Sound and the Columbia River was diverted to Alta California, with Fort Ross soon established. The Russo-American Treaty of 1824 and the 1825 Treaty of Saint Petersburg with the British formally created the southern border of Russian America at parallel 54°40′ north. Specifically, it was agreed, in

14022-558: The Salt Lake and Boise roads. In 1867, the United States established the Fort Hall Indian Reservation for displaced Boise and Bruneau Shoshone, with local Shoshone and Bannock included under an 1868 treaty. They had suffered years of encroachment on their territory by European American settlers. The town of Fort Hall developed about 11 miles (18 km) east of the old trading post and fort; both are within

14193-679: The Snake River and about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of the old Fort Hall. Captain James Edward Putnam and a company of soldiers built the new facility. Army soldiers were garrisoned to protect stagecoach travelers, the US mail , and workers going to mining areas in the Northwest. The Army abandoned the fort on June 11, 1883. The federal government transferred the land and barracks to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which adapted

14364-470: The Snake River washed away the Old Fort Hall in 1863. Fort Hall was rebuilt in 1864, on Spring Creek just north of the original Fort Hall. The old fort was taken apart to construct the new fortified stage station. The following year, the site was abandoned. The Volunteer troops moved to Camp Lander until 1866. It was located three miles (5 km) southeast of the original Fort Hall, at the junction of

14535-577: The Spanish created the Catholic Missions to create colonies in Alta California . Plans for creating Russian colonies in what became the modern American states of Washington and Oregon were formulated by Nikolai Rezanov . He aimed to relocate the primary colony of Russian America to the entrance of the Columbia River, but was unable to enter the river in 1806 and the plan was abandoned. In 1808 Alexander Andreyevich Baranov sent

14706-550: The Spanish seized a British vessel. However the three Nootka Conventions averted conflict, with both countries agreeing to protect their mutual access to Friendly Cove against outside powers. While the Spanish colony was abandoned, a border delineating the northern reaches of New Spain was not included. Despite the Nootka Conventions still allowing the Spanish to establish colonies in the region, no more attempts were made as other geopolitical and domestic matters drew

14877-607: The Territory of Oregon is clear and unquestionable; that no portion of the same ought to be ceded to England or any other power, and that the reoccupation of Oregon and the re-annexation of Texas at the earliest practicable period are great American measures". By tying the Oregon dispute to the more controversial Texas debate, the Democrats appealed to expansionist members from both the Northern and Southern states. Enlargement in

15048-553: The U.S. government should pursue a policy of "wise and masterly inactivity" in Oregon, letting settlement determine the eventual boundary. Many of Calhoun's fellow Democrats , however, soon began to advocate a more direct approach. By early 1843, Webster returned to the Oregon Question, formalising a plan that included the 1826 British offer of the Olympic Peninsula enclave and the purchase of Alta California from Mexico. The increasing hostility President Tyler had with

15219-562: The Umpquas, one chief stressed that their reputation of being "a bad people" was undeserved and they desired for a priest. The negative impression of the Umpquas was gained after the murder of the majority of a fur trapping party under Jedediah Smith in 1828. The Methodists however never opened a station among the Umpquas, with Hines concluding: The Umpqua tribe, but a few years ago numbering several hundred, by disease and their family wars has been reduced to less than seventy-five souls. Under

15390-616: The United States. The disputed area was defined as the region west of the Continental Divide of the Americas , north of Mexico's Alta California border of 42nd parallel north , and south of Russian America at parallel 54°40′ north. The British generally called this region the Columbia District and the Americans generally called it Oregon Country . During the 1844 United States presidential election campaign,

15561-456: The Whig candidate, Henry Clay . Polk then sent the British government an offer to agree on a partition along the 49th parallel (which had been previously offered). However, the resulting negotiations soon faltered: the British still pressed for a border along the Columbia River. Tensions grew as American expansionists, such as Senator Edward A. Hannegan of Indiana and Representative Leonard Henly Sims of Missouri , urged Polk to annex

15732-767: The Willamette River (part of present-day Portland, Oregon). Related plans were to supply trade goods to trappers in the Rocky Mountains and possibly slaughter and dry bison for export to Cuba. A major investor in the fishery/trading post enterprise was Henry Hall, a partner of the Boston firm Tucker & Williams & Henry Hall. In addition to fur trading, they planned to export salmon to New England and Hawaii . In 1832, Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville and his party had first taken wagons over

15903-546: The apathy or opposition of other Congressional members, one in particular being tabled for consideration by a vote of 100 to 61. Missouri Senator Thomas H. Benton became a vocal supporter of Floyd's efforts, and thought that they would "plant the germ of a powerful and independent Power beyond the Rockies". John C. Calhoun , then Secretary of War , while somewhat interested in Floyd's considered bills, gave his opinion to that

16074-606: The area by appointing a magistrate and constable in 1838. John Sutter , while traveling to Alta California , visited the Mission Bottom over several weeks in 1838. Lee also preached and performed marriages and baptisms for the Catholic French-Canadian settlers of the French Prairie . There were no Catholic priests yet in the Willamette Valley, thus the Methodists were the first priests to engage

16245-599: The attention of the authorities. With the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, the Spanish formally withdrew all formal claims to lands north of the 42° north . The Imperial Russian government established the Russian-American Company in 1799, a monopoly among Russian subjects for fur trading operations in Russian America with the Ukase of 1799 . In part from the growing Russian activities to the north,

16416-561: The base of operations for forays into the Great Plains , an expansive region then only lightly colonized by Americans. A militia composed of Métis riflemen and neighboring First Nations like the Ojibwe would be created, along with a garrison of Regular Army infantry. To secure the Pacific Northwest and the Columbia River, Simpson felt Cape Disappointment was of critical importance. A naval force of two steamboats and two ships of

16587-703: The boundary between Russian and British possessions in North America, which ran north from 54°40′ through what is now the Alaska Panhandle to the 141st meridian west , then along that line north to the Arctic Ocean. Neither the Russian nor Spanish empires held significant plans at promoting colonies along the Northwest Coast by the 1810s. The British and the Americans were the remaining two nations with citizens active in commercial operations in

16758-592: The boundary between the United States and Canada in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Question originated in the 18th century during the early European or American exploration of the Pacific Northwest . Various empires began to consider the area suitable for colonial expansion, including the Americans, Russians, Spanish and British. Naval captains such as the Spanish Juan José Pérez Hernández , British George Vancouver and American Robert Gray gave defining regional water formations like

16929-454: The buildings as an Indian boarding school . This was part of a late-nineteenth century movement to establish residential schools for immersion education of Native American children to learn the English language and European-American culture. The buildings were eventually relocated to Ross Fork Creek within the reservation. None of the original buildings remains at either site; the 1870 site

17100-459: The coast of the Americas. The vessels reached Cape Flattery on 24 June 1846. Cormorant towed Herald to Fort Victoria three days later. Herald and Pandora spent several months charting Puget Sound and Vancouver Island until 2 September, when the vessels sailed for Alta California. Fisgard and Cormorant both departed for Valparaíso in October. As Modeste was the only British ship in

17271-487: The commander in chief, Rear Admiral Sir George Seymour , in 1845, with orders to report on the situation in the region. HMS  America , under the command of Captain John Gordon (younger brother Foreign Secretary Aberdeen), was therefore sent north that year. Roderick Finlayson gave a tour of Vancouver Island to the visiting naval officers, where Gordon aired his negative appraisal of the Northwest region. During

17442-583: The common beasts of burden for the emigrants. The 1834 trappers' rendezvous was held at a meadow around Hams Fork, (near present-day Granger, Wyoming ); the annual events were occasions for sales between mountain men , who were independent trappers and traders, and agents of the fur companies, who bought the furs and supplied the traders with goods. The rendezvous were organized by the fur companies and were several-day affairs that were business, but festive in nature and oiled by alcohol. In July 1834, Wyeth found that, despite his contract with Milton Sublette of

17613-473: The diplomatic wrangling and finally putting an Administration-sponsored treaty before the Senate which set the current boundary, where it was quickly adopted under the wartime congressional session. No one saw any reason to embarrass their own parties or President , and fighting two wars in widely different geographic theaters was nonsensical. The treaty triggered an explosion of settlers heading west in 1846, and

17784-506: The division of the Oregon and California Conference in 1852, California already surpassed Oregon for number of Methodist converts. With the flood in 1861 , all buildings at the Mission Bottom site were washed away except the granary and hospital. Today the site is preserved as Willamette Mission State Park . Some of the original structures of the Willamette station may be seen at Mission Mill Museum located in Salem. A city street and

17955-487: The east, and Pocatello developed about thirty miles (50 km) south on the Portneuf River . In the 1860s, Fort Hall was the key post for the overland stage, mail and freight lines to the towns and camps of the mining frontier in the Pacific Northwest. In 1870, a New Fort Hall was constructed to carry out that function; it was located about 25 miles to the northeast. It protected stagecoach, mail and travelers to

18126-439: The entire Pacific Northwest all the way to the 54°40′ parallel north (which is what the Democrats had called for during the presidential campaign). These tensions gave rise to slogans such as "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!" At the same time, U.S. relations with Mexico were rapidly deteriorating as a result of the recent U.S. annexation of Texas . This gave rise to a concern that the U.S. might have to fight two wars on two fronts at

18297-522: The fate of the San Juan Islands in question. After the " Pig War ", arbitration by Kaiser William I of the German Empire led to the Treaty of Washington , which awarded the United States all the islands. Upper Canada politicians and public, already angry with the Oregon Treaty, were once again upset that Britain had not looked after their interests and sought greater autonomy in international affairs. The boundary between British and American territory

18468-520: The financial history of the mission, Lee admitted he "was not accountant enough to understand..." No action by the Methodist Church was taken until July 1843, when Rev. George Gary was appointed as the new superintendent. The board wanted a "more full and satisfactory account of this Mission, than our present information will permit" and instructed Gary "to curtail the secular departments of the mission..." In early 1844 Lee determined to meet with

18639-449: The growing farms, the students also hunted game for the mission. The initial class had 14 Native students though during the summer upwards of 40 were in attendance. Over the years illness from exposure to new diseases killed many students, and some ran away. Relatives of deceased students sometimes blamed the Methodists and occasionally attempted to get revenge, though no acts of violence have been recorded. Shepard died on January 1, 1840, and

18810-557: The impression that the doom of extinction is suspended over this wretched race, and that the hand of Providence is removing them to give place to a people more worthy of this beautiful and fertile country,... When the housing at the Mission Bottom was complete, the Indian Mission School was built to be used to teach the Native American children the ways of Western society. Cyrus Shepard became the first teacher of

18981-515: The indigenous peoples of the region. The grain and timber mills were sold for $ 6,000 to a pioneer who resided in Oregon for the previous two years. The extensive herds of horse and cattle brought another $ 4,200 for the treasury. The majority of the plots claimed by the Methodists in Oregon City were sold to John McLoughlin for $ 6,000. The Clatsop mission was purchased by its missionary Rev. Parrish, who settled there. The Indian Labor School building

19152-624: The large warship. Relations were improved when the officers organised a ball at Vancouver on February 3, 1846, later theatrical performances by the ship's crew, including Love in a Village and The Mock Doctor , along with picnics . HMS  Fisgard was the first reinforcement, ordered from the Pacific Station by Rear Admiral Seymour in January 1846. Captain Duntze was to "afford Protection to Her Majesty's Subjects in Oregon and

19323-452: The late 1820s, Hall J. Kelley of Boston was among men who became interested in commercial possibilities in the Oregon Country , described by a later historian as offering a "field of exploitation for adventurous capital". He recruited Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth , an inventor and businessman who had made the ice industry successful in Boston, to his plan to invest in an expedition to the Northwest where they would make their fortunes. They planned

19494-481: The leadership of Dr. Elijah White . Included in the party was White's wife, William H. Willson , Anna Maria Pittman , Alanson Beers , Susan Downing, and Elvira Johnson. Several marriages were soon contracted, with a double marriage ceremony of Jason Lee to Anna Pittman and Cyrus Shepard to Susan Downing occurring on June 16, 1837. A second group consisting of a teacher, Margaret Jewett Smith Bailey , and two more ministers, David Leslie and H. K. W. Perkins, arrived at

19665-409: The legislature, "most of the members not considering it a serious proceeding", it did not pass. Floyd continued to authorise legislation calling for an American colony on the Pacific. His career as a Representative ended in 1829, with the Oregon Question not discussed at Congress until 1837. The northern border proposed by Floyd was at first the 53° , and later 54°40′. These bills were still met with

19836-510: The line would bring a detachment of Royal Marines to create a coastal battery there. Recruitment was hoped by Simpson to gain a force led by Regular Army officers of 2,000 Métis and indigenous peoples in the region. His proposal quickly earned the interest of the British Government as he met with Prime Minister Peel and Foreign Secretary Aberdeen on April 2. £ 1,000 was awarded to lay the ground work for defensive operations in

20007-422: The line, nor any American settlements north of it. Despite Rush's offering to modify the temporary border to the 49° parallel, the British negotiators rejected his offer. His proposal was seen as the likely basis for the eventual division of the Pacific Northwest. The British plenipotentiaries William Huskisson and Stratford Canning on 29 June pressed instead for a permanent line along the 49° parallel west until

20178-403: The main American negotiator, had previously instructed to have a tentative agreement by the convening of the third session of the 15th United States Congress , set for 16 November. A final proposition was made to the British plenipotentiary , Frederick John Robinson , for the continuation of the 49th parallel west while leaving the United Kingdom, as Gallatin stated, "all the waters emptying in

20349-403: The main branch of the Columbia River. With the British formally abandoning claims south or east of the Columbia River, the Oregon Question thence became focused on what later became Western Washington and the southern portion of Vancouver Island. Rush reacted to the British proposal as unfavorably as they had to his own offer, leaving the talks at a stalemate. Throughout 1825, George Canning ,

20520-466: The main station in the Willamette Valley remained active in missionary efforts, it no longer held as much prominence in the changing political scene of Oregon. Despite failure in converting the natives west of the Rocky Mountains , the Methodist Mission played a significant role in the westward expansion of the United States of America. In 1832, four Nez Perce Indians and Salish (also known as Flatheads) traveled to St. Louis, Missouri . They sought out

20691-609: The mission, wanting only "pious" men. While in a conference with the Board Lee requested for a replacement, though the Board retained him as superintendent. Other members of the Oregon Mission had often mentioned in letters to the Board of the need to "civilize" the various native peoples before they could be converted. Lee took the opposite position in the meetings, stressing the need for conversion before "civilization" could occur. Jason Lee sailed back to Oregon in 1840 aboard

20862-430: The most recent diplomatic exchanges. In his March 1845 inaugural address , President Polk quoted from the party platform, saying that the U.S. title to Oregon was "clear and unquestionable". Tensions grew, with both sides moving to strengthen border fortifications in anticipation of war. Despite Polk's bold language, he was actually prepared to compromise, and had no real desire to go to war over Oregon. He believed that

21033-516: The mouth of the Columbia it would in my opinion be necessary to abandon the Coast [south of the river]". Simpson stated, with the company posts to "move to the Northward". At its pinnacle in the late 1830s and early 1840s, Fort Vancouver watched over 34 outposts, 24 ports, six ships, and 600 employees. The Edinburgh Review declared the Pacific Northwest "the last corner of the earth left free for

21204-425: The naval officers "had more taste for a lark than a 'musty' lecture on politics or the greater national interests in question." The Modeste visited the HBC trading posts of Forts George, Vancouver, Victoria and Simpson . Missouri Senator Lewis Linn tabled legislation in 1842, inspired in part by Floyd's previous efforts. Linn's bill called for the government to create land grants for men interested in settling

21375-473: The need for tradesmen and farmers to relieve the staff of temporal duties. This resulted in additional members being sent in 1836 and 1837. In the same year the Methodists received a small donation from McLoughlin and other employees of the HBC, hoping that God would "bless and prosper your pious endeavours." Arriving in May 1837 at Fort Vancouver on the ship Diana was a party of seven adults and four children under

21546-630: The northern boundary with Canada, Fort Hall developed as an important station for emigrants through the 1850s on the Oregon Trail ; it was located at the end of the common 500-mile (800 km) stretch from the East shared by the three far west emigrant trails . Soon after Fort Hall, the Oregon and California Trails diverged in northwesterly and southwesterly directions. An estimated 270,000 emigrants reached Fort Hall on their way west. The town of Fort Hall later developed eleven miles (18 km) to

21717-490: The occupation of a civilized race. When Oregon shall be colonised, the map of the world may be considered as filled up." Royal Navy ships were dispatched to the Pacific Northwest throughout the decades, to both expand cartographical knowledge and protect fur trading stations. The British established the Pacific Station in 1826 at Valparaíso , Chile , increasing the strategic capabilities of their navy. A squadron

21888-530: The onset of famine in Ireland . Aberdeen and Pakenham were negotiating from a position of strength. The key was the overwhelming naval power which Britain could have brought to bear against the United States, combined with a diplomatic and political landscape that ultimately favored the British government's aim of protecting their interests robustly but without resort to armed conflict. Ultimately British politicians and naval officers recognized that any conflict over

22059-408: The planned visit to the United States to recruit more laborers for the mission. With them were two Chinookan teenagers christened William Brooks and Thomas Adams along with three of Thomas Mckay's mixed race sons. Before departing Lee appointed David Leslie as acting superintendent. The group first visited the newly opened Wascopam Mission as they traveled up the Columbia. While waiting on an escort of

22230-483: The portion of Vancouver Island south of the 49th parallel or along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in return. Diplomatic channels continued negotiations throughout 1844; by early 1845 Everett reported the willingness of Aberdeen to accept the 49th parallel, provided the southern portion of Vancouver Island would become British territory. In the summer of 1845, the Polk administration renewed the proposal to divide Oregon along

22401-594: The profit margins of the larger American overland fur trading companies—mostly organized in St. Louis. Between the Hudson's Bay Company and John Jacob Astor 's near-monopoly of American fur traders with the American Fur Company , new companies regularly failed in their first half decade. Most mountain men had started to work under contract to the big companies. When Fort Hall was completed, Wyeth continued toward

22572-406: The proposal on August 30, 1845, and broke off negotiations. Aberdeen censured Pakenham for this diplomatic blunder, and attempted to renew the dialogue. By then, however, Polk was suspicious of British intentions, and under increasing political pressure not to compromise. He declined to reopen negotiations. In his annual address to Congress on December 2, 1845, Polk recommended giving the British

22743-611: The purchase from Russia on October 18, 1867, with British Columbia , established as the Colony of British Columbia on August 2, 1858. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) merged with the North West Company in 1821 and assumed its various fur trading stations. The HBC held a license among British subjects to trade with the populous aboriginal peoples of the region, and its network of trading posts and routes extended southward from New Caledonia , another HBC fur-trade district, into

22914-527: The region during 1847, the Oregon Treaty "seemed to have taken the edge off of the Royal Navy's interest in the Northwest Coast". Due to his extensive travels throughout the western stations of the HBC, Governor Pelly instructed George Simpson to draft a plan for the British Government if hostilities were to arise with the Americans. Finalizing the proposal on March 29, 1845, Simpson called for two areas to launch offensives. The Red River Colony would be

23085-612: The region with the Americans, "Oregon had been almost forgotten by the [British] politicians". American Protestant missionaries began to arrive in the 1830s and established the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley and the Whitman Mission east of the Cascades . Ewing Young created a saw mill and a grist mill in the Willamette Valley early in the 1830s. He and several other American colonists formed

23256-551: The region, typically based east of the Rocky Mountains, only to meet once a year at the annual Rocky Mountain Rendezvous . In 1818, diplomats of the two countries attempted to negotiate a boundary between the rival claims. The Americans suggested dividing the Pacific Northwest along the 49th parallel , which was the border between the United States and British North America east of the Rocky Mountains . The lack of accurate cartographic knowledge led American diplomats to declare

23427-683: The region. Expansionist competition into the region began in the 18th century, with participants including the Russian Empire , Great Britain , Spain , and the United States . After the War of 1812 , the Oregon dispute took on increased importance for diplomatic relations between the British Empire and the fledgling American republic. In the mid-1820s, the Russians signed the Russo-American Treaty of 1824 and

23598-472: The region. Starting with a party of the Montreal -based North West Company (NWC) employees led by David Thompson in 1807, the British began land-based operations and opened trading posts throughout the region. Thompson extensively explored the Columbia River watershed. While at the junction of Columbia and Snake Rivers, he erected a pole on July 9, 1811, with a notice stating "Know hereby that this country

23769-519: The required one-year notice of the termination of the joint occupation agreement. Democratic expansionists in Congress from the Midwest , led by Senators Lewis Cass of Michigan , Edward A. Hannegan of Indiana , and William Allen of Ohio , called for war with the United Kingdom rather than accepting anything short of all of Oregon up to Parallel 54°40′ north . These pronouncements were fueled by

23940-521: The reservation. In 1961, the site of the original Fort Hall, which is marked by a memorial, was declared a National Historic Landmark . A replica of the original Fort Hall was constructed in the 1960s in Pocatello, about thirty miles (50 km) away, and is operated as a public museum. On May 27, 1870, the US Army built another military Fort Hall on Lincoln Creek, twelve miles (20 km) east of

24111-410: The same time. Thus, just before the outbreak of the Mexican–American War , Polk retreated to his earlier position, calling for the Oregon border to run along the 49th parallel. The 1846 Oregon Treaty established the border between British North America and the United States along the 49th parallel until the Strait of Georgia , where the marine boundary curved south to exclude Vancouver Island and

24282-438: The school he helped form, the Oregon Institute , and while in his hometown Stanstead on March 12, 1845, he died. After holding a meeting on June 7, 1844, with the other members of the mission Gary determined to discontinue most of the operations. The Dalles and the Mission Hill stations were to remain open with the others closed. After the sales the focus of the mission turned to the settlers and away from attempting to converting

24453-414: The school in March 1835. The students came from a variety of Native tribes, which over the years included Kalapuyas , Cayuses , Chehalis , Walla Wallas , Iroquois , Shastas , Tillamooks , Klickitats , Umpquas , Chinooks , and even Hawaiians . Additionally there was participation from the children of the French-Canadian settlers and Native wives. Besides being the main source of labor for maintaining

24624-429: The school opened in the new building intended for the indigenous with Chloe A. Clark Willson as the first teacher of the school, considered the first for European-American children west of the state of Missouri. (Note: Early Oregon histories bragged that this was the first school for European Americans west of the Mississippi River, but St. Louis Academy was founded by Jesuits in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1818.) There

24795-472: The school was in doubt. An assessment by mission members was not promising with the most positive feature being "quite a number had experienced religion here and died when in school and hopefully gone to heaven." The students at that time were cultivating 34 acres fields of peas, potatoes, wheat and oats outside the school. Runaway students were treated as "criminals", and when caught "[they were] put in chains, severely whipped, &c., &c., guarded and kept in

24966-402: The school went into a decline without his teaching abilities. The school was relocated to the Mission Mill in 1842 in a building under construction with a budget of $ 40,000 planned to accommodate upwards of 300 students. A song taught to the girls of the school illustrates the limitations of using Chinook Jargon to preach religious concepts. After almost a decade of operation the viability of

25137-427: The settlement that Polk thought to gain by a firm policy. That Aberdeen was 'bluffed' by Polk is absurd." The treaty set the mainland boundary at the 49th parallel and retained Vancouver Island as British territory, but it was ambiguously phrased about the route of the boundary through the water. The treaty provided that the marine boundary would follow "the deepest channel" out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which left

25308-421: The ship Lausanne with the "Great Reinforcement". Besides the superintendent, the Lausanne brought 50 people, including needed tradesmen, teachers, and physicians along with 12 children. With this arrival the population of Mission Bottom was forty adults and fifty children. The additional missionaries and laymen, as with previous "reinforcements", allowed for more extensive operations across the Oregon Country. In

25479-419: The sound called the Gulf of Georgia." This would have awarded "all the territory draining west from the Cascade divide and north from the Columbia River divide into the gulf" and the entirety of the Puget Sound along with the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca to the United Kingdom. Robinson demurred from the proposal. However, the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, which settled most other disputes from

25650-450: The story was and that both had likely perished along the way. The visit of St. Louis by the delegation was announced by William Walker , a Wydandot Methodist, who published an article in the Christian Advocate and Journal. The editorial inspired the Methodist Episcopal Church and other churches to begin the first transcontinental missions in Oregon Country . President Wilbur Fisk of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut

25821-424: The topic was not "a significant campaign issue" as "the Whigs would have been forced to discuss it". A popular slogan later associated with Polk and his campaign of 1844, "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!" was not actually coined during the election but appeared only by January 1846 and was promoted and driven in part by the press associated with the Democratic Party. The phrase has since become frequently misidentified as

25992-452: The valley. The first attempts by the American Government for proactive action in colonising the Pacific Northwest began in 1820 during the 2nd session of the 16th Congress . John Floyd , a Representative from Virginia , spearheaded a report that would "authorize the occupation of the Columbia River, and to regulated trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes thereon." Additionally the bill called for cultivating commercial relations with

26163-406: The way two laypersons, Cyrus Shepard from Boston, Massachusetts , and Philip Leget Edwards , from Missouri were hired by Daniel to accompany them. After crossing the continent the Methodists met Thomas McKay of the British Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Wyeth's recently created Fort Hall . McKay guided the group all the way to Fort Vancouver, headquarters of the HBC Columbia district , in what

26334-401: The white man to teach them his will." General Clark was asked about the event two years later and recounted that two of the four had fallen ill and died while still in St. Louis. The other two embarked on the return journey home with word eventually returning that one had died during the voyage and the other had made it to his destination. There was speculation as to how truthful this ending of

26505-400: Was a definitive turning point for the United States. Admitting the Texas Republic by diplomatic negotiations to begin a process of annexation of Texas into the nation was a contentious topic. At the same time, the Oregon Question "became a weapon in a struggle for domestic political power". At the Democratic National Convention , the party platform asserted "That our title to the whole of

26676-411: Was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom and given instructions by Secretary of State Henry Clay in July 1826 to offer a division of the Pacific Northwest along the 49th parallel to the Pacific Ocean to the British. In a letter to Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1826, Canning presented the possibilities of trade with the Qing Empire if a division of the Pacific Northwest was to be made with

26847-414: Was considerable concern that the account of the mission had been "injudiciously managed" by the board in 1841. Additionally criticisms of Jason Lee from Elijah White , John P. Richmond, Gustavus Hines and other mission members were sent over the years to the board. While David Leslie had remained supportive of Lee, it wasn't enough to counter the negative appraisals. After receiving instructions to detail

27018-519: Was delayed especially in the Senate by contentious debate. Several Southern Senators, like William S. Archer and John M. Berrien , were wary of military capabilities of the British Empire. Ultimately a mild resolution was approved, the text of which called on both governments to settle the matter amicably. By a large margin, moderation had won out over calls for war. Unlike Western Democrats, most Congressmen—like Polk—did not want to fight for 54° 40′. The Polk administration then made it known that

27189-622: Was just and equitable. Neither nation had a clear legal title to any of the territory , and the result was practically an equal division. Great Britain was given the better harbors, and greater resources in minerals, timber, and fish; the United States received much more agricultural land, and a district that has, on the whole, a better climate. This decision, moreover, is almost unique among the solutions of American boundary troubles, in that it has been accepted with reasonable satisfaction by both nations. A better proof of its justice could hardly be demanded. [emphasis in original] The terms of

27360-503: Was long inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples . By the time of European encounter, the historic Shoshone and Bannock peoples had been occupying the area for centuries. It was called Botoode in Shoshoni . They were among the Plains peoples who had adopted horses to use as part of their nomadic and seasonal movement associated with hunting game, particularly bison . French trappers and British traders from Canada had traded with them long before American explorers arrived. In

27531-469: Was moved there and later vessels sent to the Pacific Northwest were based out of the port. HMS  Blossom was in the region during 1818. The next surveying expedition was commenced by HMS  Sulphur and HMS  Starling in 1837, with operations lasting until 1839. Dispatched from the Pacific Station to gather intelligence on the HBC posts, HMS  Modeste arrived at the Columbia River in July 1844. Chief Factor James Douglas complained that

27702-492: Was not a call for war, but such calls were soon forthcoming. After Polk's inauguration, British diplomats began to receive instructions influenced from HBC officials like Simpson, whose suggestions were transmitted through Pelly and then Aberdeen to the British Ambassador Richard Pakenham . In a letter written to Calhoun in August 1844, Pakenham pressed for a border along the Columbia River. He made an offer that likely originated from Simpson: Americans could select naval bases on

27873-492: Was not mere posturing: he genuinely believed that the U.S. had a legitimate claim to the entire region. He rejected British offers to settle the dispute through arbitration, fearing that no impartial third party could be found. Many newspaper editors in the United States clamored for Polk to claim the entire region as the Democrats had proposed in the 1844 campaign. Headlines like "The Whole of Oregon or None" by The Union editor Thomas Ritchie appeared on 6 November 1845. In

28044-427: Was previously repudiated; the division would leave the United States with no suitable locations for a large Pacific port. Webster suggested that Ashburton's proposal may have been found acceptable by the Americans, if the United States could be compensated with the Mexican owned San Francisco Bay . Ashburton passed on the offer to his superiors, but no further action was taken. Both diplomats became focused on settling

28215-417: Was seen as unsatisfactory by the Americans however. The diplomatic talks were continued but failed to divide the region in a satisfactory manner for both nations. The Treaty of 1818 was renewed on 7 August 1827, with a clause added by Gallatin that a one-year notice had to be given when either party intended to abrogate the agreement. After the death of Canning and the failure to find a satisfactory division of

28386-441: Was sending word in advance to Indian tribes to bring in buffalo robes for trading. Wyeth and his party traveled west some 150 miles (240 km) to the Snake near the mouth of the Portneuf . They constructed the wooden storehouses at Fort Hall. Wyeth named the fort after a major expedition investor, Henry Hall. They finished a palisade around the fort on July 31, 1834; it was the only outpost of European Americans in that area of

28557-437: Was set at the 49th parallel, the original U.S. proposal, with navigation rights on the Columbia River granted to British subjects living in the area. Senator William Allen, one of the most outspoken advocates of the 54° 40′ claim, felt betrayed by Polk and resigned his chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee . The signing of the treaty ended the joint occupation with the United Kingdom, making most Oregonians south of

28728-415: Was shown differently in maps at the time: Fort Hall Fort Hall was a fort in the Western United States that was built in 1834 as a fur trading post by Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth . It was located on the Snake River in the eastern Oregon Country , now part of present-day Bannock County in southeastern Idaho . Wyeth was an inventor and businessman from Boston , Massachusetts , who also founded

28899-446: Was sold to the Oregon Institute board of trustees for $ 4,000. The Wascopam Mission was sold for $ 600 to Marcus Whitman in 1847, though his death in the Whitman Massacre left the post unused and was returned to the Methodist Mission in 1849. After the reduction of the mission operations Gary requested in August 1845 a new superintendent be sent to replace him. His successor, Rev. William Roberts, appeared in June 1847 after establishing

29070-403: Was the by-product of internal American politics, the war crisis was "largely of his own creation" and might have been avoided "with more sophisticated diplomacy". According to Jesse Reeves, "Had Palmerston been in Aberdeen's position at the time of Polk's 'firm' pronouncement, Polk might have lost Oregon." Aberdeen's desire for peace and good relations with the United States "are responsible for

29241-413: Was the first church leader to respond, by advising the establishment of a mission among the "Flathead" people. A former student of his, Jason Lee, and his nephew Rev. Daniel Lee volunteered to serve as ministers in Oregon. Jason Lee was a young teacher from Ontario, Canada and was involved in missionary work to Indians in that region. Bishop Elijah Hedding ordained Lee into the New England Conference of

#969030