Columbia River Valley. 7Rom ?He Zalles to the Sea
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HISTORY of the Columbia River Valley. 7rom ?he Zalles to the Sea By FRED LOCKLEY Volume I Illustrated CHICAGO THE S.J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1928 FRED LOCKLEY as FOREWORD There is a great human interest story in the valley of the Columbia Rivera romance of early mythsof Indian life and loreof the dis-. coveries of explorers by land and seaof settlement and empire building. There can be no doubt as to the importance of preserving the early records of this district in permanent form.Historians have already recorded dates, census-takers have tabulated the increase of population and works of reference abound. But I believe there is a field for another sort of historynot one of mere facts and figures, but one full of human interest.Since boyhood I have been interested in the stories of pioneers and of pioneer life.During the past quarter of a century it has been my good fortune to meet and talk with thousands of pioneersto inter- view them and to record their experiences in the columns of the daily press.It has seemed eminently fitting to gather the information thus gained into a more complete worka summing up of thousands of per- sonal contacts and to portray in graphic form the motives, difficulties and achievements that have combined to make the Columbia River Valley what it is today.I hope that this work may help to perpetuate the memories of those who contributed to the upbuilding of the Oregon Country and may prove of interest, not only to those of us who are here today, but to our successors, who shall continue to build when we have passed on.I appreciate to the full the work that has been done by previous writers and all I can hope to do is to supplement what they have done. Scholarly critics will be able to point out innumerable faults in this book, but it is written for plain people like myself. No one can be more conscious of its shortcomings than myself.It would take a dozen volumes to adequately portray the romance, the adventure and the historical events of this region.I have borrowed freely from the works of other writers, such as Francis Fuller Victor, Captain Harry Wells, Joseph Gaston, Elwood Evans, Elizabeth Lord, Lewis R. Williams, Dr. Thomas Condon, Ira Williams, M. C. George, Captain George Vancouver, Dr. John McLoughlin, Daniel Lee, John Minto, Harvey W. Scott, and his no less brilliant son, Leslie Scott, E. W. Wright, and I have quoted at con- siderable length, from innumerable pioneers who have given me the little sidelights of history, not usually found in more formal historical works.I have not been able to discuss Jason Lee, Dr. Marcus Whitman and many other historic characters of the Oregon Country, because their sphere of activities lay outside of the district embraced in this work. You will find mistakes, though I have tried to guard against them. You will find omissions, many of which are due to limitation of space.You V vi FOREWORD will not agree with many of my statements but difference of opinion is to be expected.You will find here much unrecorded historythe nar- ratives of the pioneers of Oregonthe makers of Oregon's history. With all its faults and shortcomings, I hope that those who read this work, will find something of real value and interest in it. CONTENTS CHAPTER I Robert Gray Discovers the Columbia River 27 CHAPTER II Vancouver and Columbia River 35 CHAPTER III John Jacob Astor 45 CHAPTER IV Peter Corney's Narrative._ -- 53 CHAPTER V Reminiscences 64 CHAPTER VI The Indians of the Columbia River Valley 77 vi' viii CONTENTS CHAPTER VII Myths and Traditions of the Columbia River Indians 88 CHAPTER VIII Cathiamet on the Columbia 96 CHAPTER IX Early Navigation 102 CHAPTER X Growing Importance of Marine Traffic 109 CHAPTER XI California Steamers Carry Wheat South 117 CHAPTER XII Steamship Company Organized 129 CHAPTER XIII Steam Navigation on Puget Sound 139 CHAPTER XIV Picturesque Sailboats on the Columbia-----------150 CHAPTER XV First Steamboat Trust on the Willamette 162 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER XVI Oregon Steam Navigation Company 182 CHAPTER XVII The Steamer Beaver 200 CHAPTER XVIII Fort Vancouver in 1836 205 CHAPTER XIX John BallOregon's First Teacher 209 CHAPTER XX American Occupation of the Columbia River 216 CHAPTER XXI Wilkes' Report of the Boundary Question 220 CHAPTER XXII Astoria's Beginnings 225 CHAPTER XXIII Col. John Adair Tells of Early Days in Astoria 239 CHAPTER XXIV Astoria, Historic City at Mouth of the Columbia 243 x CONTENTS CHAPTER XXV Astoria After the Fire 250 CHAPTER XXVI Salmon Industry 260 CHAPTER XXVII The First White Settler on Clatsop P1ains___ 264 CHAPTER XXVIII First White Settlers on Clatsop Plains_ 270 CHAPTER XXIX Seaside and Gearhart, Oregon --------------274 CHAPTER XXX North Beach District. -278 CHAPTER XXXI In the Days of the Clipper Ships 282 CHAPTER XXXII Jacob Kamm, Pioneer River Man_ 286 CHAPTER XXXIII Cowlitz County, Washington 290 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER XXXIV Kelso, Washington 302 CHAPTER XXXV St. Helens, Oregon 311 CHAPTER XXXVI Longview, Washington 317 CHAPTER XXXVII Some Live Communities 332 CHAPTER XXXVIII Clark County, Washington 337 CHAPTER XXXIX City Officials of Vancouver, Washington 342 CHAPTER XL Early Days in Vancouver 351 CHAPTER XLI Dr. John McLoughlin 366 CHAPTER XLII John Minto's Experience with Dr. John McLoughlin 384 xii CONTENTS CHAPTER XLIII Vancouver Barracks 397 CHAPTER XLIV Portland and Its Early-Day Rivals 406 CHAPTER XLV Builders of Portland 416 CHAPTER XLVI Early Day Roads into Portland 428 CI-IAPTER XLVII Portland Schools 432 CHAPTER XLVIII Mayors of Portland 450 CHAPTER XLIX Portland's City Officials from Organization of the City to Date------465 CHAPTER L Portland's First Post Office 489 CHAPTER LI Portland Fire and Police Departments 494 e0NTENTS xiii CHAPTER LII Early Day Railroad Rivalry 502 CHAPTER LIII Portland Street Car Lines 507 CHAPTER LIV Amos King and His Tanyard 513 CHAPTER LV Portland Public Library 516 CHAPTER LVI Good Samaritan Hospital . 520 CHAPTER LVII Portland's Utilities 522 CHAPTER LVIII Ferries at Portland - 529 CHAPTER LIX Bridges of Portland 534 CHAPTER LX Portland's Trans-Pacific Trade 543 xiv CONTENTS CHAPTER LXI Portland Churches -553 CHAPTER LXII Methodist Church History 556 CHAPTER LXIII Presbyterian History 568 CHAPTER LXIV Catholics 579 CHAPTER LXV Ear.ly Baptist Churches 587 CHAPTER LXVI Congregationalism in Oregon 597 CHAPTER LXVII The Episcopal Church 607 CHAPTER LXVIII Unitarian Churches - 615 CHAPTER LXIX The United Presbyterians - -619 CONTENTS xv CHAPTER LXX Portland Synagogues 624 CHAPTER LXXI From Lumber Jack to Lumber King - 627 CHAPTER LXXII Y. M. C. A. in Portland -- 683 CHAPTER LXXIII Knights of CoIumbus____. - 637 CHAPTER LXXIV Missionary Days in Old Oregon__ -- 640 CHAPTER LXXV Oregon's First Bootlegger 644 CHAPTER LXXVI Lone Fir Cemetery, Oregon's Pioneer Graveyard 647 CHAPTER LXXVII Masonry in Oregon 653 CHAPTER LXXVIII Portland's First Automobile 675 xvi CONTENTS CHAPTER LXXIX Willamette Falls in 1843 679 CHAPTER LXXX City Officials, Oregon City 681 CHAPTER LXXXI Oregon City in 1851 690 CHAPTER LXXXII Oregon City Recollections 697 CHAPTER LXXXIII Early Days at Oregon City 699 CHAPTER LXXXIV Edwin MarkhamNative Son of Oregon 708 CHAPTER LXXXV An Act to Incorporate Oregon City 714 CHAPTER LXXXVI Oregon's Governors__ 719 CHAPTER LXXXVII Newspapers and Newspapermen 729 CHAPTER LXXXVIII Oregon's Place in the Pacific Northwest 753 CONTENTS xvii CHAPTER LXXXIX Oregon City, Provisional Capital of Oregon Country 758 CHAPTER XC Early Navigation on the Columbia River 761 CHAPTER XCI Geology of Columbia River Between Portland and The Dalles 783 CHAPTER XCII From The Dalles to Portland in 1847 803 CHAPTER XCIII Early Days in Wasco County 811 CHAPTER XCIV Columbia River Highway 831 General JoelCHAPTER Palmer---------846 XCV CHAPTER XCVI The Barlow Toll Road 859 CHAPTER XCVII The Evergreen Highway 866 CHAPTER XCVIII White Salmon and Other Towns 870 2VOL. 1 xviii CONTENTS CHAPTER XCIX Klickitat County - 878 CHAPTER C Grand Dalles, Washington 884 CHAPTER CI Goldendale and Other Towns 888 CHAPTER CII The Fight at the Cascades__ 890 CHAPTER CIII Cascade Locks 90C CHAPTER CIV Hood River__.. 909 CHAPTER CV The Dalles- 924 CHAPTER CVI Early Days at The Dal1es__ - 950 CHAPTER CVII The Bannock Indian War of1878 961 CHAPTER CVIII When Gold Dust was Legal Tendei_ 966 CONTENTS xix CHAPTER CIX Stage Coach Days 969 CHAPTER CX Woman's Part in Winning the 972 CHAPTER CXI Mrs. Rate Morris Tells of Early Days of the Old Oregon Trail 976 CHAPTER CXII Mrs. James Hembree Tells of Long Gone Days 984 CHAPTER CXIII Hudson's Bay Days 988 CHAPTER CXIV Across the Plains in '65 990 CHAPTER CXV One Hundred Years of Oregon Agriculture 998 CHAPTER CXVI Parker's Explorations in the Oregon Country 1008 Appendix 1014 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Captain Robert Gray 26 Model of the Ship Columbia Owned by the Port of Astoria. 26 Meriwether Lewis 44 William Clark 44 Gabriel Franchere 47 John Jacob Astor 47 Fort Astoria in 1813 47 "Old Jake" (Hunt) Tonetox 76 Mem-a-loose Island, Below The Dalles, in Columbia River 95 Captain John H. Couch 107 Edward Crate 107 Captain J. C. Ainsworth 135 Steamer Carrie Ladd, 1858 135 Steamer Wilson G. Hunt, 1849 135 Oregon City, Oregon, Steamer "Lot Whitcomb" in River 138 George H. Knaggs, Pioneer of 1858 191 Captain T. J. Stump, Steamboat Captain 191 A Few of the Shaver Transportation Company's Boats 199 Steamer "Beaver," 1835:Wreck of the "Beaver" 204 Astoria, Oregon, and the Columbia River in 1841 227 First U. S. Post Office West of Rocky Mountains 227 Astoria, Oregon, 1869Astoria About 1881 233 Oregon's First Custom House, 1852 238 Astoria Fire, December 8, 1922 251 Burned District From Hill, After Fire of 1922 251 Astoria Column, The 255 Aerial View of Astoria, Oregon, 1926 259 Salmon Jumping the Fishway at Willamette Falls 261 Salmon Fishing at Willamette Fa1ls.