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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmis A des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmi A partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche i droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagramnies suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 REV. QUSTAVUS MINES. ^ 1 I OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS; COMPRISING A |ttU |ist0rg of tk MillanutU llniirttsitg, THE FIRST ESTABLISHED ON THE PACIFIC COAST. By Eev. GUSTAVUS HINES. WITH FOUR ENaRAVINaS' New Vork : CARLTON & PORTER, 200 MULBKKRY STKKET. F Entered according to Act of Congre6is In the year 1868, by REV. QUSTAVUS HINES, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. ^ 1 1 INTRODUCTION. Southern The home of the author of the following pages is within the limits of the country which he has attempted to describe. A native of the great state of New York, a visitor to every continent on the globe, an admirer of ten thousand beautiful localities in the numerous coun- tries which have come under his observation, he would not exchange his humble sunset home in the delightful valley of the Willamette River, near the blue and placid waters of the great Pacific Ocean, either for mansions of wealth in the crowded city, or for any other spot which he has ever seen upon the surface of this green earth. Twenty-eight years ago he became a voluntary exile to that far-off land. From that period he has felt that he had an identity of interests with the country of his adoption, and for twenty-one years he has lived and labored and traveled within its bounds, and claims to be thoroughly posted upon all those subjects to which, with all due deference, he would invite the attention of the reading public. Conscious of his want of power to array his work in that fascinating drapery necessary to charm the reader at once into an unqualified approval, he would endeavor to conciliate him into a purpose to peruse the ■ rr [ '^J^ 4 INTRODUCTION. volume by assuring him that, in whatever it may be de- ficient as to ornate qualities, its truthfulness and relia- bility are not to be called in question. In the excitement of the times the public, especially in the Eastern and Middle States, seem almost to have lost sight of Oregon, and one of the primary objects which the author has in view is again to awaken an interest in the community generally, and in the Chris- tian Churches particularly, in relation to that distant and feeble member of this great family of states. The history of the Willamette University, which has been traced in this volume, cannot fail deeply to enlist the reader's sympathies lu behalf of an infant people struggling in their weakness and poverty to lay the foundations of a Christian civilization in the future Pacific empire ; and the author hopes the reader will come to the conclusion that an institution commenced and carried forward under the embarrassments that have pressed upon this one, is worthy of all confidence, and should be sustained by every necessary means. And now, reader, you need just the information which this book can give you with regard to Oregon and Wash- ington Territory. Read it; though an unpretending book, the instructions conveyed will be more valuable than volumes of fiction. GUSTAVUS HiNES. New York, January 10, 1868. CONTENTS. PAOB OBAPTIB I. General Descripttox op the Country ' II. The Capes and Coast Range op Mountains 18 III. The Lower Valleys and the Cascade Mountains 25 IV. The Valley of the Great Columbia ^0 V. The Counties of Oregon ^1 VT. History op the Oregon Institute and Willamette 10(1 University ' •'"' VII. Organization of the Willamette University 115 VIII. Scholarships and Internal History 193 IX. Population, new Constitution, and Endowment 206 X. The Internal History of the University 225 XI. History of the New College Building 261 XII. Miscellaneous Matters connected with our History . 271 XIII. A Brief Summary of Facts , 284 XIV. Reminiscences op Missionary Life 297 ■ »•» «- lllustralbns. ♦- Rev. Gustavus Hines Front First Church in Oregon HI Oregon Institute • 128 Willamette University 260 ^ ^r^f^mmnfv* •^mmw^^' ' "J- ■ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ' ♦•» CHAPTER I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY. The State of Oregon and Washington Territory are mainly embraced within that portion of the great western slope of the North American Continent drained and watered by the Columbia River and its numerous tributaries. There are, however, in the northern part of "Washington Territory a few small rivers, watering valleys more or less exten- sive, which take their rise in the cascade rapge of mountains, and empty directly into the Pacific Ocean ; and there are also a few valleys, watered by independent rivers, in the southern part of the State of Oregon ; but by far the greater part of both Oregon and Washington Territory is compre- hended in the great valley of the Columbia. In the general description of this country, there- fore, it will be necessary to embrace both of these political divisions in the same account. Oregon and Washington Territory comprehend a vast extent of country, and lie within the following boundary. Com- p 8 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. mcncing at the northwest corner of said territory, con- sider the nortb Hnc as extending along the center of the Strait of Juan do Fuca eastward, the distance of one hundred and twenty-five miles ; thence northward till it strikes the forty-nintli parallel of north latitude ; thence due east along said parallel the distance of five hundred and fifty miles, dividing Wp«Uingtoii Territory from British Columbia, to the summit of the Bocky Mountains ; and on the east, the line extends along the summit of the liocky Mountains from the forty-ninth to the forty-second degree of north latitude ; and on the south, the line runs along on the forty-second parallel, and near the summit of the Sisku Mountains, and separating Oregon from California, to tlie Pacific Ocean; and on the west, the Pacific Ocean is the boundary from Cape Men- docino northward, to the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the place of beginning. These limits embrace Idaho, the " gem of the mountains," which has been taken off from the southeastern part of what was at first "Washington Territory, and lies directly east of the state of Oregon. The northern line, separating this country from British Columbia is a very unnatural one, and greatly to the disadvantage of the United States. Any one in casting his eye over a correct map of the country west of the Rocky Mountains will discover at one glance that a much more appropriate division than the one which has been established between the two countries would have been a line extending from Puget's Sound northeastwardly along the summit of } OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 9 tho high lands which separate the waters of tlie Cohiinbia River from those of Frazer's lliver to the Rocky I^tountains, so i- to embrace in Oregon and Wasliington Territ( r^ all the country drained hy the Columbia ^ ! ■ ver. This would have given a natural boundary to tlte country on all sides, while the forty-ninth paialici ia a very unnatural one, because it cuts the great valley of the Columbia, leaving the upper part of the valley in the British dominions, and tho lower part in the United States, thus putting asunder that which the God of nature has joined together. The extent of the area embraced in the boundary which we have traced will measure four hundred thousand square miles: sufficient for a mighty empire. It will be perceived that we do not take into con- sideration the magnificent state of California, which alone contains one hundred and sixty thousand square miles, our object being simply a clear and reliable description of that portion of our vast sunset domains lying north of California and south of British Colum- bia. This country has six hundred and fifty miles of coast on the Pacific Ocean, the Strait of Juan de Fuel, and Puget's Sound. The coast itself deserves particular notice. The shores of the Stiait of Fuca are mainly composed of beaches of sand and stones overhung by sandy and rocky cliffs ; and from these the land ascends grad- ually to the foot of the mountains, which rise abruptly to a great height within a few miles of the ocean. The shores along the Pacific are nearly straight w 10 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. from nortli to south, varying but a few degrees ; but in other respects, characterized by great variety. In some places the coast is abrupt, and iron-bound ; in others, it is composed of low sand beaches, which, from appearances, seem to have been widening, either by an accumulation of sand for untold ages, or, according to another theory, by the gradual receding of the ocean from the shore. In many places, along this extended coast, this accumulation of sand has resulted in the formation of undulating plains, which extend back some miles from the ocean, and finally become covered with a dense growth of various grasses, weeds, and shrubbery. A particular descrip- tion of every part of the coast possessing these char- acteristics would extend these remarks to an undue length ; and, therefore, as an illustration of this pecul- iarity of the Pacific coast, attention is invited to a somewhat minute account of the Clatsop Plains. These plains lie on the south side of the mouth of the Columbia Eiver, back of that point of land known by the name of Cape Adams. They consti- tute that low tract of country which lies in the form of a triangle, one of wliose sides is washed by the waves of the Pacific, and the other by those of Youngs' Bay ; while its base rests against the range of mount- ains extendi'ng back from Tilamook Head, and its point, or apex, is washed by the south channel of the Columbia River. The height of this triangle, or the distance from Cape Hancock back to the mount- ains, is about twenty-five miles, while the mean width is probably not more than four miles. The plains u\ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 11 es, or, themselves, or that portion of this triangle not covered with timber, is about twenty miles long, and from one to two and a half broad, the whole tract containing about seventy or eighty square miles. These plains lie directly on, and open beautifully to, the Pacific Ocean, and command a fine view of all the ships that pass over the bar of the Columbia. The beautiful sand beach, extending their entire length, forms at low water a firm and commodious road. Between these open plains and Youngs' Bay is a tract of timbered land, comprising about twice as much as the plains, but similar in every other respect, except the dense forest of fir, spruce, pine, cedar, hemlock, and alder, by which it is shaded. It is only necessary for one to walk across the isthmus from Youngs' Bay to the Pacific, to be convinced that this entire tract, and all others of a similar character on the coast, have been formed by the vast quantities of sands and vegetable substances which have been conveyed from time imme- morial by the Columbia River to the ocean, and deposited by the ceaseless action of the tide. The evidences of this are, first, the fact that the soil of the plains is of the same alluvial character that ap- pears on the banks of the river above. Secondly, from the several ridges or undulations, which curve precisely with the shores of the ocean, and all of which appear to have successively formed the bound- ary of tlie great deep. And, thirdly, from the fact that shells and other marine substances are found deeply embedded in the sands, thus deposited in a 6'r'ite of perfect petrifaction. Indeed, there is little 12 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. i doubt but that all this tract of land, which now lies but a few feet above the level of the ocean, was once entirely submerged, and by the causes referred to has been redeemed from the ocean bed, and consti- tuted a delightful place for the residence of man. The foundation of the soil of these plains is sand, and in many places this sand is bare ; but even here, where the winds admit of vegetation taking root, its growth shows clearly that this sand is far from being destitute of vegetative properties. Generally, how- ever, the surface of this land is composed of a black mold, which is from six to ten inches deep, and which, doubtless, has been formed by the constant decay of various kinds of vegetation, which here grow in abundance. This black mold, with a portion of the sand beneath, forms a rich and productive soil, which, from its proximity to the ocean, and per- haps from the nature of the soil itself, is not so well adapted to wheat, but produces peas, oats, potatoes, turnips, and, indeed, all kinds of vegetables in great abundance. In connection with these dry plains are extensive tracts of tide land, which are covered with an immense growth of grass and at low water are accessible to stock, so that cattle, horses, and hogs thrive in this region as well as in any part of the country. Along the extended coast of this country there are many scores, and it would not be varying far from the truth to say hundreds, of miles of land similar in nature to the Clatsop Plains above described. On the weather beach north of the mouth of the Coli i;- l|i '^ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS 13 now lies ;^a8 once rred to I consti- :ian. is sand, en here, root, its >m being ily, how- ' a black jep, and constant lere grow ortion of tive soil, and per- )t so well potatoes, in great plains are jred with water are and hogs rt of the there are far from dmilar in bed. On LC Coll :):- bia, in Washington Territor}'', and on the Oregon coast at the mouth of Tilamook, Salmon River, Alsea, Silets, Umpqua, Goose, and Coquille Rivers, and at various other points, are to be found tracts of the same kind of land extending back from the shore from one to perhaps five miles, in some places bare of timber, and covered with grass and sallal bushes, and in others with an immense growth of the forest trees which characterize the Pacific coast. There are also many miles of coast both in Washington Terri- tory and Oregon which are rock bound, where the mountains extend to the water's edge, and w^tli their overhanging clifis frown down upon the ever rolling surges of the Pacific a bold defiance. There are other portions of this coast different from any that we have described. The land rises above the alluvial deposits already mentioned, and extends back from the ocean in the form of plains, level or inclined, and covered with magnificent forests of fir, spruce, cedar, and hemlock, and varying in widtli from one to many miles. This portion of the coun- try is considered valuable at present, mostly on account of its lumbering facilities ; but the time will come, doubtless, when the timber will be consumed, and the land, now so wild and forbidding, will be cultivated, and teem with a settled population. The appearance of the coast in approaching it from the ocean is indeed rough and forbidding, but on traversing it from Puget's Sound to Cape Mendocino one be- comes impressed from personal observation with the facilities which it oft'ers for extended settlements and fr i4 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 1' 'I •i 1 improvements, and its natural commercial advan- tages. The harbors or places of refuge for vessels along the coast of Oregon and Washington Territory- are not very numerous, and, if we except a few, are not of the first quality. Puget's Sound, with its nu- merous arms and inlets stretching far inland, consti- tutes one of the finest harbors in the known world, and it is sufficiently commodious to accommodate all tlie navies in existence. There is nothing to bar the way of vessels of the largest class to the safest possi- ble anchorages anywhere in this most beautiful body of water that can be found in any land. At some future day, M'lien railroads shall have been con- structed everywhere, Puget's Sound will doubtless constitute the port of entry for the northwest coast. At present, however, the most important harbor is that formed by the Columbia River, as it forms the grand entrepot to the most valuable portions of the State of Oregon, as also to much of Was: ' -^ton Ter- ritory. This harbor, though difficult of access in the winter season, when the prevailing winds on the coast are from the south and east, may at other seasons be safely entered by vessels drawing not more than eighteen feet. The mouth of this harbor is blockaded by a sand bar, which renders the naviga- tion difficult and dangerous. The channel across this bar, which was formerly used, took a sweep around close under Cape Disappointment, and thence in a southerly direction about three miles, where it united with a south channel, and thus the two chan- nels becoming one, their course across the last and \\ i OREGON AND ITS INSTITJTIONS. 15 il advan- )r vessels Territory I few, are th its nu- d, consti- vn world, lodate all ;o bar the fest possi- tiful body At some )een con- doubtless est coast, harbor is forms the )ns of the '^ton Ter- iess in the Is on the ■ at other ; not more harbor is le naviga- nel across ; a sweep md thence i, where it two chan- e last and most formidable bar of the Columbia, was southwest by west. At present, however, the channel runs not far from. Cape Hancock in a southwest direction, the old north channel being filled up and entirely for- saken. • From Cape Hancock, on the south of the mouth of the Columbia, and from the shore around and a little to the west of Cape Disappointment on the north side, are two immense sand bars, which, converging toward each other, meet at the distance of about four miles from each cape, and form that fearful ob- stacle to the navigation of these waters, the bar of the Columbia. The channel across this bar is five fathoms deep, and a half of a mile wide. When the wind is strong from the south and west, as it gener- ally is in the winter season, the waves of the Pacific Ocean and the rushing torrents of the Columbia Kiver meet upon this with the most terrific violence, producing a line of breakers often extending from one cape to the other, and calculated, from their frightful appearance, to appall even the heart of the storm-beaten sailor. Formerly vessels were often detained at this bar for many days together to wait for an opportunity to cross ; but now, by the aid of steam-tugs and skillful pilots, the bar is navigated without much detention, and with very little danger. While describing the harbors along the coast it will be proper to mention a number of others of less note, some of which are beginning to attract atten- tion. Bulfinch's Harbor, discovered by Captain Robert Gray, of Boston, in 1792, is situated forty 16 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. miles north of the mouth of the Cohimbia, and by some intproveraents may be constituted a safe an- chorage. Port Discovery, situated near the southeast angle of the Strait of Fuca, is pronounced perfectly safe, and convenient for ships of any size. It is de- fended from the violence of the ocean storm by Pro- tection Island. Tilamook Bay, some fifty miles south of Cape Hancock, is accessible to small craft, and forms an entrepot to a delightful and fertile little valley, which opens beautifully to the Pacific Ocean. At the mouth of the Umpqua liiver^ one hundred miles south of Tilamook Bay, there is a tolerable harbor for small craft, and the channel across the bar will admit of the entrance of vessels drawing eight or ten feet. The Bay of Yaquina, midway between Tilamook and Umpqua, is now being visited by small vessels, and something of a trade has already been established between it and other portions of the coast. It is easy of access, and will probably one day constitute the port of entry for Benton County, and perhaps some other portions of the Willamette Valley. It is at- tracting considerable attention, and already improv- ing settlements are springing up on and near the shores of the bay. Twenty miles south of the Umpqua River you come to Coose Bay, which constitutes a fine harbor for vessels which do not require more than ten or twelve feet of water. This bay is a most beautiful body of water, and extends up into the country forty or fifty miles ; and on its shores arc already estab- ^■li^r^wr i^vm «_iw,pii m"",.- ■ i OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 17 , and by safe an- loutlieast perfectly It is de- L by Pro- 'ty miles all craft, 'tile little Lc Ocean, hundred tolerable 5S the bar r eight or Tilamook 11 vessels, stablished It is easy titute the laps some It is at- y improv- near the lished several extensive lumber manufactories, and quite a trade is carried on between it and San Fran- cisco. This bay is important for various reasons. It not only affords facilities for the exportation of untold quantities of the finest lumber, but is also the channel of entrance to an extensive country watered by the Coose and Coquille rivers and their tributaries, which is destined in the future to contain a very heavy population. River you ne harbor lan ten or t beautiful mtry forty ady estab- 1 n III ;■ 1 18 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. - £APTER II. THE CAPES AND COAST RANGE OF MOUNTAINS. There are but few capes along this extended coasf, and none that project far into the ocean. The prin- cipal are Cape Blanco, Cape Hancock, Cape Mendo- cino, Cape Adams, and Cape Flattery. Cape Blanco is a high point of land extending into the ocean be- tween the Rogue and Umpqua Rivers, and nearly under the forty-third parallel of north latitude. Cape Adams is a low sandy point, the terminus of Clatsop Plains, and on the south side of the mouth of the Columbia River. Cape Hancock is a high point of land on the north side of the Columbia, and, though three miles inside of the dreaded bar of that river, holds a very prominent place on all our maps and charts, as from its peculiar location, and the appearance of the majestic fir trees -which adorn its summit, but more especially from the fact that every night from its rounded top " The blazo of the hghthouse looks lovely ashore, Like a star in the midst of the ocean," it forms an unerring guide to the storm-beaten sailor who is desirous of seeking shelter in the quiet and peaceful waters of Baker's Bay. Cape Flattery is a high point of land marking the ter- minus of Washington Territory on the south side of the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fnca. Though OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 19 TAINS. led coasi, The prin- e Meiido- pe Blanco ocean be- nd nearly latitude, rminus of I month of ligh point iibia, and, lar of that our maps [, and the L adorn its that every ore, 3rm-beaten ;er in the Jay. Cape ig the ter- luth side of I. Though there are other points along the coast called capes, these are all that are worthy of particular mention. 'There are no islands of importance along th'.o coast, if you except those situated in the Strait of Fuca and Puget's Sound. Of those in this region Whidby's Island is by far the most valuable. This island forms a county in Washington Territory, and con- tains a population of four hundred souls. It is beau- tiful and fertile, and one of the most delightful and healthy localities imaginable. Having traced tlie boundary, and given the dimen- sions, and described to some extent the character of the immediate coast of this magnificent country, we now proceed to examine it in its more general char- acter. The first thing to which attention is directed is its remarkable topography. A just description of the surface of this country — one to the life — so that a person never having been in the country would be able to form a correct idea of it from reading, would probably be impossible; an approximation toward the reality is all that we propose to furnish. The face of this country is indeed most wonderfully diver- sified ; and presents to the eye of the lover of nature every variety of scenery, from the most awfully grand and sublime to the most beautiful and picturesque in nature. Almost everything in relation to the coun- try is upon a grand scale. The mountains are grand, the valleys are grand, the forests are grand, the rivers are grand, and the hills are little mountains. In "Washington Territory, extending back from Puget's Sound for many miles, the country is level 20 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. and beautiful, a considerable portion of it prairie land, and the remainder covered with magnificent forests ; but on approaching the coast on a vessel at the mouth of the Columbia River ridges of high lands appear on either hand as far as the eye can reach, and tlie more elevated points serve as land- marks to guide the mariner into a haven of safety. These ridges, which constitute the first land which rises above the surface of the water to one approach- ing the coast from sea, are parts of that range of mountains known as the Coast Range. This range of mountains extends from near Cape Flattery, in "Washington Territory, all along the coast to the Columbia River, and thence the whole extent of the State of Oregon to the line of California. It is pierced by all the rivers that flow directly into the Pacific, and hence the outlines of the range appear very broken. At points the waves of the Pacific Ocean dash impotently against their rocky base ; but generally along the coast they commence their grad- ual rise from one to five miles from the shore, and continue to rise in the same manner nntil they attain their highest elevation, which is from four to six thousand feet. They cover a surface from the Pacific back into the interior of from thirty to forty miles in width. A great portion of this extent, however, is comprised in the numerous valleys and depressions in the mountains, more or less extensive, and through which meander the limped brook and rivulet, where the deer and the elk slake their thirst, and in whose waters in their season glisten the silvery sides of the OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 21 praine nificent cssel at of liif^li eye can as land- f safety. I whicli iproacli- range of lis range ttery, in t to the nt of the a. It is • into the ^e appear le Pacific base; but beir grad- ihore, and hey attain »ur to six lie Pacific y miles in owever, is ressions in d through ilet, where 1 in whose ides of the rich and luscious salmon. It will be seen by a slight arithmetical calculation that this mountain range comprehends about fifteen or twenty thousand square miles ; but it must not be supposed that this vast extent of country, larger than some of the states of our Union, is a barren waste, for really, in the val- leys and on the mountain sides, and even upon the tops of the highest mountains, the soil is good. Some of the higher elevations in this range are worthy of particular note. The most remarkable in the vicinity of the Colum- bia River is one called by the Indians Swallalahoost, concerning which they have a singular tradition. One of their great and mighty chiefs a long time ago, according to the tradition, after having accomplished the most wonderful explou^ in behalf of his people, was finally killed by his enemies ; but after death he assumed the form of a monstrous eagle, and, taking wing, flew to the top of this mountain, and there became the creator of the lightning and the thunder. From this tradition, as well as from the appearance of the mountain, it is supposed by some that it might probably have once been an active volcano. Com- modore Wilkes, on his exploring visit to the country in 1842, gave it the name of " Saddle Mountain," from the resemblance of its top to the shape of a saddle. Some ten miles to the southwest of the city of Corvallis, so named from the fact that it occupies the center, or heart of the valley, rises the rounded summit of the most graceful and beautiful mountain I' I ( , 22 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. belonging to tlie Const Range, and known by tbc name of " Mary's Peak." A very trifling circumstance gave name to this mountain. There is a small river which empties into the Wil- lamette Eiver near tlie city of Corvallis. Tliis river in an early day had to be forded by travelers in pass- ing through the country. It happened that in con- nection with one of the earliest parties that traveled through to California was an Indian woman 1 the name of Mary, who was the wife of a white man. When the company reached this river, Mary was rid- ing a very stuborn and willful mule, which she found it quite difficult to manage. The mule, it seems, was very unwilling to go into the stream ; but at length, by whipping and scolding, and belaboring in various wavs, he became excited, and rushed into the stream with great violence, where the water was so deep that donkey, Mary, and all went under, and had to strive hard for life. After struggling some time in the water, poor Mary and her mule were brought safe to shore. Subsequently, when the company had occasion to refer to this locality from this catastrophe, they invariably called the river " Mary's River," and this name was soon adopted throughout the whole country. Now Mary's River takes its rise in the Coast Range of mountains, and some of itj princi- pal branches are from the reservoirs of Mary's Peak. Thus the name of the river issuing from this mount- ain was very naturally transferred to the mountain itself Mary's Peak is perhaps the highest point in the Coast Range, and overlooks a vast extent of couu- OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ii3 ic niinie 1 ice gave 1 ;he Wil- ^ lis river 1 in pass- J t in con- H traveled M 1 1 the m to man. Jj was rid- 1 le found ■/-J ems, was ; length, r. 1 various into the ^ ir was so -': and had .^ )me time ;■' ! brought mny had ' astrophe. i Eiver," ■| lOut the M its rise in '1 itJ princi- % y's Peak. m 8 mount- M mountain M point in M t of coun- Ji try ; and the writer that will attempt to j)ortray clio ficenery that presents itself to the astonished vision of one standing uj)on its summit has more confidence in his powers of delineation than the author of this sketch has in his own. The reader who has not the privilege of visiting rhebald top of this beautiful mountain, and gaze upon the scenery for himself, must be satisfied to know that it absolutely beggars description. The summit of this mountain is becom- ing quite a resort for pleasure seekers, and admirers of the romantic and sublime in nature, and there is a tolerable bridle path to it. On the top, inclining a little to the south and east, is a section of a mile square or more of excellent prairie land, covered late in the season with a luxuriant growth of grass. Snow remains upon the summit generally until the middle of June, and it is often an excellent place to manufacture ice-cream on the Fourth of July. Im- mediately on the disappearance of the snow the sum- mit assumes a beautiful green ; but whether white- capped, or crowned with verdure, it ever presents itself as an object of interest to every lover of fine scenery. The cultivable character of a great portion of the land of this mountain region, in connection with the fact that great portions of the country are covered with an immense growth of excellent timber, would be of itself sufiicient to stamp it with great value ; but discoveries have been made recently which show clearly that vast mineral treasures also lie embedded in the midst of these mountains. For some years past gold has been found in paying 24 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ' ! I *) H iillt quantities in various parts of this range, especially on the Coquille, and on the lower part, and at the mouth of Rogue River. This has led many to sup- pose, with good reason, that it in all probability will be found in many other parts of the range. Besides this, silver, copper, iron, and coal have been found, most of them in considerable quantities. Coal especially has been discovered of late in the vicinity of Coose Bay in inexhaustible quantities, and mining is already carried on in the coal beds with considerable success. Indeed, there can be no question that the Coast Range of mountains, which has hitherto been considered as a great objection to our country, will, when properly understood and developed, and its eligible parts shall be occupied, as doubtless they will be, by an industrious population, become a source of immense wealth to the different states with which they are connected, and, perhaps, render them even more valuable than they would be if the mountains were not there. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 25 especially nd at the y to siip- jility will Besides en found, s. Coal e vicinity id mining nsiderable I that the lerto been ntry, will, I, and its 3 they will I source of ;ith which :hein even mountains CHAPTEE III. THE LOWER VALLEYS AND THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS. Having left the coast, and passed over this range oi* mountains, you descend on the north side of the Columbia into the valley of the Cowilitz, and on the south into that of the "Willamette River; and in the southern part of the state of Oregon, you come down into the valleys watered by the Ump(|ua and Rogue Rivers and their numerous tributaries. The Cowilitz valley forms an important part of the agricultural portion of "VVashingtori Territory. It is about fifty miles long, and varies in breadth from ten to twenty miles. It is watered by a river of the same name, which flows down from one of the magnificent glaciers of the Cascade Range, known as St. Helen's. The river discharges itself into the Columbia some sixty miles above the mouth of tliat stream. This valley is one of the oldest settled valleys on the Pacific coast, attracting at an early day, by its great beauty and fertility, the attention of the members of the Hudson's Bay Comphny. The Chehalis River, which discharges its waters into the Pacific Ocean through Shoal Water Bay, runs through another delightful portion of Washing- ton Territory, fertilizing a valley of many miles in ;! ! i 14 m in i|! 26 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. length. It is already occupied by an industrious and thriving population. The valley of "Wliite River, in the northern part of the Territory, is also an interesting and valuable lo- cality. Besides these there are also many other val- leys and plains in various parts of the Territory, which together render this portion of the Pacific coast not only beautiful and interesting, but valuable as a place of settlement. The Willamette Yalley, in the state of Oregon, is by far the most extensive and important valley on the northwest Pacific coast. This valley lies between the Coast Eange of mountains on the west, and the Cascade Range on the east. On the south it is sep- arated from the Umpqua Valley by the Callapooia Mountains, and northward it extends to the Colum- bia River. In round numbers it is one hundred and fifty miles long, and fifty broad. This boundary em- braces the foot hills extending down from the mount- ains on either side of the valley, and the small valleys watered by the numerous tributaries of the main river. This calculation, wliicli is a careful one, gives the valley seven thousand five hundred square miles. This, reduced to acres, would show that the Willa- mette Yalley contains four million eight hundred thousand acres of land. Suppose that five acres of land were sufficient to support one person, the Willa- mette Valley, at that rate aiv^ne, would support a population of one million of people. But, to a cor- rect understanding of the valley, especially to those who have never been delighted with surveying its OREGOX .\J^D ITS IXSTITUTIONS. 27 ndustrious rn part of tillable lo- other val- Territoiy, he Pacific it valuable egon, is by ley on the between it, and the i it is sep- Callapooia he Coliira- [ndred and ;ndary em- ;he niount- lall vallej'^s the main one, gives lare miles, the Willa- t hundred e acres of the Willa- support a , to a cor- y to those 'veying its unrivaled scenery, it will be necessary to give it a more particular description. The Willamette River, by which, with its numerous tributaries, the valley is watered, takes its rise in two ranges of mountains, the Coast Range on the west, and Cascade Range on the east side of the valley, and after meandering the distance of two hundred miles or more from its source, its main course being nearly due north, and reaching to within three miles of the Columbia River, it then divides into two branches, the upper branch entering the Columbia six miles below the city of Vancouver, and ninety miles from the mouth of that river, and the lower branch, which is the Multnomah of Lewis and Clark, eighteen miles fur- ther down. As the lower branch takes quite a swing inland, there is quite an island between the branches, formerly called Wapatoo, from an edible root found growing in abundance upon it. This island is about five miles broad and twenty long, and of great fer- tility. It is now called " Sauvies' Island." And now, commencing at the northern extremity on the Columbia River, we will take a more particular sur- vey of the Willamette Yalley, and as we advance up the river we will note everything of interest in rela- tion to the stream itself, and the country through which it flows, so that the reader shall be able to form a correct idea of this most desirable portion of the countries washed by the Pacific Ocean. The waters of the Willamette flow in about equal proportions into the Columbia River through the two channels already mentioned, and both channels will T i 28 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. !1 'I' admit of tlie passage of steamboats of a large size. At the confluence of tlie lower channel with the Co- lumbia, on the left hand shore, and commanding a fine view of both rivers, stands the town of Spint Tlelens. This town occupies a beautiful locality, on an elevated plain above all danger from inundation, and in the future developments of the country is destined to take a leading position among the rival towns of the state. The plains, at the lower end of which stands St. ilelens, extends some ten miles up the Multnomah branch of the Willamette, and vary in width from one to four miles. They are called the Scappoose Plains, and they are separated from the Tuality Plains by an elevated spur of the Coast Eange called the Scappoose Mountains, which are twelve miles across, and over which there is now a good mountain road. On the opposite side of this branch lies Wap- ato Island, already mentioned, most of which is low land, and subject to ovei-flows by the Columbia River. It is quite densely populated, as there are many points of land so high that it is thought safe to erect dwellings upon them. Having ascended the Multnomah branch twenty miles, we are now at the point where the river di- vides, and within tlu-ee miles of the mouth of the upper branch. Here, on the eastern side of the AVil- lamette, and extending to the Columbia, the land is low, and subject to annual overflows. From the amazing fertility of this land, and the abundance of grass which grows after the overflow passes away. . m OREGO^r AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 29 large size. itli the Co- nn aiiding a ^n of Spint ality, on an idation, and r is destined al towns of d of which liles up the md vary in 3 called the id from the ^oast Hange are twelve now a good I lies "Wap- kvhich is low imbia River. 3 are many safe to erect inch twenty the river di- Louth of the jofthe Wil- , the land is From the bundance of )asses away, and continues fresh during the rest of the year, even after many other portions of the country are literally dried up, it is considered as possessing equal value with many other kinds which are souglit after with much more avidity. On leaving the bottom lands in our progress up the river on the eastern side we come to a more elevated tract of a very different quality. It rises to some hundred feet, more or less, above the waters of the river, and then extends off in a some- what level plain, the distance of twelve or fifteen miles, to another river known as Quicksand, or Sandy, which empties also into the Columbia. This tract, which lies on the opposite side of the river from the city of Portland, and extends southward ten miles to the Clackamas, and eastward to the Cascade Mountains, comprehends an excellent variety of soil, but it is mainly covered with a heavy fir and cedar forest. Powell's Valley, which is a very fertile de- pression, is situated in this tract. It is variegated with elevations, some of which pious people have honored with distinguished names. Here is Mount Zion, and here also is Mount Pisgah. On the west bank of the Willamette River, and thirty miles from the lower mouth, and twelve from the upper mouth of the river, is the city of Portland, the present commercial emporium of the state of Oregon. This city will be described particularly in connection with the counties. The bottom upon wliich the city is located is narrow, it being but one mile from the water's edge to the foot of the range of hills lying back of the city. These liills continue I ' li 30 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. for a few miles to the west of the city, and tlicn set- tling away in gentle undulations, finally lower down in4;o what are called the Tuality Plains. This region between Portland and the plains, though covered with heavy timber, is found by cultivation to bo rich and productive. Eight miles above the city of Portland, on the same side of the river, is the little town called Oswego, which has been struggling for notoriety in various ways, and which seems likely now to realize its wishes, in the fact that it has, on account of the dis- covery of rich iron ore in the vicinity, become the locality of the " Oregon Iron Works." These works, w^hich are owned by some of the wealthiest men in the state, have recently been put in operation, and are capable of turning out twelve tons of iron per day. The ore used is taken from the hills from one quarter of a mile to two miles distant from the works, and yields from fifty-five to ninety per cent, of iron. The company has in its employment from eighty to one hundred men as miners, coal-burners, heav- ers, teamsters, and artisans at the works. The iron produced is said by competent judges to be equal in quality to any made in any part of the United States. It is very soft and fine in grain, and, it is said, might be worked oft" into castings for machinery as run from the furnace. This establishment is very prop- erly regarded as an important adjunct to the wealth of the country, and especially to this par- ticular locality. Passing up the river from Oswego four miles, we OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 31 id then set- lower down This rejjjioii "•h covered ition to be on the same ed Oswego, in various realize its t of the dis- becorne the 'hese works, iest men in 3ration, and of iron per lis from one Q the works, ent. of iron, m eighty to rnei's, lieav- . The iron be equal in tilted States. I said, might lery as run 8 very prop- net to the to this par- jr miles, we reach a point opposite Oregon City, where once stood a rival city by the name of Linn. The rocks, however, upon which Linn was built were too low for the safety of the city, and consequently have been swept clean by the swelling floods of the "Willamette River. Two miles above this we reach the Tuality Eiver, which flows into the Willamette from the west. This river rises in the Coast Range of mountains in nu- merous streamlets which water the fertile and ex- tended plains which, after the name of the river, are called the Tuality Plains. These streamlets, flowing into each other twenty miles from the Willamette, constitute a fine little river of great importance to this portion of the country, as it can easily be made navigable for boats far into the plains, while the branches above the junction thirty and forty miles from the Willamette River may be advantageously used for the purpose of driving diflerent kinds of machinery. The Tuality Plains, from their impor- tance, dema^id a more particular notice. They exist in a circular form, somewhat irregular on the rim of the circle ; the diameter of the circle, embracing the flat timbered lands around the borders, being about twenty-five miles. From the top of one of the elevations commanding a view of these plains they present the appearance of a vast natural amphitheater, whose walls are mountains, and whose dome is the azure blue. These plains are beautiful and fertile ; in some places undulating, in others level. This area embraces one of the most thickly settled portions of ^w ! ! I ! Ill i r 82 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. the Willamette Yalley, It comprises in beautitui proportions both prairie and wood land, and from its advantageons position, extending as it does to within a few miles of the Willamette River, and con- nected with Portland by good roads, constitutes one of the most valuable portions of the country. We will now return to the eastern side of the Wil- lamette, and take some observations there. Twenty- four miles above the upper mouth of the Willamette, and twelve above Portland, comes dancing down the rocks from the eastward the Clackamas River. This river rises in the Cascade Mountains, its principal waters being supplied by the reservoirs of Mount Hood. It passes through a country variegated by hills and valleys, plains and rising grounds. Portions of the country watered by this stream are superior as to richness of soil, and other portions not so good. The river runs the distance of some seventy-five miles from its source to where it mingles its waters with those of the Willamette. Two miles above this river, near the falls of the Willamette, wc^reach a very pleasantly located town known as Oregon City. At this place the Willamette River rushes over a precipice of rocks thirty feet perpendicular. This is a most .beautiful cataract, and the hydraulic privileges which it affords are almost boundless. A woolen factory built of brick, presenting a noble and most substan- tial appearance, running six sets of machinery, and employing one hundred and fifty hands; a paper mill, a foundery, and extensive flouring mills, together witli other manufacturing establishments, have al- OKEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 33 beaiititiii nd froni does to and con- tutcs one the Wil- Twentj- llainette, down the er. This principal )f Mount gated by Portions iperior as so good, venty-five its waters above this ach a very Dity. At , precipice is a most ges which in factory t substan- nery, and a paper i, together have al- ready given to this city the soubriq^uet of the " Lowell of Oregon." Continuing up tbe river on the eastern bank the distance of ten miles above Oregon City, we ooine to the Molalla and Pudding rivers, which unite their waters just before flowing into the Willamette. These rivers also rise in the Cascade Mountains. They both water beautiful and extensive plains in their serpentine course to the Willamette. Fifteen miles above the Pudding River, on the western shore of the Willamette, we come to Yamhill River, which rises in the Coast Range of mountains, and after meandering for more than fifty miles in a northeast- wardly direction, through one of the most beautiful and fertile portions of the valley, collecting together the numerous tributaries which water the extended plains through which they flow, it rushes down a ledge of rocks a few feet, forming a beautiful cascade, and then hastens to mingle its waters with the main river of the valley. Again moving camp, and continuing up the valley, and passing a number of small branches on each side, we at length reach a point twenty-two miles above the Yamhill, and seventy miles by water from the Columbia River, where the city of Salem, the capital of the state of Oregon, is located. Hero a small stream, which is called Mill Creek, flows into the Willamette in two channels, one mile apart. Be- tween and extending beyond these two branches of Mill Creek, is the site of the city of Salem, a de- scription of which will be found in connection with 34 OKEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Marion County. The vallcj' at thisj point embracing the foot liills, is about sixty miles wide, and the river is in the center. Westward from Salem, on the opposite side of the river, is a very beautiful and fertile range of prairie hills, rendered more attractive by the groves of oak and lir with which their brows are adorned. These, commencing near the river, ex- tend for several miles, and then lower away into a beautiful valley beyond; passing over which we find ourselves in a hilly, undulating country, which extends several miles further before we reach the un- settled slopes of the Coast Eange, which tower up in the background of the picture, and cast their shadows against the western sky. Southward of Salem, and on the same side of the river, is another range of hills called the Salem Hills. These com- mence directly on the south borders of the city, and rise gradually and gracefully until they attain to a height of several hundred feet above the level of the surrounding country, and then roll away in irregular rounded swells for twelve miles, and finally sink and lose themselves in the plains which border the Santiam liiver. Southeastward from Salem is the Mill Creek bot- tom, extending nearly forty miles in that direction, and varying from one to five miles in width. Some portions of this bottom are gravelly and unproduc- tive, the soil having been washed away by successive floods. The greater part of it, however, is very beau- tiful and fertile. East and northeastwardly from Salem for a few miles ii I OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 35 3inl)racing 1 the river n, on the utiful and attractive leir browd river, ex- vay into a which we ;ry, which ch the nn- )wer np in cast their ;hward of is another 'hese com- e city, and ittain to a le level of [ away in and finally lich border Creek bot- direction, th. Some unproduc- successive very beau- a few miles the country is level ; and beyond this we reach another range of hills, wliich, after the name of the gentleman who, attracted by their unrivaled beauty and fertility, first located himself among them are called the "Wal- do Hills." These are separated from the Salem Hills by the Mill Creek bottom, their nearest approach to Salem being about five miles from that place. From this point they gradually rise to the height of twj) or three hundred feet, and then roll off in regular rounded swells for some twenty-five or thirty miles to the east and north, each successive swell rising a little higher than the former, until they tower into the majesty and grandeur of the Cascade Range, whose dark ridges and snowy pinnacles mark the line of the eastern horizon. Standing upon the top of one of the elevations near the city of Salem, and casting one glance around the horizon encircling that inter- esting locality, we will, before proceeding on our tour of observation up the valley, feast our eyes upon the beauty and grandeur of the scenery around us. It is the first of June, and Flora has robed the hills and valleys around with a dress reflecting all the colors of the rainbow. The trees and shrubbery are clothed with verdure, and innumerable birds of beautiful plumage are chirping and singing in the branches. The ground is reddened with the luscious strawberry, springing spontaneously and abundantly from the soil. There is not a cloud to darken the heavens, and the air is as clear as an Italian sky. Now, lifting our eyes above and beyond the front ground of the picture, and looking directly north- 1 !i I !l I ill 86 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ward, an object of great beauty meets our gaze, and wo can distinctly trace its outlines against the azure sky. "What is it ? I exclaimed, when first its mellow brightness formed its image on my eye. It is Mount St. Helen's, the most regular in its form, and the most beautiful in appearance, of all the snow-capped mountains of the western slope. Being smooth and ^conical in its form, and lifting its hoary head fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, the eye can gaze upon it without weariness from innu- merable points more than one hundred and fifty miles from its base. A little to the right of this stands Mount Ranier, another of nature's grand sentinels, whose snows have never been marked by Imman feet. Still further to the right is Mount Baker, standing at a greater distance, yet equally visible. These, and Mount Elias, which we cannot quite dis- lern from where we stand, are all on the north side of the Columbia River. Now, turning a little fur- ther, and facing to the northeast, the grand and majestic form of Old Ilood rises up before us, clad in the terrible beauty which covers him as with a garment of light. This celebrated mountain stands in the midst of the Cascade Range, some fifty miles south of the Columbia River, and in the state of Oregon. It is necessary to a proper appreciation of the country on both sides of the Columbia River, that-this stupendous range, of which Mount Ilood is the most prominent point, should be properl}'^ under- stood. To give a correct idea of this astonishing pile of basalt and snow, and the range with which it OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 37 vazo, and tlie azure 8 mellow is Mount and tlio w-capped ; emootli )ary head J sea, the om innu- and fifty it of this )'s grand arked by nt Baker, y visible, quite dis- orth side little fur- rand and e us, clad 18 with a dn stands ifty miles ) state of 3ciation of )ia River, t Hood is rl}'^ under- Lshing pile which it stands connected, I here append what has excited an interest even in the literary circles of Great Britain : AN ASCENT OF MOUNT HOOD. MY BEV. H. K. UINE8. " The Cascade Eange of mountains is a northward continuation of the Sierra Nevada of California, and cuts the State of Oregon and Territory of Washing- ton from south to north, at a distance of one hundred miles from the Pacific Ocean. The range springs up to an average altitude of eight or ten thousand feet, while at intervals of many miles more aspiring summits, from five to ten thousand feet higher, luminous with the sheen of everlasting snow, dome the ever-green roofing of the mountains. The highest of these is Mount Hood. It stands about fifty miles south of where the Columbia lias plowed its way through the Cascade, and nearly in the center of the range from east to west. " Here is a range of mountains eighty miles in width, and all that distance so broken, rugged, and wild as to be entirely irrecoverable to the uses of civilized man. But few of these wild gorges have ever been marked by the heel of the explorer. An occasional hunter has sometimes strayed into these fastnesses in pursuit of the elk or bear ; or a miner, with pick, shovel, and pan, has followed some stream near to its icy fountain ; but nearly all these mount- ains have over them the mystery of an unpathed sol- itude. For thirteen years I had looked with wonder im I II !,!;! I Ml 38 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. and desire toward the summit of Momit Hood. The desire to visit it, to stand upon it, to commune with nature and with God amid the wild sublimities of its gorges and glaciers, grew upon me till my spirit seemed ever asking for the intense delight. " In Se])temher, 18G4, in company with three gen- tlemen of Vancouver, Washington Territory, I first attempted to 3cale that hoarv pinnacle. On reaching an altitude about eigat hundred feet below the sum- mit, as we stood gazing on the magnificent panorap.a spread around and below us, a dense cloud came sweeping against the lorth side of the mountain, and drifting rapidly over it, instantly enveloped us in its folds. The air changed suddenly to a fierce cold ; the winds howled around the side of the mountain and shrieked away in doleful cadences below ; the driving snow filled the air so entirely that a cliff" of rocks three hundred feet high, standing not more than fifty feet from us, was entirely invisible. To go up, or to go down, was for the time, alike impossible. We could only stand on that chill altitude stoutly braving the beating of the blast. Frost and ice gathered on our hair and beards and clothes, till we looked like four ice kings shaking winter from our grizzly locks. The snow was swept by the fierce winds in waves and drifts in every direction. One of my companions was chilled nearly to insensibility; but we yet struggled against the tempest for hours, unwilling to be defeated in our purpose to reach the summit of the mountain. We stood seventeen thou- sand feet above the ebb and flow of the sea, before OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 39 ood. The nune with liinities of 1 my spirit tliree gen- ory, I first >n reaching w the sum- panorar'.a iloud came mitain, and ed us in its ierce cold ; Q mountain below ; the it a cliff of it more than To go up, impossible. :ude stoutly 3st and ice clothes, till ivintcr from by the fierce ction. One Insensibility ; it for hours, to reach the Buteen thou- 3 sea, before the very throne of the storm king, and were witnesses of the sweep of his tempest, as few mortals had ever been before us. There was sublimity in the thought, and it inspired us to daring ; but the tempest was too strong for us, and we at length reluctantly yielded to its imperious power. Subsequently I was glad of the disajipointment, as it gave me occasion again to visit the mountain ; and having seen it clad in gar- ments of cloud and storm, I could better appreciate it when robed in the gorgeous drapery of summer brightness. Of this second ascent I will now tell. " On the morning of the twenty-fourth day of July, 1800, in company with three gentlemen of the city of Portland, Oregon, I set out with heart and hope, full of determination to stand, upon that summit if mortal enerffv and determination couVi reach it. Our place of rendezvous was at the house of a Cana- dian by the name of Revnue, who, fourteen years before, had erected a cabin at the place where the emigrant road leaves the mountains and enters the valley of the Willamette. Our way here entered the mountains in the gorge, through wliich flows a dash- ing river three hundred feet wide, which rises from beneath the glaciers of Mount Ilood. Up this stream we traveled for thirty miles, when, leaving the gorge, the way makes a detour to the right to gain the sum- mit ridge. Here is the celebrated 'Laurel Hill.' For three or four miles the ascent is continuous, and in many places very steep and difficult. The top of Laurel Hill is the general summit of the range, which is perhaps ten miles in width, and has the general 40 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ii i • ! 'li i ! : r !ji l;l; i chara liter of a marsh or swamp. There is here a dense and grand growth of fir, cedar, sugar-pine, and kindred evergreens, with an ahnost impenetrable mi- dergrowth of laureh T^'ero is un inexpressible sense of loneliness in these deft j> ^ '' . ; ■ ?s. Struggling rays of sunlight only here and iheffj find way through the dense foliage, and then fall cold and white upon the damp ground. Passing over tLis level we crossed several bold, clear streams, dashing across our way from the direction of Mount Hood over beds of scori- aceous sand, which had been borne down from that vast pile of volcanic material, now only five or six miles away. We now found an old Indian trail lead- ing in the direction of the mountain, and, after a ride of an hour and a half upon it^ came oi^f into an open- ing of scattered trees, which sweeps .uoiind the south side of the mountain. It was ii - < clock when we emerged from the forest, and sc ' lov the time appalled, confronting the body ui rock and snow which springs up from the average altitude of the mountains and enters into wedlock with the bend in 2 ether. The bewildering greatness without inspired an unutterable awe witliin. Selecting a place for our camp on a beautiful grassy ridgf^ between one of the main affluents of the Des Chu .- c\\d the Clackamas Rivers, and which really con?;. •\ij the dividing ridge, we erected a booth of boughs, gathered fuel for a large fire d'.irlng the night, and gave ourselves up to h( urs of ■ 0: templation of the strange scene around, above, and beneath us. " The evening now came on, creeping noiselessly OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 41 is here a pine, and trable \u\- ible sense rling rays irough the upon the ve crossed 3 our way ds of Bcori- from that five or six I trail lead- Eifter a ride ro an open- cl the south ^!ock when ^v the time and snow ;ude of the he bending »ut inspired ilace for our L one of the Chickanias 10 dividing Ltliered fuel re ourselves range scene ij noiselessly over the mountains, and shedding a strange, weird, and melancholy splendor over the scene. .The moon was at its full, the sky clear as crystal, and the moon- beams seemed to troop in columns along the glitter- ing acclivities of the glaciers. Mount Hood seemed taller, grander, and more glorious than before. Often, during the march of that night over the hills, I arose from my blankets, walked to a point a few rods away, and contemplated with something of awe and much of reverence the divinely-illumined picture. Those who study Mount Hood only in the studio of the artist, before such paint and brush caricatures as Uierstadt's, know nothing of its real grandeur, its overwhelming greatness. Men praise tlie artist who, on canvas, can make some slight imitation of such a scene; why will they not adore the Maker whose power and skill builds and paints the grand orig- inals ? "At seven o'clock of Thursday, having provided ourselves with staves seven feet in length, and taken such refreshments as we should need on the mount- ain, we were ready for the ascent. For the first mile and a half the way was easy, over a bed of vol- canic rock, decayed, and intermixed with ashes. Huge rocks stood here and there, and two or three stunted junipers and a few varieties of mosses were all the vegetation. " We now reached the foot of a broad field of snow which sweeps around the south side of the mountain for several miles in length, and extending upward to the immediate summit of the mountain, perhaps four- ?k m ;l.li I !;!■ !i i 42 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS, miles. Two miles of this snow field is smooth, and only in places so steep as to render the footsteps un- certain. Near its upper edge the deep gorges, from which flow affluents of the Des Chutes on the ri.^ht, and Sandy on the left, approach each other, cutting down to the very foundations of the mountain. The waters are rushing from beneath the glaciers, which, at the upper extremity, were rent and broken into fissures and caverns of unknown depth. " The present summit of the mountain is evidently what was long since the northern rim of an immense crater, which could not have been less than three miles in diameter. Its southern wall has fallen com- pletely away, and the crater itself is filled with rock and ashes, overlaid with the accumulated snows of ages. through the rents and chasms of which now escape smoke, steam, and gases from the pent-up fires below. The fires are yet so near that many of the rocks which project upward through these icy depths are so hot that the naked hand cannot be held upon them. Just at the southwest foot of the circu- lar wall now constituting the summit, and at a dis- tance of about two thousand feet from its extreme height, is now the main opening of the crater. From this a column of smoke and steam is continually issu- ing, at times rising and floating away on the wind, at other times rolling heavily down the mountain. Into this crater I descended as far as it was possible with- out ropes, or till the descent was prevented by a perj^en- dicular wall of ice sixty or seventy feet high, which rested below on a bed of broken rock and ashes so i, 4 inooth, and )otsteps im- orgcs, from 1 tlie ri_,:i;lit, ler, cutting tain. The iers, wliicli, )roken into is evidently m immense than three fallen com- 1 with rock d snows of which now lie pent-up I at many of h these icy not be held f the circu- d at a dis- .t& extreme ter. From nually issu- he wind, at tain. Into 5sible with- y a per])en- igh, whicli d ashes so OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 43 hot as immediately to convert the water which drip- ped continually from the icy roof one hundred feet above into steam. The air was hot and stifling ; but I did so desire to gather some ashes and rocks from the bottom of the crater that if ropes had been at hand I should certainl}^ have ventured down. " At this point the real peril of the ascent begins. It leads out and up the inner wall of what was once the crater, and near a thousand feet of it is at an angle of sixty degrees. This ascent is up an ice field, the upper limit of a great glacier, which is crashing and grinding its slow journey down the mountain far to the right. About seven hundred feet from the sum- mit a crevasse from five to fifty feet in width, and of unknown depth, cuts clear across the glacier from wall to wall. There is no evading it. The summit cannot be reached without crossing it. There is no other pathway. Steadily and deliberately poising myself on my staff, I sprang over the crevasse at the most favorable place I could select, landing safe on the declivity two or three feet above it, and then with my staff assisted the others to cross. The last move- ment of fifteen feet had considerably changed the prospect of the ascent. We were thrown by it di- rectly below a wall of rock and ice five hundred feet high, down which masses, detached by the sun, were plunging with fearful velocity. To avoid them it was necessary to skirt the crevasse on the upper side for a distance, and then turn diagonally up the re- maining steep. It was only seven h'lndred feet high, but it was tw^o hours' sinewy tug to climb it. I 44 OKEGON AND ITS INSTITTJTIOlSrS. ( ■; 'ii ■1 111 The liot sun blazed against tlie wall of ice within two feet of our faces, the perspiration streamed from our foreheads, our breath was labored and difficult, yet the weary steps of inches were multiplied till, on nearing the summit, the weariness seemed to vanish, an ecstatic excitement thrilled along every nerve, and with feelings and shouts of triumph we bounded upon the pinnacle of the highest mountain in Korth America. " The summit was reached at about the center of the circular wall which constitutes the extreme altitude, and where it had so sharp an edge that it was im- possible to stand erect upon it. Its northern face is an escarpment several thousand feet high. Here we could only lie down on the southern slope, and hold- ing firmly to the rocks, look down the awful depth. A few rods to the west was a point forty or fifty feet higher, to the summit of which we crawled, and there discovered that forty rods eastward was a point still higher, the highest of the mountains. We crawled back along the sharp escarpment, and in a few min- utes stood erect on the highest pinnacle. This was found to be seventeen thousand six hundred and forty feet high ; the thermometer, by a very careful obser- vation, standing at one hundred and eighty degrees, where the water boiled about forty feet below the summit. This gives thirty-two degrees of depression, which, at the usual estimate of five hundred and fifty feet to the degree, gives the astonishing altitude in- dicated above. "The scene around us was 'ndescribable. We OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 45 were favored with one of the clearest, brightest days . of summer, and in this latitude and on this coast ^ objects are plainly visible at an almost incredible dis- '; tance. It would be impossible to convey to the reader H an adequate impression of the scene, yet a few gen- ■ eral observations may be taken. The first is the Cas- cade Range itself. From south to north, from Dia- mond Peak to liainier, a distance of not less than four hundred miles, the whole mountain line is under the eye. "Within that distance are Mounts Saint Helens, Baker, Jefferson, the Three Sisters, making, with Mount Hood, nine snowy mountains. East- ward the Blue Mountains are in distinct view for at least four hundred miles in length, and lying between us and them are the broad plains of the Des Chutes, John Day's, and Umatilla Rivers, one hundred and fifty miles in width. On the west the piny crests of the Coast Range cut clear against the sky, with the Willamette Yalley sleeping in quiet beauty at their feet. The broad silver belt of the Columbia winds gracefully through the evergreen valley toward the ocean, which we see blending with the horizon through the broad vista at the mouth of the river. AVithin these wide limits is every variety of mount- ain and valley, lake and prairie, bold, battling preci- pices, and gracefully rounded summits, blending and melting away into each other, forming a - hole of unutterable magnificence. The descent to the great crevasse, though much more rapidly accomplished, was perhaps quite as perilous as the ascent. "VVe were now approaching the gorge, and a single misstep iii| I I''' ■ I hills, will become the theater of all the activities and the institutions belonging to civilization and Christianity. The Yakima Yalley of this region is very peculiar. The river rises in the Cascade Range, and runs east- wardly, nearly parallel with, and in an opposite direc- tion from the Columbia, but finally works its way around into that river. Portions of this valley are fertile and beautiful, but it is now included in the Indian Eeservation. As it is not the purpose we have in view to trace the Columbia River through Idaho and British America to its source in the Rocky Mountains, or to give a description of the valleys watered by its numerous tributaries before entering Washington Territory and Oregon, we shall here close our sketch of this great artery of the western slope by giving a short history of the circumstances by which this great river received its name. Up to the year 1788, only eighty years ago, it was not known by any civilized nation that the great Columbia had an existence on the face of the globe. The citizens of the United States appear to have taken no part in the discoveries on the northwest coast, and in the trade opened by such discoveries, previously to the ye;ir 1788. At that time a com- pany of merchants from Boston sent two ships around Cape Horn, commanded respectively by Captain Robert Gi-ay and Captain John Kendrick. The names of these vessels were the Columbia and Washington. These were the first American ships H i ^n OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 67 that visited the northwest coast. Both these vessels continued on the coast until the month of August, 1789, when it was determined between them that Captain Gray should take the command of the Co- lumbia and proceed to China and the United States with all the fm's which had been collected, and Plen- drick should remain on the coast in the Washington. Gray accomplished this voyage in safety, and on the twenty-seventh day of September, 1790, again left Boston in the same ship for the Pacific, and some time in May, 1791, made land a little to the north of Cape Mendocino, near the forty-first degree of north latitude. While proceeding to the northward from this point Captain Gray discovered an opening in the shore of considerable width, in latitude forty- six degrees and sixteen minutes, from which issued a strong current which prevented his entrance. He continued off this opening for nine days, with an in- tention, if possible, to enter it ; but from the strength of the current, and the appearance of the breakers across the opening, he was unable at this time to accomplish his object. Though convinced that he had discovered the mouth of a great river, without waiting longer for an opportunity to enter it he pro- ceeded to the north, and in June arrived at Nootka Sound. From this point Gray continued his course north, and after making some important discoveries in the vicinity of Queen Charlotte's Island, returned to Clyoquot, near Nootka, where he continued during the winter. In the spring of 1792 the discoveries on the coast of Oregon were prosecuted both by the ijlf: ( . t jf f \W ! m w wm 58 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. English and Americans. In the middle of April Captain Yancouver, an Englishman, arrived on the coast with two ships at his command, and commenc- ing at Cape Mendocino, explored the whole extent of coast as he proceeded to the north, and passed the opening which Gray attempted to enter in latitude forty-six degrees sixteen minutes, without considering it as being worthy of his particular attention on account of the forbidding aspect which it presented. In his progress northward he says in his journal that " the coast was so minutely examined that the surf was constantly seen to break on its shores from the mast-head," and yet that he " saw no appearance of an opening in its shores which presented any certain prospect of affording shelter." On his way up the coast Yancouver fell in with the ship Columbia, Captain Gray, who had just left his wintering place at Clyoquot. In their interview Gray in- formed Yancouver that, the previous summer, he had been off the mouth of a river in latitude forty-six de- grees ten minutes where the outset was so strong as to prevent his entering for nine days. In referring to this, Yancouver says that " this was probably the opening passed by us on the forenoon of the twenty- seventh, and was apparently inaccessible, not from the current^ but from the breaktrs that extend across it." From this it appears that the English captain did not yet believe that such a river as was repre- sented by Gray had any existence. Under this im- pression he proceeded on to the north, while Gray, to assure himself of tlie reality of his discovery of a mi^m^ w OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 69 great river, resolved, if it were possible, to enter it with his ship. "While proceeding southward from Clyoquot he entered a harbor which he named after one of his principal owners, Bulfinch, now called with more propriety Gray's Harbor. Passing on, he arrived on the eleventh of May, 1792, opposite the bay which, by a former English- man by the name of Captain John Meares, who visited the coast early in 1788, was called Decep- tion Bay, immediately south of Cape Hancock, and in latitude forty-six degrees ten minutes north. Though the breakers presented a formidable obstacle before them, and they did not know but that they were rushing to inevitable destruction, yet Captain Gray and his gallant comrades dashed bravely on, and discovering a narrow passage through the breakers, passed them in safety, and, as Gray had anticipated, found themselves in a large river of fresh water, up which they proceeded the distance of twenty miles. The natives, in their finely constructed canoes, flocked around the strangers, and manifested the utmost surprise at what they saw and heard. A traffic was opened with them, in which furs were re- ceived from the Indians in exchange for coarse goods ; and after having continued in the river for eight days, making repairs, trading with the Indians, exploring the river, and taking observations of the surrounding country, Captain Gray again passed the breakers at the entrance, and put to sea through the dangerous and intricate channel, prepared to an- nounce to the world the most important discovery ( ■; :■ ' i; '^ i\tt %■: ' 60 OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. tliat was ever made on the northwest coast. Before taking liis departure Captain Gray bestowed tlie name of Lis vessel upon the majestic river which he had discovered, calling it the Columbia, a name which, in honor of t]ie generous captain who bestowed it, and the gallant ship that first anchored in its waters, it should forever retain. It has been asserted by one very iDopular writer* that the existence of this river was long known before Gray or Yancouver visited it. Doubtless, it was known to the Indian tribes that roamed upon its banks. But if any white man ever saw it, he was not permitted to survive to tell of his discovery. From a thorough investigation of the wliole question, it most clearly appears that Captain Robert Gray, of Boston, is entitled to the credit of being the original discoverer of this great river of the western slope ; a river which, when viewed as the only convenient or practicable channel to and from one of the most extensive and fertile valleys on the American Continent, will bear com- parison, in the natm-al advantages which it affords, with almost any river in the world. * Washington Irving. I OKEQON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 61 CHAPTER V. THE COUNTIES OF OREGON. The state of Oregon is divided into twenty-two coun- ties, and in describing them separately we will com- mence at the northwest corner of the state and pre- sent them in their regular order, so as to give a more distinct idea of their precise locality. CLATSOP COUNTY. This county is bounded north by the Columbia Eiver, east by Columbia County, south by the county of Tilamook, and west by the Pacific Ocean. The topography of this county is wonderfully variegated. "Within its limits are embraced the beautiful Clatsop Plains, already noticed in the general description of the country. This county is mainly covered with a heavy growth of fir, spruce, cedar, and hemlock tim- ber, offering magnificent opportunities for lumbering purposes, though but little in that line is now done. The soil is of a good quality on the low lands, and, though some of the mountains are rocky and precip- itous, yet generally the soil is good on the mountain sides, and even to the very tops of the mountains. We can only arrive at an approximation toward the I;, i -.1 K' ! ii'ii 62 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. precise area of the county, as its exact limits are not fully defined. It is not far from two thousand square miles. The population is increasing, and taking the last census as the basis, it does not vary far from eight hundred. The number of voters at the last election was one hundred and seventy-nine. Acres of land under cultivation, seven hundred and sixty ; value of assessable property in the county, two hundred and eighty thousand dollars. Astoria is the seat of justice. This town derived its name from the late John Jacob Astor, who established a trading post here as early as 1811. The town is beautifully and pleasantly lo- cated on the left or south bank of the Columbia E.iver, ten miles above its mouth. It is ninety miles northwest from Portland, and by the way of the Wil- lamette and Columbia Bivers it is one hundred and forty miles from Salem, the capital of th^. state. The town occupies a very salubrioiis and healthy locality, and at present it wears all the appearance of grow- ing prosperity. The custom-house is located at this place, besides which the public buildings are a ma- sonic hall, and a church. A public school is in suc- cessful operation, and the population generally are highly intelligent and refined. Astoria and Clatsop Plains, on the other side of Youngs' Bay, are becom- ing a frequent, as they are a very pleasant, resort for the people from the interior, especially during the warm part of the season. The fresh breezes from the bosom of the great Pacific are pleasant and exliilarating. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 63 TILAMOOK COUNTY. This county is bounded on tlie north by Clatsop, east by Washington, Yamhill, and Polk counties, south by Benton, and west by the Pacific Ocean. The gen- eral character of this county may be described by the terms rough and mountainous. It is large in extent, embracing not less than two thousand five hundred square miles. Its western limits are washed by the waters of the Pacific, and there are a number of points of interest along its coast. Tilamook Valley, on a river of the same name, is a beautiful and fertile valley, and opens to the ocean by the way of Tila- mook Bay. The valley contains most of the popula- tion of the county at the present, though many other portions are susceptible of settlement. Tilamook Bay aflbrds for the county a port of entry, and con- stitutes a safe harbor for small vessels. The population of the county amounts to about three hundred persons. Lincoln is the county seat. BENTON COUNTY. This county is bounded on the north by Polk County and Tilamook, on the east by the Willa- mette River, which separates it from Linn County, on the south by Lane County, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. This county contains an area of about one thousand seven hundred square miles. It is one of the most beautiful, fertile, and picturesque counties in Oregon. It embraces a very romantic <.i 64 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. i section of tlie Coast Range of mountains ; and near the center of this section, and rising above every other elevation for many miles around, stands ^he graceful form of Mary's Peak. The eastern portion of the county, lying on the Willamette lliver, is an extended prairie plain ; the western, extending to the Pacific Ocean, is mountainous. The plains are rich and beautiful, and much of the land in the mount- ains is naturally very fertile, but covered with tim- ber. The population of the county liy the last cen ua was three thousand and seventy-four. Numbe. ol voters at the last election, seven hundred and twenty- six. Assessable property, one million two hundred and ninety-three thousand and forty-seven dollars. Corvallis, a name signifying the center of the valley, is the county seat. The public buildings are a court-house, a college, owned and conducted by the Methodist Church, South, and three churches, a Presbyterian, a Catho- lic, and a Methodist Episcopal. Here is published, by W. B. Carter, Esq,., a sprightly and valuable news- paper called The Gazette. Corvallis is beautifully situated, just below the confluence of Mary's River with the "Willamette River, and on the west bank of the latter stream. It forms the center of business for a splendid agricultural country, and is really among the flourishing towns of the state. The other points of special interest in the county are Monroe and the Belknap Settlement in the southern. Liberty and King's Yalley in the central portion of the county, and Yaquina, Pioneer City, and Oysterville on Ya- I'lgjjjlii.tl'jl,.!, "^■ip OliEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 65 quina Bay. Benton County has received a wonderful iuipetus from the construction of a good wagon road, which lias been recently opened from Corvallis to Yaquina Bay. This road lias tended greatly to jiro- mote the advancement of Benton County in popula- tion, wealth, and importance. M, LANE COUNTY. This county is situated in the central part of tho state, and is bounded north by Benton and Marion Counties, east by the Cascade Bange of mountains, south by Douglas County, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is about one hundred miles long from east to west, and thirty-five broad, containing three thousand five hundred square miles. The county is unsurpassed by any in the magnificence of its scenery, and it comprises one of the finest agricultural portions of the state. The population of the county by the last census is five thousand five hundred and twenty- seven. Number of voters in the last election, one tliousand three hundred and eighteen ; acres of land under cultivation, thirty thousand six hundred and eighty-three, about one seventieth part of the land em- braced within the limits of the county. True, much of the unoccupied, uncultivated land is hilly and mountainous ; yet vast portions in the smaller val- leys, and on the foot hills of the Coast and Cascade Banges of mountains, are eligible to settlement. The value of assessable property in the county is three million dollars. ■t ■. ' J rT 66 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. " 1 il 111 Eufjeiie City is the seat of justice for Lane County. It is situated seventy-five miles south of Salem, near the conjunction of the Coast Fork, the Middle Fork, and the M'Kenzie Fork of the Willamette River, and at the head of stecmboat navigation. Eugene City is a place of growing importance, and from its cen- tral position in the midst of an agricultural country rivaling in excellence any other in the state, must become one of the finest inland cities in the country. A wagon road has been recently constructed, con- necting this city with the valleys of De Chutes and John Dav's River east of the Cascade Mountains. The road is quite practicable through the mountains, and already beginning to be much used. The public buildings of Eugene City are a court- house, academy, one Episcopal church, one Catholic church, one Cumberland Presbyterian church, one Presbyterian church, Old School, one Baptist, and one Methcdist Episcopal church. The population of the town is about one thousand five hundred, and is well supplied with public and private schools. Be- sides Eugene City there are many points of interest in other parts of the county which are worthy of notice. Lancaster is a somewhat flourishing little town on the west bank of the "Willamette River, sixteen miles below and north of Eugene City. Franklin, Long Tom, Pleasant ITill, Willamette Forks. Cloverdale, Cottage Grove, and Siuselaw are all beautiful and pleasant localities. Sin'ingfield, three miles above Eugene City, and ^^"^mr OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 67 on the opposite side of the river, is a point of some importance from the facilities which it offers for mill- ing operations. DOUGLAS COUNTY. This county is bounded north hy the count}'' of Lane, east by the Cascade Range, south by Josephine County, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It contains an area of not less than three thousand five hundred square miles, or what would be equal to two million two hundred and forty thousand acres of land. Of this, but twenty-one thousand four hundred and four acres are under cultivation. Douglas county contains a population of four thousand. The number of voters at the last election was eleven hundred and thirty- nine. The value of assessable property is one million three hundred and thirjy one thousand two hundred and eight dollars. The county of Douglas is, per- haps, the most wonderfully diversified of any portion of this most wonderful country. The main body of the county is comprised in the valley of the Umpqua River with its numerous tributaries. The level, or lower parts of the valley along the streams, are not extensive, though tliey are very beautiful and fertile. Tlie whole valley, extending from the Calla])ooia Mountains south to the Canon Mountains, and from the Coast Ilange east to the Cascade Range, com- ])rises some fifteen hundred square miles. To a proper understanding of the nature of this valley it must bo remembered that at least three fourths of this whole extent is composed of innumerable hills, t .; 68 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. many of whicli aspire to the dignity of young mount- ains, and that these are scattered promiscuously over the whole valley. This being the case, one in passing through the county is impressed with the idea that the TJmpqua Yalley is nowhere, or, rather, is no val- ley ; whereas, if he will take the pains to place him- self upon the top of some one of the highest of the elevations whicli abound in the valley, and cast his eye around him, he will not fail to see to the west- ward the Coast Kange, to the eastward the Cascade Range, to the northward the Callapooia, and to the southward the Canon Mountains, all towering far above the hills that immediately surround him, and distinctly marking the outlines of the grand, though uneven amphitheater known as the Umpqua Valley. This valley is finely watered by the numerous limpid rivulets, and rivers that come leaping down from the mountains by which it is environed, and which, with the salubriousness of the climate, render this one of the most healthy and delightful portions of the state. Roseburg, situated on the direct road from Port- land and Salem to Sacramento in California, and one lumdred and fifty miles south of Salem, is the countj seat. It is a sprightly little town containing a popu- lation of about five hundred. Its public buildings are a court-house, a public school-house, an Episcopal church, and a Methodist Episcopal church. The town stands upon a beautiful location at the conflu- ence of the Deer Creek with the south fork of the Umpqua Eiver, and is sustained by a good agricul- tural and stock-raising country. w < tVWf OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 69 Oakland, situated in tlie nortliern part of tlie county, and on the Callapooia Creek, is a fine grow- ing town, and commands considerable trade from the country around. It is eighteen miles north of Rose- burg, and one hundred and thirty-two miles south of Salem. Wilbur is situated midway between Oakland and Roseburg. This place was selected in 1853 by Rev. James H. Wilbur for the site of an academy to meet the future demands of the country. This academy has since grown into a flourishing institution. A little town has sprung up at this point which derives most of its importance from the school. Here is a church building, which is owned by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The academy is in the liands of the Methodist Episcopal Clmrch, and, doubtless, at some future day will become a college. Rev. T. F. Royal, A.M., has been for many years the efficient principal of this academy. The country around is fertile, and the scenery delightful. Scottsburg, at the head of tidewater on the Ump- qua River, and about twenty-five miles from the Pacific Ocean, is a place of some importance, as it forms an entrepot to the interior of the country. Canonville, situated in the southern part of the county at the mouth of the Great Canon, is also an active and flourishing little town, sustained by a combination of agricultural and mining interests. Besides those already named, there are many other places within the limits of the county that, if space would permit, would be entitled to particular notice. 70 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. such as Yoiicolla, tlie place of residence of tlie Apple- gates, Garden Bottom, Coles Yalley, Lookingglass, Myrtle Creek, Cow Creek, Ten Mile, and Cammas Prairie. These, and many others, are all fine local- ities, and the last mentioned is one of the most beauti- ful little valleys that can be found on the Pacific Coast. The water-coTirses of this county, which are numer- ous, from the rapidity with which they fall aftbrd almost boundless facilities for manufacturing pur- poses, but are not yet being very extensively em- ployed. Some lumber and flouring mills are in operation in various parts of the county, and measures are being taken to set in motion the spindles and looms requisite to convert into cloth the immense amount of wool that is annually clipped from the sheep that subsist upon the thousands of hills that checker this singular but interesting and promising county. GOOSE COUNTY. This county is bounded on the north and east by Douglas County, on the south by Curry County, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The population, ac- cording to the last census, is one thousand and twenty- four. The number of voters at the last election was three hundred and thirteen. The land under cultiva- tion does not exceed one thousand acres. The value of assessable property is two hundred thousand dolhirs. Empire City is the county seat, and is situated on Coose Bay, about five miles from where the bay con- nects with the ocean, one hundred miles directly ^^ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 71 west from Hoseburg in Douglas County, and two hun- dred and fifty miles southwest from Salem, the cap- iiiil of the state. Empire City will, doubtless, become in time quite a town, though its growth has been very tardy. It occupies a beautiful site, that will adujit of an indefinite expansion of the town whenever the abundant mineral, agricultural, and lumbering re- sources of the country back of it shall be fully opened and require an enlargement. The town contains a population of about one hundred and fifty. The principal objects of interest are an extensive lumber manufactory, and a very nice and commodious public school-house, newly built. Coose Bay is but an enlargement of Coose River, and forms a safe and convenient harbor for vessels that are not of deep draught. The bay extends up into the country about forty miles, and upon its shores are erected a number of extensive mills for the man- ufacture of lumber. At North Bend, some ten miles above Empire City, is a fine establishment of this kind, owned and conducted by Captain Robert Simp- son & Brother. Here also ship-building is carried forward to a considerable extent. Some eleven vessels of from two hundred to four hundred tons burden have already been launcliod, and others are in process of building. The Simpsons own a steam tug, which they employ in to^-ing vessels out of and into the harbor; and in shipping lumber to San Francisco and other markets, they also use their own vessels. Many other vessels, however, visit the bay, and find cargoes at other establishments. ,!;v « w Tl" 1^! ™ <- n OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ■ ;'; ill! Randolph is in the southern part of the county, and important mainly as a mining town. There is also a settlement on Coose River, likewise on the Coquille. The Coose River and the Coquille River valleys are connected with the Umpqua Yalley by two trails across the Coast Range of mountains. The valleys of Coose county are narrow and con- tracted, and generally covered with a dense growth of myrtle and maple timber. The soil of these valleys is good. The principal resources of this county are its lumber and mines. Of the latter, here are found gold, copper, iron, and coal ; the last men- tioned in abundance. The population of the county has recently been strengthened by immigration, to facilitate which a wagon road is in process of being built through the Coast Range from Cammas Prairie in Douglas County to Coose River. CURRY COUNTY. This county is situated in the extreme southwestern corner of the state. It is bounded north by Coose County, east by Josephine, south by California, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is a large county in extent, but rough and mountainous, and contains about two hundred inhabitants. The number of votes cast at the last election was one hundred and five. The value of the county consists principally in its timber and mineral resources. Copper leads have been discovered of great prospective value, and gold IS found in various places. Farming is carried on l!i|»!l!J.ln|('i w ^^mr^ wpf .|^' OKEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Y3 to a very limited extent, there being but about four hundred acres of land under cultivation in the county. The value of assessable property is one hundred thousand dollars. Ellensburg is the county seat. It is situated on the south bank of Kogue River, and is about three hundred and fifty miles southwest of Salem. Port Orford is within this county, but is not a place of much importance. ;^5: JOSEPHINE COUNTY. This county is in the extreme southern portion of Oregon, being bounded by Douglas County on the north, Jackson County on the east, the state of California on the south, and Curry County on the west. It embraces an area of about two thousand five hundred square miles, equal to one million five hundred thousand acres of land. Of this not more than four thousand acres are under cultivation. The value of assessable property is estimated at three hundred thousand dollars. The topography of this county is wonderfully variegated and interesting. It consists of a succession of beautiful valleys, separated by ranges of high hills which often rise to the dignity of mountains, and presenting, as one passes over the country, ever-varying scenery, mingling in one view the beautiful, romantic, and sublime, so that, though the ascending and descending may tax the physical energies, the mind is never weary in the contempla- tion of the picture. ' li- 74 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. The Cow Creek and the Grave Creek valleys are beautiful, and portions of them, are fertile and under cultivation. The valley of Jump-oti'-Joe is beautiful, but fertile only in spots. These valleys are in tlie northern part of the county. The Rogue Kiver passes through the county from east to west, dividing it about in the center. That part of the Rogue River Valley emoraced in Josephine County is of considerable extent, level, and in places very fertile, and under a good state of cultivation. In this county is also a considerable portion of the valley of Applegate Creek, a stream which, rising in the Siskiu Mountains, and running northward, enters tlie Rogue River within Josephine County. A combination of mining and agricultural wealth renders this valley one of considerable im- portance. Gold mining is still carried on success- fully in the valley ; and, scattered along the stream, may be seen here and there a w^ell-conducted and productive farm. The principal valley of the county, however, is one in the southern part, known by the name of Illinois Valley. A river of the same name, rising also in the Siskiu Mountains, after meandering through this valley, finds its way to the Pacific Ocean through the channel of the Rogue River. The Illinois Valley covers an area, embracing some of the foot hills, of about three hundred square miles. But lit% of this, however, is under cultivation. The main interests of the county are of a raining character, and these are immensely valuable. There are productive placer mines in various parts of the m OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 75 county. Sailor's Diggings, Waldo, Jump-oft-Joe, and many other places, are producing more or less gold every year. Discoveries have been made of quartz ledges in various parts of the county ; and at a place called Enterprise, in the upper end of the valley, a quartz mill has been put in operation with six stamps, and produces fair returns for the expenses incurred. Kirbyville is the seat of justice of Josephine County, and constitutes the main center of trade for Illinois Yalley. It is situated on the Illinois River, and occupies a very fine site, and will, doubtless, ultimately grow into quite a town. It derives con- siderable patronage from a public road leading from Crescent City to Jacksonville and Fort Klamath, in the interior ; Crescent City, forming an entrepot for Curry, Josephine, and Jackson Counties. This road, though passing over high and rugged mountains, is very much used, as nearly all the goods shipped for Southern Oregon pass over it in four and six horse wagons. In fine, Josephine County, from a com- bination of mineral, agricultural, and pastoral re- sources, is destined to occupy a vastly higher position in the estimation of the people of other portions of the state than as yet it has attained. JACKSON COUNTY. A gentleman by the name of Jackson first pros- pected a little creek near where Jacksonville now stands, and found rich deposits of gold in the earth I i 76 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ■\vaslied by the waters of the creek, and hence the name Jacksou Creek, Jackson County, and Jack- sonville. The interesting and important portion of the state of Oregon embraced in Jackson County is situated in the southern part, and bounded as follows : north by Douglas County, east its limits are undefined, south by the state of California, and west by the county of Josephine. The population of the county at present is three thousand souls. The number of voters at the last election was one thousand two hundred and fifty- three. The number of acres of land under cultiva- tion about fourteen thousand. The value of assessa- ble property is one million two hundred and ninety- eight thousand four hundred and sixty -five dollars. This county is about eighty miles from the northern to the southern extremity, and one hundred or more east and west, covering an area of at least eight thousand square miles. The topography of the county, in its beauty and grandeur and variety, will not suft'er when compared with any other county in the state. The "Winter Kange of mountains, which is but a continuance of the Cascade Range, appear on its eastern border, and passing through the county and dividing it into two equal parts as to extent of territory, is another broken part of the Cascade Range, of which Scott's Peak and the Three Brothers are the principal elevations. This last range forms the divid- ing ridge between the waters of Rogue River and those that flow into the Klamath River. In this eastern p rtion of, Jackson County, comprehending MM w WiPT OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 77 the Klamath Lake country, ai I in the regions be- yond, extending even to Nevada, are large extents of land, both hill and low land, beautiful and fertile, which will, doubtless, not many years hence, consti- tute delightful homes for thousands of intelligent citi- zens. In this region are found Alvord and ruel)la valleys. Forest Creek, "White Ilorse, and Willow Creek valkys. These are in the extreme southeastern por- tion of the state. West of these is a desert of some forty miles in extent, and on the west of this desert, and at the base of a mountain ruiige, is a long and, in many places, narrow valley, with a chain of fresh- water lakes extending through it. It is v )rth of Surprise Valley in California, and is divided from it by a low range of hills. In and around this valley are many inviting spots both for cultivation and raising stock. The most important part of Jackson County, how- ever, is that which is comprehended in the Rogue River Yalley and its tributaries. This valley is sur- passingly beautiful, and is siuTounded with the most enchanting scenery. Snowy Butte, with its graceful outlines and conelike summit, casts its shadow against the eastern sky. The Siskin Mountains lift their majestic summits on the southern border, as if to guard against invasion from that direction. The Table Rock, rising perpendicularly hundreds of feet, and spreading out upon its top a mile of broad flat surface, offers ample room for all the surrounding people to come to the " Table of Giants " and i>ar- take of their Viands together. And a thousand other 78 OREGON AND IT3 INSTITUTIONS. i objects — mounds, liills, buttes, mountains, snow-pe.iks, rocky, jap;ged, smooth, round, and conical tops, with brooks, creeks, rivulets, cascades, etc., etc., all com- bine to make this region one of peculiar interest to every admirer of natural scenery. The county scat of Jackson County is Jacksonville, which is the largest and most flourishing town in the southern portion of Oregon. It is situated on the western borders of a beautiful plain, where two rich mining gulches, known as Jackson's Creek and Rich Gulch, come together, and at the base of the range of hills which divide the waters of Bear Creek from those of Applegate, and is ten miles 30uth of Rogue River. Jacksonville is a town of very considerable trade, and is sustained by a combination of mining and agricultural interests. It is situated about one hun- dred and twenty-five miles from Crescent City, on the Pacific Ocean, and receives all its merchandise from that point by the way of a wagon road which has been constructed over the Coast Range. This road has been considered in connection with Jose- phine County. Jacksonville is built in a very compact form, and contains many substantial fire-proof brick stores and hotels, wdth a variety of shops, saloons, groceries, livery stables, and manufactories, which, with a large number of fine private dwellings, stand- ing in the backgrounds of delightful gardens, give the town an interesting and city-like appearance. The town is blessed with the presence of two churches, a Methodist Episcopal and (Catholic. It has also a court-house, and has recently erected, in a most 11 OREGON AND 1T3 INSTITUTIONS. 79 I beautiful locality, an academical institution which will doubtless grow into a flourishiug college. Hero are published two weekly papers, the Sentinel and the jReview, of course on each side of the great political questions of the day. In fine, Jaclvsonville possesses not only all the characteristics of cities of larger pre- tensions, but many of the elements of a continued and permanent prosperity. It is two hundred and fifty miles south of Salem, the capital of the state, and witliin twenty miles of the California line. The valley immediately on Rogue River is not very wide, varying perhaps from one mile to three, and possibly in places it may widen out to five miles. The main body of what is called Rogue River Yalley lies upon the tributaries of that stream. BeaT" Creek is one of these tributaries ; and Jackson Creek, upon which Jacksonville is situated, is a tributary of Bear Creek. The Bear Creek Valley, or Stewart's Creek, as it is sometimes called, varies in width from three to twelve or fifteen miles, and is about twenty-five miles long. It is remarkably beautiful to the eye, and a large portion of the valley is as rich and fertile as it is beautiful. The stage road from Sacramento to Portland runs the whole length of this valley, crossing the Rogue River at Rock Point, and con- tinuing along down the banks of that stream twelve miles before it leaves the valley. The points of in- terest along this great thoroughfare from California to Oregon, from where the road comes down the Siskiu Mountains into Bear Creek Valley to where it leaves the Rogue River Valley to strike ofl" into M^ i I \ fswmmmmmi 80 OREGON AyiD ITS INSTITUTIONS. 't'. tHHi'aB'';! ii< Josephine County, are tlie Mountain House, Ash- land, a thriving town, Eagle Mills, Phoenix, Jackson- ville, Willow Springs, a rich mining locality, Dar- danelles, Rock Point, Evans's Creek, Dry Diggings, and Croxton's Station, or Grant's Pass. Southwest from Jacksonville, on the upper waters of Applegate Creek, are the mining towns of Sterling and Will- iamsburgh ; while in the northeastern portion of the county are the valleys of Antelope, Little Butte, and Big Butte Creeks, and on the north side of Rogue River is a settled locality rejoicing in the name of Sam's Valley. There are other valleys of less extent, beautiful and fertile, which a want of space will not allow to be particularly mentioned. These, running into those already described, and becoming one in con- nection with the main river, constitute what is known as the Rogue River Yalley, one of the most delightful upon whicli the sun ever shone. This county has been of immense value to the Pacific coast, and especially to the state of Oregon, from the immense amount of gold which has been taken annually from its gulches and hill-sides. The yield of gold has varied somewhat from year to year ; but the experience of sixteen years of mining in this locality abundantly proves the durability of the Jackson County mines. Besides this the county is rich in agricultural, pastoral, and manufacturing re- sources, so that if the mines were to fail, of wdiich there is no ground for fear, the county would still constitute an important part of the state of Oregon. Already an extensive woolen factory is in process of erection, OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 81 and nearly completed, at AsLland, on Bear Creek, and the extended valleys, hills, and even mountains, covered Avith gruds, afford ample iiekl^ for the pro- duction of wool ; and when the iron horse shall come neighing through the valley, which will doul)tless bo the case before many years, then this delightful val- ley will be placed, in point of value, upon an equality with the most favored portions of the state. MARION COUNTY. This county is bounded on the north by Clacka- mas County, east by Clackamas and the Cascade Mountains, by whicli it is sepnrated from Wasco County, on the south by Linn County, and on the west by Polk and Yandiill counties, from which it is separated by the Willamette River. The central position of Marion County, its abundant agricultural resources, the superiority of its soil, in connection with its excellent connnercial advantages, render it one of the most, if not the most prosperous county of the state. It covers an area of from two thousand five hundred to three thousand square miles. Of this there is forty-six thousand acres under cultivation. The population of the county is now estimated at ten thousand, and at the last election there were cast some two thousand two hundred votes. Salem is the county sei't, as also the capital of the state. It is situated on the east bank of the Willamette River, and very near the center of the valley ; and no city in this or any other country has a more delightful ^ 82 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. lifii location. It is fifty miles soatlnvest from Portland, the commercial emporium of the state, and sixty-two miles from the Columbia Kiver. It contains a popu- lation of four thousand five hundred, ranking next to Portland in size and commercial importance. The scenery around the city has been considered in the general description of the coiintr}^ and nothing need here be added but to say, that it would bo utterly impossible to conceive of a picture more va'se-vted, beautiful, and magnificent than is here presented to the eye. The blue limpid waters of the Willamette, which wash the western side of the city, the prairie plains and hills in the immediate vicinity, and the dark lines of forest through which the river flows, added to the bolder outlines of the distant mountain ranges, present a picture to the eye at once charming and instructive. The site of the city is a gradually inclined plane, bordered around with forest outlines. Here the oak, the fir, the maple, and the balm blend together in harmonious beauty ; and, indeed, nature has been so lavish of the adornments with which she has decked the locality, that the eflbrts of art seem but to mar and deface, rather than beautify. Salem is laid out on a grand scale. Her streets are from ninety to a Imndred feet wide, and cross each other at right angles. Extensive avenues are also provided, and these are beautified by rows of fine cottages and splendid mansions, which appear on every hand. The public buihlings for the state have not yet been erected, but will doubtless be commenced in 1868. i OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 83 The penitentiary, located here, and now a temporary building, will be erected first, and the State House, Insane Asylum, and others contemplated, as soon as the bricks can be manufactured by the convicts of the prison. At present the state rents apartments in a brick block owned by Joseph Ilolman, Esq., fin* the use of the legislature, which answers for the time being a very good purpose. Salem has laid tlie foundations to become in the future, and that at no distant day, a great manufac- turing city. By the excavation of a ditch or canal of less than a mile in length, water is brought from the Santiam Kiver tlie distance of about fourteen miles, and intersects the Willamette River at this place. By this arrangement a fall of forty feet or more has been secured, all within the limits of the city. It constitutes the best, and, perhaps, the easiest applied water-power in the state. This hydraulic privilege is owned, by a cliarter from the state legis- lature, by the Willamette Woolen Manufacturing and Milling Company. The water is exhaustless, easily controlled both summer and winter, and it is estimated that this water possesses a driving capacity sufficient to drive the machinery for a chain of fac- tories miles in extent. Already an extensive woolen factory, with four sets of carding machinery, one thousand six hundred and eighty spindles, and thirty- three looms, is driven constantly by this power. It employs one hundred and fifty operatives, uses four hundred thousand ])Ounds of wool annually, and produces one tiiousand yards of cloth per day. lu 84 OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. addition to tJiis the company own an extensive flour- ing mill, which they have erected at a cost of about seventy-live tliousand dollars. This . company has been remarkably successful, and has added im- mensely to the wealth of Salem. It is composed of some of the most energetic business gentlemen on the coast. !N"o business operation that has ever been commenced in Oregon has done more to awaken the dormant energies of the people, and give a spur to the enterprise of the country, than this. And, as it has conferred a great financial benefit upon the people generally by a large increase of operatives, and opening a market for wool and other produce, so, on the other hand, it has laid the foundation for the accumulation of a fortune upon the part of all the stockholders of the company. In addition to this, Salem is blessed with extensive lumbeixng manufactories, sash factories, founderies, machine shops, and every other branch of mechanism and industry which the necessities of the country de- mand. Stores of all kinds — hotels, livery stables, photograph galleries, saloons, meat markets, drug- gists, booksellers — and all other business establish- ments which are requisite to give life, energy, and activity to a growling town, abound in all parts of the city of Salem. Merchandising especially, as Salem is the center for a large extent of country, rich in every agricultural resource, is carried on very extensively, and Ijecomes the medium through which men beginning with a small capital in a few years raise themselves to independence. Pel OREGON ^ND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 85 The legal profession has a very strong representa- tion in the little capital of Oregon, especially as to the number of lawyers in comparison with the popu- lation. Twenty disciples of Blackstone ought to be sufficient to set the whole population of Salem, of less than five thousand, by the ears; and yet it would be difficult to find a more well-disposed, peacefid, and quiet community in any country than constitute the society of this growing town. Perhaps this is to be attributed to a kind of counteracting influence exerted by an equal number of ministos of the gos- pel of peace whose residences are within the precincts of the city. At any rate, the people of this commu- nity, under the discipline and instruction of these two professions, filled by so able and influential a body of men, ought to be, as they really are, a gospel- loving and a law-abiding people. The medical profession constitute another "insti- tution" in Salem which should receive a passing notice. Comprising an eijual number with the two professions of which we have spoken, according to the theory of some, it is quite remarkable that S i!om and vicinity should remain in so liealthy a condiilon. There are certainly doctors enough, and poisonous drugs enough, not only to keep the people all sick, but rapidly to remove them to another clime. And yet few communities are blessed with more uniform and unbroken health ; and the people when taken sick, and under tlie care of the doctors, live, as the man said about his wife, " beyond all account." Perhaps, after all, this state of things is, at least in ■HUP i ! 86 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. part, to be attributed to the care exercised by tlie very able and excellent corps of physicians and sur- geons who preside over the sanitary interests of this rising community. If so, wo cheerfully accord to them all the credit for the healthfulness of our town and country to which they are entitled. With three such bodies of men, the lawyers to take care of our temporal interests, the physicians to take care of our bodies, and the ministers to take care of our souls, it might reasonably be expected that we would be exempt from many of the ills to which flesh is heir. " But this too," as the preacher saith, " is all vanity and vexation of spirit." The publishing interests of Salem deserve also a separate notice. Here are three papers published, one daily and two weekly. Of course they cater to the different political tastes and appetites of the people among whom they are published. The Salem Daily Record is issued at twenty-five cents per week, and is devoted to politics and local and general news. D. W. Craig, Esq., is the publisher and proprietor. The Capital Chronicle is published every Saturday, Upton & Noltner, proprietors, the former filling also the editor's chair. The American Unionist, William Morgan, pro- prietor, is published every Monday, and is the pres- ent ofiicial paper of the state. These papers are well sustained, and contribute much to the development of tlie resources and the advancement of the interests of the entire country. The schools of Salem constitute an important in- « »"IP« ( OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 87 terest worthy of special mention. There are four public schools already established in the four quar- ters of the city, some of whicli are graded institutions, and all promising much for the numerous cliildren everywhere thronging the streets. There are also a number of private schools well patronized ; indeed it would be very difficult to find a community in any state where more general attention is paid to educa- tioiial interests than in this^ or where the youth are more generally taught or further advanced in science and the fine arts than they are in the city of Salem. Much of this, I am aware, is to be attributed to the pres- ence in their midst of the Willamette University, the particulars of wdiose history are traced in the subse- quent chapters of this M'ork. Another institution in Salem just rising into notice, and already beginning to be of service to an unfor- tunate class of the children and youth of the country, is the Orphan Asylum. This institution originated in the action of several benevolent ladies of the city of Salem, who were moved in this direction by con- templating the situation of a number of oi'phan chil- dren, whose parents had died upon the plains or elsewhere without leaving them any adequate means of support. Mrs. Elizabeth Parrish, wife of Rev. J. L. Parrish, of the Oregon Conference, who is the president of the association, has donated, near the city, a valuable piece of ground of sufficient dimen- sions to accommodate the institution, and energetic measures are being taken to erect upon it a suitable edifice. In the hands of the ladies of the city of w 88 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ii Salem it will doubtless be carried forward to comple- tion, and become the means of great good to the bereaved, afflicted, and suffering orphan. Of Christian Churches there are eight in Salem, which, in the consideration of the institutions of the country, require a passing notice. The Methodist Episcopal Church justly stands at the head of the list, not only because of superiority of numbers, but also of priority of organization. It was established at Salem mainly by removals from the old mission station, ten miles below, in 1841, and was at that time under the pastoral care of Rev. David Leslie. Its original members were Rev. Ja- son Lee and wife, Rev. L. II. Judson and wife. Rev. H. Campbell and wife, Rev. James Olley and wife, Joseph Ilolman and wife, Rev. G. ] lines and wife, and "Webley Hauxhurst, v;ho was the first white man converted to Christianity through the labors of the first missionaries. In the spring of 1842 G. Ilines re- ceived the appointment of superintendent of the mis- sion school, and pastor of the Church at Salem, which he retamed until the fall of 1843, when Salem again fell under the pastorate of Mr. Leslie, who also had the care of all the societies in the Willamette Yalley. The present church edifice, which, when erected in 1850, was considered large and commodious for the population, is now too small to accommodate the multitude that attend the service. Since its first or- ganization in 1841 the Church has shared in a good degree of prosperity, and for several years past its membership has varied from one hundred and fifty OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 89 to two hundred and fifty persons. At the present time, under the pastorate of Eev. J. H. "Wythe, M. D., it lias enrolled a membership of over two Inindrcd, and a SahLath-school varying from three hundred to four hundred members. This Church owns a pro})- erty consisting of the liouse of worship and lot, val- ued at ten thousand dollars, and a parsonage prop- erty, the result of a donation from the Mitisionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1845 through their agent. Rev. George Gary, worth five thousand dollars. It is in contemplation soon to erect a neat and commodious church edifice, which will seat from eight hundred to a thousand persons, at a cost of about twenty thousand dollars. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. This Church was permanently organized in 1853 by Rev. O. Dickinson, who, under the auspices of a mis- sionary society, then took charge of the infant Church, having only four members, and no church building. Until the present year he has remained the pastor, and has labored with great diligence, perseverance, and success in building up the interests of his denom- ination. The Church was greatly prospered under his administration, and now comprises a membership of about one hundred persons, and a flourishing Sun- day-school connected with the congregation. Mr. Dickinson also saw erected a very neat and suitable church edifice in a central part of the city for the accommodation of his rapidly-growing Church. Re- M-' I t 90 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. joicing in these abundant fruits of his labors, he ap- plied for and received a dismission from his char<:;e in 18CG. Soon after this the Rev. P. S. Kni; 'el ■c). % S ^*> c? / » ■> <^ / W v/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. M580 (716) 872-4503 s ip \ \ \ % V <^ IV" % ^^ r^^^ O^ i ^ "^^ ^^J ill t'v 92 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Association of North America." Mr. Croasman commenced his efforts in the midst of a city of cliurches, and in a few months had completed one of tlie handsomest in the town, had dedicated it, and organized a society of about fifty members, and se- cured che attendance of a good congregation ; a measure of success that might well be coveted even in the midst of circumstances vastly more favorable than surrounded him. m;' flili THE METHODIST CHURCH, SOUTH. This denomination has a church building in Salem, but it is not much occupied, and the association does not seem to prosper. This gives the city eight churches ; a number, perhaps, as great in proportion to the population as commonly falls to the lot of such towns to possess, even in the Atlantic states. Embraced in the institutions of Salem, and requir- ing a passing notice, are those associations which, though not strictly :"eligious, are designed to promote the moral and financial interests of all connected with them, and commonly known as secret societies. These are the following : Of the Masonic Fraternity there are two 'depart- ments : Salem Lodge, Ko. 4, and Multnomah Royal Arch Chapter, No. 1. Of the Inc'ependent Order of Odd Fellows there are three departments : Chemekete Lodge, No. 1, Anniversary Lodge, No. 13, and the Willamette Encampment, No. 2. rw4 OKEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 98 Of the Good Templars there are two lodges : Capital Lodge, No. 11, and Salem Lodge, No. 30. These institutions are all in good repute, and are well sustained, comprehending many of the most influential and best men in the countr3\ The I. O. O. F. have established, for the benefit of the frater- nity, a library association, and have already placed upon the shelves, in Ilolman's block, five hundred volumes. They have also y>urchased ground one mile from town, which they have neatly improved, for the purposes of a cemetery. The institution of Good Templars was introduced into the state mainly through the labors of Rev. George B. Taylor, of California ; and lodges have been established in almost every neighborhood, and the result has been beneficial to the country. The State Library also deserves special notice. This is kept also in Ilolman's block, and, according to the report of P. II. Hatch, Esq., the state libra- rian, numbers three thousand one hundred and thirty- seven volumes. These consist mostly of law books and public documents and state papers, published by authority of Congress or of the respective states. The county of Marion, of which Salem is the seat of justice, as well as the capital of the state, has been surveyed, somewhat, in the general descriptions we have given of the Willamette Valley ; but to a proper understanding of the country embraced within its limits, it will be necessary to call attention to a few additional particulars. To accomplish this we will start from Salem on a tour of observation, and take 'H; 04 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. It- the stage road leading north toward Portland, and passing through a skirt of timber of some four miles, we cross a low marshy place called Lake La Bish, and strike the upper end of the French Prairie, so called, because it was first settled by Canadian Frenchmen from the Hudson's Bay Company. This we find is an extensive, fertile, and beautiful prairie, from four to six miles in width, and about twenty miles long. "We traverse the whole extent of it, noting the rich and well-cultivated farms on each side of the way, the fine farm buildings, with every other sign of prosperity. We have passed a few snug school- houses, and now we stop a moment at a little town called Waconda, twelve miles from Salem. To the left of us, our faces to the north, the flourishing town of Fairfield, five miles distant, stands upon the river's brink. To the right of us, two miles distant, Fow- lerville, with her mills, driven by the water of Pud- ding River, enlivens the eastern border of the prairie ; while between the two places the country is as beau- tiful as any the sun ever warmed. Proceeding a few miles, we pass Belpassi, a lovely point- where stands a Christian church and academy, sustained by the Cumberland Presbyterians ; ten miles further, bring us to the flourishing town of Aurora. The country through which we have passed we pronounce to be little, if any, inferior to the best portions of the state. The French Prairie is now mostly occu- pied by Americans, the first occupants having sold out and left for other quarters. Aurora was settled, and is now owned, by a w OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 96 a German Association, who are bound together by a community of interests. They are a very wealtliy company, and have done much to enliven, develop, and enrich that portion of the country where they live. Butteville, on the bank of the "Willamette River, some five miles west of Aurora, is a point of some im- portance, situated near the northwest corner of Marion County. Eastward from Aurora, along the northern line of the county, the country is diversified by tim- bered land and prairie, plains and rising grounds, for more than thirty miles to the foot hills of the Cascade Mountains. The whole distance the country is good, and being brought into a state of cultivation. We will not attempt to trace the eastern line of the county, as that runs along on the summit of the Cascade Range, but will turn southward, and pass along over what we have called the foot hills of these mountains. These we find to be occupied some dis- tance back from their base, and to constitute a fine country both for farming and grazing purposes. As we proceed southward we pass over a number of dashing streams, clear as the crystal and cold as the bubbling spring, which come leaping down from the mountains, in their course forming many beauti- ful cascades, and hurrying on to unite their waters with the Willamette. Among them is Butte Creek, Abaquaw, and Silver Creek. These all fertilize de- lightful portions of the country, and on the latter, where the stream leaves the Waldo Hills, is situated the beautiful and flourishing town of Silverton. , ■; .■ h 'if I 90 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. h > ■:V,. ;Jia Not stopping to survey particularly this deliglitful locality, we pass for several miles over the round, smooth, elevated summits of the Waldo Hills, which we find to be under a very fair state of cultivation ; and on the southern border of these hills, and over- looking a most delightful country, we reach a lit le town which, from its locality, but more especially from the grandeur of the mountain scenery in its rear, is called Sublimity. From this point we de- scend into the Mill Creek Bottom, and pursuing a well- traveled road for some fourteen miles, along which farms are scattered at convenient distances, we reach Jefferson City, nestling among the evergreens of the Santiam Yalley, and on the southern border of the county of Marion. Contemplating for a moment the business-like aspect of this little town, and especially surveying the fine flouring mill built and run by the indefatigable Jacob Conson, Esq., and the fine lum- bering establishment and carding machine conducted by Absalom Smith, Esq., and the several stores and shops of various kinds, not forgetting the Methodist church, built entirely by the benevolence of Rev. Father Parrish, as he is familiarly called, we then step down a mile below, and find another little town which goes by the name of Santiam. We are now fifteen miles directly south of Salem, and, as there is not sufticient importance in Santiam to detain us at that point, we will pass over the Salem Hills, which we have already described, along the great thorough- fare tracked by a daily stage in each direction, noting the many substantial improvements which OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 97 dot the country in all directions, and descending an inclined plane, we again enter, from its southern side, Salem, the pride of Oregon ; soon to be num- bered among the most beauteous of the cities of America. w LINN COUNTY. This county is bounded north by Marion County, east by the Cascade Mountains, south by Lane, and west by Benton, from which it is separated by the Willamette River. Embracing the portion of the Cascades that would come within its limits, it con- tains an areo. of not less than one thousand five hundred square miles, equal to nine hundred and sixty thousand acres of land. The whole number of acres under cultivation is forty-nine thousand four hundred and five. The population of Linn is second only to Marion, and amounts to about eight thousand souls, there being an excess of males over females of about six hundred. The number of voters at the last election •was two thousand two hundred and fifty. The value of assessable property was two million five hundred thoupaud dollars. Albany is the county seat, and is situated on the east bank of the Willamette River at the mouth of Callapooia Creek, twenty-five miles south of Salem, and seventy- five miles south of Portland. It occupies a beautiful locality, and Is one of the most prosperous towns of the state. It is adorned by a magnificent court- house, which the people of the county have erected at a cost of thirty-one thousand dollars. It is aided 7 1 M .11 ;■' p • if «s ORKaON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. by extensive flouring mills and other manufactories. The spires of four churches point heavenward, as if to indicate the religious character of the inhabitants. The public schools are of an elevated character, and a college, established under the auspices of the Old School Presbyterian Church, promises great useful- ness to town and county and state. The private dwellings of Albany are more tastefully ornamented than those of any other town in the state. The ex- portations of produce from Albany are greater than from any other inland town. In fine, Albany pos- sesses all the elements of a continued and an en- larged prosperity. It is now the third city in the state. ^ ;■''■■' ^. '. The county of which it is the seat of justice is one of the best on the Pacific. The Santiam River divides this county from Marion. This river comes down from the Cascades in two branches, the north and south, and there is quite an extent of country between these branches. This is called the " Forks " of Santiam. This is in Linn. The scenery is fine, and the country is not undesirable. The land is rich, and well adapted to farming and grazing purposes. At a central point in the Forks, on a beautiful tributary of the Santiam, is the little flourishing town of Scio. Rapidly growing, and blessed with manufactories, schools, and Churches, it will advance to a place of considerable impor- tance. . . * . ,- , .V Leaving the Forks, and crossing the south branch, we come to the growing little town of Lebanon, pr? wi a le OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 99 standing on the borders of tlie largest and most beautiful prairie in the state of Oregon. This town contains several stores, workshops, etc., and is the locality of an academy which is under the patronage and control of the Oregon Conference of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. This is an institution that would be creditable to a place of much higher pre- tensions, and is now under the able management of the Rev. J. B. Calloway.. Its influence for good in the vicinity where it is located is great, and, in pre- paring students to enter the advanced classes in the Willamette University, it is becoming a useful adjunct to that institution. The building is of wood, of line appearance, and suflSciently large to accom- modate the school for years to come. Three miles from Lebanon, in a southerly direction, is a bald prairie eminence known as Washington Butte. Beyond this, and further out in the prairie, are Ward's Butte and Saddle Butte. These are elevations of great beauty, somewhat isolated from the foot hills of the Cascades, and from their summit command a view of the largest, the most beautiful, and the best prairie in the state of Oregon. This prairie is, on an average, about ten miles broad and forty-five miles long, being cut, in two or three places, by streams that meander through it. This prairie is all divided up into beautiful farms, the most of which are under a good state of cultivation, and, with their beautiful and cozy farm dwellings, their capacious and well-filled barns, their broad and fruitful fields, their apples, peaches, plums, and fii ' '^ :• ,lr . • i. 100 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. grapes, and their numerous flocks and herds, consti- tute most delightful homes for their occupants, con- ferring upon them not only a competency of the good things of earth, but even a superabundance. Brownsville is another important town in this county, and is situated on the Callapooia Creek, twenty-two miles southeast from Albany, and fourteen miles south from Lebanon. This flourishing town has excellent water privileges, which are beginning to be extensively used. Here is a large woolen factory in successful operation, a fine grist mill, and other manufacturing establishments, with a number of stores and business shops of various kinds, all of which give satisfactory evidence that this town, up among the foot hills of the Cascades, possesses the elements of a certain prosperity. It is surrounded by an excellent farming and grazing country, and for many miles up the Callapooia, east of Brownsville, the valley is broad, and composed of the best of farming land, and the foot hills are very fertile, and are settled up for miles back, and constitute one of the best grazing districts in the state. There are several small valleys on the tributaries of the Willamette, among the foot hills of the mountains, which are worthy of mention : Brush Creek, which is a better valley than its name would imply; Mo- hawk Valley, which for some reason took its name from the Mohawk of New York state ; and " Sweet Home" Valley, hidden among the mountains, yet as delightful as its name would indicate. Leaving this eastern portion of the county, and t OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 101 traveling westward over a most delightful plain, and taking a survey as we pass along of the nice farms, the splendid orchards, and other objects of intercBt, keeping within the limits of Linn County, we at length, after proceeding some fifteen miles, reach a point of interest on the east bank of the Willamette River. This is Harrisburg,' another prosperous little town, commanding very considerable trade from the rich and extended prairie over which we have just passed. Here also is a large flouring mill, and all the appurtenances of a fine growing town. Steam- boats reach this point quite regularly for six months in the year. Now we will turn to the northward, and travel down along the east bank of the Willa- mette River ; and we will look at the pretty farms, the snug cottages, the noble barns, now and then looking down upon the silvery river flowing at our left as we pass along, and twelve miles below Harris- burg we come to another point of interest called Peoria. It is a little town close upon the river's brink, on a beautiful spot, and commanding con- siderable trade from the fertile prairie on the margin of which it is located, and will doubtless grow in proportion to the advancement of the country around. Again we will proceed northward, and passing through a country of surpassing loveliness for fifteen miles more, we reach Albany again, and here, climbing to the elevated dome of the court-house, we will take a parting view of the county of Linn from that altitude. Looking south, we have a distinct view of Spencer's Butte, and the range of hills form- f M i I 1 ; I I ! '■ 1 ■. » ■' 102 li OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ing the southern boundary of the Willamette Valley, fifty miles distant. Wo see the mighty Cascade Range, with Hood and Jefferson and the Three Sisters, stretching along to the right and left, and casting their shadows against the eastern sky the distance of at least ono hundred and fifty miles. And we also see every foot almost of the beautiful county of Linn, checkered with farms, traversed with roads, dotted with cottages, and teeming with industry, and with the whole panoramic scene before us we are ready to exclaim, " Surely this is a scene of natural beauty and grandeur worthy of the pencil of the most skillful master properly to portray. Scattered over the fine and extended prairie which we have been surveying are quite a number of houses of worship which have been erected by different de- nominations, and on the Sabbath day nearly all the people are in the house of God. Numerous white school-houses dot the prairie in every direction, neat, tasteful, and commodious, where the children rally to receive the rudiments of an education. In fine, here, as in every portion of Oregon, are seen on every hand the evidences of an advancing Christian civilization. A few years only have elapsed since an unbroken solitude reigned over these extended plains ; but now the solitary places are rejoicing with gladness, and the wilderness is bud- ding and blossoming like the rose. Leaving our high post of observation we come down to the com- mon level of the country, and finish our description of Linn. s OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 103 There are two weekly papers published in Linn, both in the city of Albany : the Albany Journal^ by Wni. IMckett *fe Co., and the States liiyhta JJeinocrai^ by Abbott «fe Brown. Both are popular with the respective parties in whose interest they were est!)')- lished, and both are useful in developing the resouicea of the county t, • I state. MULTNOMAH COUNTY. This county is principally embraced in the city of Portland, so far as its population is concerned. It lies on the banks of the "Willamette River in the north part of the state, with Clackamas on the south, "Washington on the west, and Columbia on the north. This county contains a population of near eight thousand souls, with a large preponderance of males over females, as in all other counties on the Pacific. As the land outside of Portland is mainly heavily timbered, there are only four thousand one hundred and tifty-one acres under cultivation. The total value of assessable property, by a recent valuation, is four million dollars. This makes the county of Multnomah the wealthiest one in the state. Port- land is the county seat, ns well as the commercial emporium of the state. It stands upon the westei.i bank of the "Willamette River, on ground that but a few years ago was covered with a dense and heavy body of fir timber. It extends for two miles up and down the river, and the ground is mainly covered witli buildings one half mile back. It has many very i ii 11, i1 ! \ 104 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. beautiful and substantial blocks of stores and private dwellings, and it is affirmed that, in proportion to its population, it is the wealthiest city on the Pacific coast, if not in America. There is a road extending from Portland by the way of Salem and Jacksonville, to the city of Sacramento in California, the distance of over six hundred miles, and a line of daily stages ply between the two points. This is a very impor- tant fact in the description of Oregon. This line of stages was first owned by a California company, but by purchase became the property of H. "W. Corbett, who was subsequently elected a United States sena- tor from Oregon, and was himself a resident of P ort- land. This place is greatly benefited by this line, as is also the entire country. Portland also constitutes a center for Washington Territory and Idaho, and there are daily departures to and arrivals from these portions of the country. ' Besides this, Portland is at the head of ship navi- gation on the Willamette Kiver, and here sailing ves- sels and steamboats from San Francisco land all their freight and passengers. If Portland can retain these advantages she must continue to be the commercial center of this part of the Pacific coast. Portland, like Salem, has her " institutions," and we call attention to a few of them. I HER SCHOOLS AND SEMINARIES OF LEARNING. Portland, like all other towns in Oregon, pays great attention to the subject of education. Her public schools, of which there arc several, under the 'i^ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 105 management of competent teachers, rank with the best in the country, and are, indeed, decidedly popular. There are also private schools, concerning whicli we have little information. Besides these, there are denominational institutions which are exerting an extensive influence. The Catholics here also, under the direction of a society of sisters, have established a school, as usual, for the exclusive benefit of girls. They are influ- enced, doubtless, by the consideration that if they can get the girls they will soon have the mothers, and if the mothers, the children that may follow, and conse- quently the country. The Portland Academy and Female Seminary de- serves particular notice. This institution is the prop- erty of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is under the control and patronage of the Oregon Conference. It is almost coeval in existence with Portland itself, having been built as early as 1849 or 1850. The Kev. James H. "Wilbur was the agent, in the hands of Provideiice, in originating and carrying forward to completion this important educational enterprise. He bared his arm to the physical labor, as well as the superintendency of the business, and as a result, before leaving Portland for a southern field he saw the building prepared for occupancy, and a school in saccessful operation, under the tuition of one abundantly competent to sustain its interests. Rev. C. S. Kingsley was the successful principal and conductor of this institution for several years, and it Jill ■! f 106 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Ill:) m I ',; attained to a high position as a seminary of learning under his skillful management. It has, however, with all such institutions in Oregon, on account of the smallness of the population, and a want of adequate means of support, experienced some reverses ; but at the present time, under the able management of T. M. Gatch, A. M., f-^merly president of the "Willa- mette University, it is sharing an unusual degree of prosperity. The Churches of Portland are a distinguishing feature of its institutions. The following are the principal, though there may be other associations claiming to be Churches not here named : the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Old School Presbyterian, the Congregational, the Baptist, the Methodist, South, the Protestant Episcopal, the Roman Catholic, and a Synagogue of the Jews. Most of these are flourishing Churches, and are doing much for the cause of Christianity in Port- land and the surrounding country. As in most other places on the Pacific coast, the Methodist Epis- copal Church is the oldest in the place, being in ex- istence coeval with the town itself. As it claims priority of occupancy, so it has been regarded as the leading Church in Portland in its influence upon the masses of the community. In its early history, and under the skillful management of Eev. J. II. Wilbur, the society erected for that period a good and com- fortable house of worship. Subsequently, under the administration of Rev. David Rutledge, now of Ten- nessee, this house was reconstructed and improved. UJ OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 107 It is now being displaced, under the pastorate of Rev. C. 0. Stratton, bj the erection of a splendid brick gothic church edifice, which would not be disparaging to one of the fine avenues in the city of New York. The periodicals of Portland constitute another of its important institutions. These are the daily and weekly Herald, by the Oregon Herald Company ; the daily and weekly Oregonian, by Henry L. Pit- tock ; the weekly Pioneer, a German paper, by Wal- ther & Landenburger ; the Pacific Christian Advo- cate, edited by Dr. H. C. Benson ; and M'Cormick's Almanac, which has become of itself a permanent in- stitution of the country, having been published annu- ally for fourteen years. The above periodicals are all important as auxil- iaries in the great work of developing and advancing the interests of our young and growing state, and some of them have become so identified with all our operations, and linked with all our interests, that it would be impossible to discontinue them without seriously impairing all those interests. This is em- phatically true in reference to the Pacific Christian Advocate. This important aid to the propagation of Christianity in general, and the advancement of the denominational interests of the Methodist Episcopal Church in particular, has become to the country a fundamental necessity. Scarcely more so are either our institutions of learning, or our active, living min- istry. An extent of country six hundred miles in length and five hundred in breadth depends mainly upon the Pacijio C^> isiian Advocate for its religious ■; I 108 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. reading and news. In all that vast region nothing could possibly supply its place. Nothing from the eastern states, nothing from any other portion of the Pacific coast. The PcLcifio Advocate, like leaves from the tree of life, falls at the doors of hundreds of families, blessing them with its healing virtue, and bearing to their hearts the messages of peace and love. It is vital to every interest connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church within the limits of the Oregon Conference. It has now entered the thir- teenth year of its publication. In this enumeration of the institutions of Portland the National College of Business and Commerce should not be omitted, as it has become one of the permanent establishments of the city. Its object is to confer upon all who desire to avail themselves of it the advantage of a thorough business education. The institution is under the presidency of M. K. Lauden, Esq., whose reputation for ability and extensive busi- ness acquirements are a sufficient guaranty for the thoroughness of the instructions given. An ordinary English education is all that is required to enter the school, and the average time to complete the whole course is from twelve to sixteen weeks, according to the advancement and application of the student. This young institution is in a flourishing condition, having its pupils from all parts of the state. It must be of incalculable benefit to the future business of our young commonwealth. This, with those we have already mentioned, together with mutual in- surance companies, publishing houses, banking estab- 4 fiir OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 109 lishments, Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Good Templar Lodges, not forgetting the Oregon Fire Works Com- pany, with its laboratory near Port land, constitute the principal institutions of the flourishing county of Multnomah, and its beautiful and thriving city Portland of the Pacific. CLACKAMAS COUNTY. The country included within the limits of this county is diversified by hills, valleys, prairies, and woodlands, the latter, however, predominating. It is an interesting portion of the state, and is bounded north by Multnomah, east by the Cascade Mount- ains, south by Marion, and west by Washington and Multnomah counties. It has a population of four thousand two hundred, there being a large prepon- derance of males ^ver females. By the last assessment the property was valued at one milli'. i. ^ix hundred and five thousand five hun- dred and ninety-four dollars. The land cultivated in 1867 was only six thousand and sixty-two acres. . Oregon City is the county seat, and boasts of being the oldest incorporated city of the state. This city has many advantages, arising from the fact that it is located in the very channel of trade through the country, and commands one of the most extensive water privileges in the state. Here the whole Willamette River plunges down a precipice of thirty feet perpendicular, forming a most valuable power, as well as an object of great beauty. »;<; ; I 5 V ■ •'l f'-i i MJI !:» U !-! ii 110 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. This city, commencing at the falls, stretches along down the east bank to the river for a mile and a half, and bad some distance on to the hill, and, containing many beautiful private dwellings, several churches, a large and commodious public school-house, a court- house, and other interesting objects, it presents a de- lightful appearance as you approach it from the di- rection of Portland. It is twelve miles from the latter place, and steamers ply between the two every few hours. A daily line of stages also passes through the town. Its manufacturing character has been mentioned elsewhere, and need not be repeated here. The first frame Christian church that was ever erected on the northwest Pacific coast was located here. It was commenced in 1842 by Rev. A. F. Waller, who was then a missionary at this point, and 80 far completed in 1844 as to be opened for public worship by the writer of this sketch. The church is indeed an historical one, and to be considered among the permanent institutions of the country. Connected with the church is a parsonage property of consider- able value, and, taken altogether, this constitutes one of the pleasantest stations in the Oregon Conference. This county derives its name from the Clackamas River, which divides it into two nearly equal parts. The other points of inteiost in the county are Mil- waukee, six miles below Oregon City on the Willa- mette River, Clackamas, Clear Creek, Beaver Creek, and Baker's Prairie. The county is every way capa- ble of sustaining a vast increase of its present popu- If I FIRST CHURCH IN CREOON. lat wi th( coi thi po^ mi im lun nor the smj ber and ten Col tha Th( grei of 1 wit] Tlu cull asse hun Bev( OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 113 lation. Oswego, which is also in Clackamas County, with its extensive iron works, has been considered in the general account of the valley. This county, from the position which it occupies, commanding as it does the main channel of trade through the state, possessing almost boundless water power, and combining extensive agricultural and mineral interests, should be classed among the most important and valuable portions of the state. \i Mi 'M COLUMBIA COUNTY. This county is bounded on the north by the Co- lumbia Kiver, on the east by the Columbia and Mult- nomah, on the south by Washington County, and on the west by the county of Clatsop. Its population is small, amounting to about five hundred. The num- ber of voters at the last election was one hundred and seventy-three. This county is very long, ex- tending for many miles along the south bank of the Columbia, embracing a broad range of timbered hills that reach back for several miles from the river. These hills are many of them rich in soil, and afford great lumbering facilities on account of the excellence of timber that adorns their summits, and the ease with which this timber can be cast into the river. There is less than one thousand acres of land under cultivation in the county, and according to the last assessment the assessable property amounted to one hundred and fifty-nine thousand nine hundred and seventy dollars. St. Helens, named after a snow- ^ n :lv,i 1 ill V.' IN I r>u-;^ 114 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. crowned mountain of the same name — a-beantiful view of which may be had from this locahty — is situated on the south bank of the Columbia River, north of Portland the distance of thirty miles. It is the seat of justice, and, besides occupying a very beautiful locality, is a place of growing importance. Religious and educational institutions keep pace with the improvements of the town, and the time is not far distant when the extensive and beautiful plateau in the rear of the town will be adorned by delightful cottages and country seats. Rainier, named after another snow-covered mountain, and some twenty miles below St. Helens, is also a point of some in- terest, though commanding no very cheering pros- pect of future growth. BAKER COUNTY. The name of the patriot, orator, and statesman, the gallant Colonel E. D. Baker, who fell at Ball's Bluff, in the late civil war, and whom Oregon delighted to honor, is perpetuated in the name of this county, which is situated in the eastern portion of the state. The topography of this county is exceedingly variegated and beautiful. It embraces within its limits extensive tracts of excellent agricultural and grazing lands, which are now occupied by an intelli- gent and energetic people. This county has come into existence in its political organic character very suddenly, and mainly through the discovery of valu- able gold and silver mines, which already have III OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 115 yielded large amounts of money, and are being rap- idly developed. Auburn is the county seat, and is located three hundred miles from Salem, the capital of the state, by the usual route, and two hundred and fifty miles from Portland. Baker City, another important point, is delightfully situated in the Powder River Valley, ten miles southeast of Au- burn. This valley comprehends a vast amount of' excellent and beautiful country, as also inexhaustible stores of mineral wealth. Religiously and morally, it is purely a missionary field. Its religious and literary institutions — its churches and school-houses — are yet to be established. GRANT COUNTY. This county is situated directly west of Baker County, and between it and the Cascade Mountains. It embraces an excellent pastoral and grazing country, with considerable tracts of good land for agricultural purposes. It is also rich in mineral wealth, and large quantities of gold are taken annually from its gulches and canons. The character of its surface is similar to many other portions already described, so far as re- lates to its scenery. Its population by the last census was two thousand two hundred and fifty ; two thou- sand males and two hundred and fifty females. Num- ber of voters thirteen hundred. Its assessed property was two hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars. The seat of justice of this county is Canon City, which is built on the middle fork of John Day's 8 J i ill I'l ,rA I :''''^i m 116 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. River, and is about three liundred and sixty milea from Salem, by the usual route, and three hundred and ten from Portland. This is a new county, and, with Baker, is in a state of formation in respect to all of its interests. It has but five thousand acres of its land under cultivation, while tens of thousands await the implements of husbandry to develop their ample though hidden stores, and confer upon their occupants homes and plenty. POLK COUNTY. ♦ This county is bounded south by Yamhill County, east by Marion, from which it is separated by the Willamette River, south by Benton County, and west by the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of about twelve hundred and fifty square miles, equal to about eight hundred thousand acres of land. It embraces a sec- tion of the Coast Range of mountains, ia which there are many depressions, and narrow valleys of excel- lent land, which, however, is covered with a dense growth of timber. The eastern half of the county is well adapted to grazing and agricultural purposes, and is already being brought into a state of hand- some cultivation and improvement. Indeed, some of the finest farms in the state are to be found in some of the valleys of this county. There are two streams that have their source in the Coast Range of mount- ains, which, running east, and empty into the Wil- lamette River, and, with their tributaries, water the eastern half of the county ; these are the La Creole Y'mi OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 117 and Luckimiite : and tlicro aro other Btreanis that run westward from tlio same source and empty into the Pacific Ocean, Situated on the La Cre- ole is the beautiful town of Dallas, which is the county seat. This town is within fifteen miles of Salem, the capital, and is sixty miles southwest from Portland. The eastern half of the county is as densely popula- ted as any of the farming portions of the state, and contains a po! alation of about five thousand souls. The votes cast at the last election numbered eleven hundred and twenty-five. Acres of land under culti- vation, ninety thousand one hundred and twenty- seven, being nearly twice as much as any other county in the state. The assessable property was valued at one million thirty-three thousand one hun- dred and seventy-nine dollars. This county, besides possessing abundant agricultural resources, is finely situated for commerce, the steamboats plying on the Willamette River all along her eastern border afibrd- ing her ample means for both importation and expor- tation. Besides Dallas, there are a number of places of considerable importance within the limits of this county. Eola, on the opposite side of the river, and five miles above Salem ; Independence, seven miles further up ; Monmouth, two miles back from Inde- pendence; and Buenavista, seven miles up from Independence, are all beautiful and flourishing little towns, and are sustained by a fine farming country around them. This county has made of lato, as indeed it may be ,i ! i 118 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. said of nearly all the counties in the state, very great advancement in regard to schools and academies. Common schools are numerous and well sustained, and there are several schools that have attained to the dignity of academics. Dallas and Bethel are the seats of institutions of the latter kind. Mon- mouth, which is really the most delightful loca- tion in Polk County, is the seat of an institution which is laboring with some success to sustain the character of a college. This institution is under the patronage of the Christian Church, better known outside of that particular denomination as Camp- bellites. The school, with all other institutions of the kind in Oregon, has had its reverses ; but, on the whole, promises to become a successful auxiliary in the promotion of the educational interests of the state. U "■' UNION COUNTY. This county is also situated in the eastern part of Oregon, and comprehends a section of the Blue Mountain Range. It is most remarkably diversified in its scenery, and embraces one of the handsomest and most fertile valleys in the state. This valley is called the Grand Hound. It is circular in its form, and about twenty miles in diameter. It is now occupied by a farming and pastoral population. The town of Le Grande is situated in this val- ley, and is the seat of justice for the county. It is about three hundred and fifty miles east from Salem in a direct line, and about the same distance ^m OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 119 from Poi-tland. The county contains a population of about two thousand, and cast at the last election seven hundred and five votes. The county, with respect to all its interests, is in an embryo state, but it has a basis in its agricultural and mineral resources which will enable it to grow into one of the most flourishing and wealthy counties east of the Cascade Mountains. UMATILLA COUNTY. This county lies mainly in the great valley between the Blue Mountains and the Cascade Range. It is a fine county of land, wonderfully diversified and interesting in its scenery, and is destined ultimately to contain a heavy population. The present popu- lation is about two i-houBand, and the number of votes cast was seven hundred and ninety-seven. The number of acres under cultivation is five thousand seven hundrea and seventy, while the assessable property is valued at eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand one hundred and forty-eight dollars. Uma- tilla City is the county seat, and is situated directly on the Columbia Eiver, and is two hundred and twenty-five miles east from Portland, and two hun- dred and seventy-five miles from Salem by the usual route. It is a place of very considerable importance, as it constitutes a landing-place for all the sup- plies of goods and people destined for the mining camps in Eastern Oregon and the southern part of Idaho. Within the limits of this covmty is the Umatilla i/U« i , m 120 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Indian reservation, which includes one of the most valuable parts of the county. This county also is in a forming state, and requires a few years for its resources to become developed, and then it will doubtless take rank among the best counties of Oregon. J ,;' WASCO COUNTY. This interesting portion of Oregon derived its name from the tribe of Indians who occupied the country when the whites began to settle within their territory. These Indians were called the Wasco tribe, and the principal point or portion of their country, embracing the Dalles of the Columbia, was called Wascopam. Hence the name of the county. It lies immediately east, and embraces the foot hills, and even much of the higher portions of the Cascade Mountains. In its topography it is remarkably di- versified, and in point of interesting and impressive scenery is equal to any county within the limits of the state, and probably to any canton in far-famed Switzerland. It is not necessary for an American to go to Switzerland nor Italy, to the Alp6 Jior to the Apennines, nor to any other foreign country, to enjoy the divine sensations resulting from the con- templation of scenery infinitely more g,rand than it is possible for the imagination to paint ; he only needs to perform a passage from Vancouver up the Columbia River through the tremendous canon of more than eighty miles in length, and gaze upon Fr'l 1 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 121 rocks piled upon rocks, abutments on the top of abutments, basaltic columns rising above columns, and mountains heaped on mountains, and old Hood lifting his hoary head far up into the blue vault of heaven, and looking down upon the clouds that hang around him thousands of feet below his shim- mering summit, and he cannot fail to be convinced of the utter insignificance of the works of art, and of the impossibility of tho most skillful artist ever being able to copy to the life the picture here painted by the hand of the great Artist of the universe. Such is the soenery presented to the eye of the traveler in passing up the Columbia to Dalles City, the county seat of Wasco County. Indeed, tlie whole county, as to its surface, presents a picture in which is blended beauty, romance, sublimity, and grandeur in equal proportions, and like the kaleid- oscope, offers to the traveler an ever-varying scene. This county is bounded north by the Columbia River, east by Umatilla County, south its limits are indefinite, and west by the Cascade Mountains. Its population is about two thousand souls. Number of voters six hundred and four. Value of assessable property one million seven hundred and seventy-one thousand four hundred and twenty dollars. Dalles City, the county seat, is situated on the south bank of the Columbia, and is distant from Salem, by the way of the Willamette and Cohjmbia Hivers, one hundred and sixty- five miles, and from Portland one hundred and fifteen miles. The town * . A. i 122 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. pays considerable attention to schools and cliurclies, and other means of improvement. The Mountaineer, a lively weekly paper, is published by Mr. William Hand, and receives its share of public patronage. ii ■■ WASHINGTON COUNTY. This county embraces the country drained by the Tuality River, known a» the Tuality Plains. These plains have been considered in the general description of the country, and here it may only be said that they are second to none in beauty and fertility in any part of the state. They now constitute, perhaps, the most thickly settled of any of the farming com- munities. The population of the county by the last census was three thousand four hundred and ninety- one. Number of voters eight hundred and twenty- four, and the amount of land under cultivation is twenty-six thousand three hundred and forty-three acres. The county seat of "Washington County is Hillsborough, which is built on a most delightful plain near a branch of Tuality River. Hillsborough is sixty miles north of Salem, and eighteen miles west from Portland. Besides Hills- borough, there are many other points of interest in this county which might be considered if space would permit. Among these Forest Grove should not be omitted. This place, situated twenty miles west of Port\p.nd and iifty-six north from Salem, is the loca- tion of an institution of learning under the patronage of the Congregational Church, called the Paeifio OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 123 University. It was established at an early da}" in the history of Oregon, being only second in age to the "Willamette University. The Rev. Harvey Clark, of whom menti*^"! has been made in this work, was the principal instrument of bringing this university into existence, but he did not long live to see its advancement. It has often felt the pressure arising from a sparse population and limited means. The Rev. Dr. Marsh, who for some years has been the president of this "university, lias succeeded in placing it upon a more permanent basis by raising an endowment fund of some forty thousand dollars. This was done in the Atlajitic States. Dr. Marsh made two visits to the East, spending in all some three years of time, during which he visited many portions of the country, the eastern cities, Kew York, Boston, and other cities, presenting before the people, privately and publicly as he had opportunity, the claims of that institution upon the benevolence of the Church, and as a result bore with him to the Pacific coast the funds which he had raised, thereby placing the institution upon a firm footing, and establishing a power for the con- ferment of blessing upon untold generations. There are also many flourishing public schools within the limits of this county, and the children are generally brought within the means of acquiring an education. Religious institutions abound and flourish in this county. There are several prosperous Christian Churches established here, and some of the earliest •■ i « . 'I'M " ■ !! 124 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. efforts wliicli were made on the coast to build up re- ligious societies were made on these beautiful plains. On a pleasant Sabbath, early in April, 1841, the Rev. A. F. Waller and the writer preached the first sermons that were ever heard in this portion of the laud, and from that time until the present religion has had a place within what is now Washington County. The Methodists, Congregationalists, and Baptists all have comfortable houses of worship, and the people are generally liberal in supporting the insti- tutions of the Church. These delightful plains have easy access to the waters of the Willamette River at Oregon City and Portland, and to the Columbia River at St. Helens, by good roads leading to these places. Washington County, in fine, embraces a very valuable portion of the state, and is second to none in everything relating to improvements in all the departments of husbandry, as well as in respect to all those institutions which are designed more especially for the promotion of the moral and intellectual wellbeing of its population. YAMHILL COUNTY. A tribe or class of Indians who were the original proprietors of the land embraced in this county, and a beautiful river which runs through its entire extent, were known by the name of. Yamhill by the aborig- ines long before the country was occupied by the pale faces. This accounts fully for the origin of the name B..-1 JIM OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 125 of tlie county. This county is bounded on the nortli by Washington and Clackamas, on the east by the Willamette River, on the south by Polk County, and on the west by the Coast Eange of mountains, which separate it from Tilamook and Clatsop counties. It comprises not only a very magnificent, but also a very rich, fertile, and lovely portion of the state of Oregon. It is, as with many other counties, wonder- fully diversified by lovely valleys, extended plains, gentle undulations, rising grounds, and lofty emi- nences, and these are all characterized by a naturally rich and productive soil. Tlie county contains a population of upward of four thousand souls, with a preponderance of four hundred males over the females. At the last elec- tion the votes cast numbered one thousand and eighty-two. The number of acres of land under cultivation was twenty-six thousand three hundred and forty-three. Assessable property was valued at one million dollars. Lafayette, situated on the left bank of the Yamhill River, and five miles from where that river empties into the Willamette, is 'the county seat. It is located twenty-four miles northwest of Salem, and thirty miles southwest of Portland. It is most delightfully located in the midst of a fine agricultural country, and is yearly advancing in commerce and population. It has a court-house, a church, and an academy, which imply that its financial, spiritual, and intellectual necessities are provided for and secured. Below La- Piitl r,!i i} 126 OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ■ Wi fayette two miles, on the same river, is the town of Dayton, which is also a growing place. A steamer runs regularly to this place from Oregon City. Here is a commodious Methodist church and parsonage, and from this point, in a circuit of some fifteen miles, there are three other Methodist churches, besides those that belong to other denominations. South of La- fayette some four miles is situated the beautiful vil- lage of M'Minnville. This is one of the most de- lightful spots in the Yamhill country, and the agents of the Baptist Church in Oregon, to whom the re- sponsibility was committed, displayed not only good judgment, but fine taste in selecting this place for the location of their principal literary institution in Oregon. This is called the M'Minnville College, and will doubtless work its way into a permanent univer- sity. This institution has for some years been under the general direction of the Kev. Dr. Chandler, aided by a corps of professors and teachers fully qualified not only to elevate the character of the school, but to insure its future permanence and prosperity. Common schools, those fruitful adjuncts of acade- mies and colleges, abound also in this county in every neighborhood able to support them. The other places of note in this county are Amity, Mountain House, North Yamhill, Sheridan, and West Chehalem ; but they must be passed with the general remark that they help to make up one of the most beautiful, fertile, and desirable counties included within the limits of the Willamette Valley. « , il : -M • ,f i- ^i in' OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 129 CHAPTER VI. HISTORY or THE OREGON INSTITUTE AND WILLA- METTE UNIVERSITY. The history of all nations proves that science and literature flourish most where the foundations of soci- ety are laid in the principles of a*pure Christianity. For untold ages the great Pacific slope of the N^orth American Continent had been enveloped in almost impenetrable darkness, and the wandering tribes of savage barbarians which roamed over its extended plains were as untamed and ignorant as the wild beasts by which they were surrounded ; but at length was heard over this region of the valley and shadow of death the voice of Providence, saying, " Let there be light," and there was light. Heathen hands were outstretched from these Cim- merian realms, and hea,then voices were heard im- ploring for the Christian's book and the white man's God. Connected with the introduction of Christian civilization into the Pacific world, and leading to that important event, was one of the most interest- ing circumstances that ever transpired in the history of any heathen nation. It was this : A deputation of Indians from one of the principal tribes inhabiting this vast region of night, who had heard of the exist- ence of the white man, and of his superior knowledge, M •■•■ f j i ■i m li^ '■i ■■ 130 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. traversed tlie whole distance from the waters of Ore- gon to the frontiers of Missouri, exposed to the fury of hostile clans and beasts of prey, for the purpose of learning from General Clark, who was then the su- perintendent of Indian affairs for the whole western world, the truth of what they had heard concerning the white man's worship and civilization. This won- derful event was hailed by the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States as the clear expression of the will of heaven that a gospel mission should be at once established iti the benighted regions bordering the Pacific Ocean. Measures were taken to carry a resolution formed to this effect into immediate execu- tion, and in the month of June, 1833, the Rev. Jason Lee, of Stanstead, Canada East, was ordained in New England by Bishop Hedding, and was appointed to the superintendency of a mission which lie was au- thorized to establish in the tenitorv of Oreeron. In the following August Rev. Daniel Lee, a nephew of Jason, was appointed to accompany his uncle, and early in March, 1834, they left New England for the Pacific shores, accompanied by Cyrus Shepherd, a lay member of the Church. On reaching what was then considered the far West, they were to accompany the expedition of Captain Nathaniel Wyeth, of Mas- sachusetts, who was intending to proceed to Oregon for purposes of traffic among the Indian tribes. On their progress westward from New England they held missionary meetings in all the principal towns through w^hich they passed, and great interest was excited in the public mind in relation to the enter- r OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 181 prise. On the twenty-liftli of April they had reached tlie frontiers, and on that day, having been joined by P. L. Edwards, of Missouri, also a lay member, they left civilized societv behind them, and started on their perilous journey across the trackless wilds. They penetrated the deeiiest recesses of savage life, aild experienced all manner of hardships and depri- vations and exposures incident to journey ings over thousands of miles of almost unexplored regions, beset on every hand by hostile savages and beasts of prey ; but, preserved in the midst of the imminent and multiplied dangers by which they were sur- rounded by a merciful Providence through the many months of their wearisome toil across the arid deserts, on the twenty-first day of September, 1834, they found themselves in the territory of Oregon, on the banks of the beautiful Willamette River, ten miles below the spot where the city of Salem now stands, and there they commenced laying the foundations of Christian civilization in this western world. Up to that period unbroken heathenism had reigned from Arkansas to the waters of the great Pacific, and from the hyperborean regions of Alaska to the country of the Montezumas. But in the order of the divine economy another state of things was now to be introduced. The dominions of dark- ness were to be invaded, "the wilderness and the solitary places were to be glad for them, and the desert to bud and blossom as the rose." Simple were the means employed, but grand have been the results secured. m i , ill' ' J 1 132 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. At tlie time these missionaries of the cross located themselves on the Willamette there were no white children on all the Pacific slope of the continent of North America, and but very few white men. There were, however, a few Englishmen, Scotchmen, and Canadian French, who were connected with the Hudson's Bay Company, and had married Indian wives, and rejoiced as the fathers of half-caste chil- dren; and at Vancouver there were a few children that were three fourths white, their fathers •being white men and their mothers half-caste. These were also connected with the Hudson's Bay Company. So soon as these devoted missionaries had establishe.d themselves at their post on the "Willamette, and had thrown up a log-cabin to shelter those that might remain from the storms of winter, one of their num.- ber proceeded to Vancouver and commenced a school for the benefit of the half-breed and other children at that post, and the others commenced teaching the children of the natives of the country the rudiments of science and religion, and preaching the Gospel to the members of the Hudson's Bay Company, and to such other straggling white men as had preferred to remain in the country rather than return to civiliza- tion with the companies with which they had been connected, and also to the Indians as far as it was possible to get their attention. They gathered to- gether some dozens of Indian children in tlie little log school-hoase which they had erected for the pur- pose, and immediately established what was denomi- nated the " Oregon Mission Manual Labor School." ■5'i 1 iiif OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 133 ol." This school, and the one at Yancouver already men- tioned, were the first that were opened on the Pacific coast for instruction in the English lang-uae-e. The school on the Willamette in a few years be- came afloui^ishing institution, and gare great promise of future usefulness to the Indian race. Mr. Slocum, who, under the auspices of the government of the United States, visited Oregon in 1837, remarks in relation to this school as follows: "It is indeed a source of regret tha'. I could continue no longer at your mission on the banks of the Willamette, for the visit was to me one of exceeding interest. On my return to the civilized portions of our country I shall not hesitate to express my humble opinion that you have already efiected a great public good, by practically showing tliat the Indians west of the llocky Mountains are capable of the union of mental and physical discipline as taught at your establish- ment. For I have seen with my own eyes children who two years ago were roaming their own native wilds in a state of savage barbarism, now being brought within the knowledge of moral and religious instruction, becoming useful members of society by being taught the most useful of all arts, agriculture, and all this without the slightest compulsion." The prosperity of the school and tlie general state of the country seemed to demand an increase in the number of Christian laborers ; accordingly Mr. Lee addressed letters to the Missionary Board in New York, ear- nestly soliciting them to send out a reinforcement. l^ compliance with this recpiest, the Board a])pointcd ■ ; i 134 OREGON iND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Dr. Elijah White and wife, Mr. Alanson Peers and wife, Miss Ann Maria Pitman, Miss Susan Downing, Miss Elvira Johnson, and Mr. W. H. Wilson, assist- ant missionaries. This company sailed from Boston in July, 1836, and performing the voyage round Cape Horn, arrived safely in the Willamette Yalley on the 27th day of May, 1837. On the 20th of Sep- tember following the mission settlement was again increased by the arrival of Kev. David Leslie and family. Rev. H. K. W. Perkins, and Miss Margaret Smith. Sixteen adult persons were now connected with the mission, and at the close of 1837 they were all at or near the Willamette station, and were laboring in their respective departments, not without effect ; some in sustaining the interests of the mission school, some in preaching the Gospel to the Callapooias and other Indians and to the few white men who had begun to gather around the mission, some in the mechanical branches, and some in taking care of the mission farm and the rapidly increasing stock of cattle and horses. Though some of the members of the mission school had died during the year, yet, in view of all the circumstances surrounding them, the missionaries were greatly encouraged, and began to take measures for the enlargement of their work. A new mission station was established at the Dalles of the Columbia, and it was the unanimous opinion of all the mission- aries, expressed in a meeting held for general con- sultation, that provision should l)e made for llie sup- ply of other portions of the extended field. They mi: i OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 135 :hey considered tliat " the harvest was plenteous, wliile the laborers were few;" and they passed a unanimous resolution advising the superintendent, Rev. Jason Lee, to make a visit to the United States for the pur- pose of representing before the Board of Managers V t' the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and tlie public generally, the true condition of the country and of the Indians, and soliciting the men and means which, in their judgment, were necessary for the successful prosecution of the mis- sionary work. Mr. Lee concurred in the opinions thus expressed by the members of the mission, and accordingly took leave of his wife and brethren on the Willamette on the 2Gt'i. of March, 1838, and commenced the long and bu'-:: i'dous journey back across the Rocky Mount aic .. the Hii boyp i' ':■. ^ ee and his company made the tedious and dangerous transit in safety, and on the Ist of September he arrived at the Methodist mission among the Shawnees, then under the superintend- ency of the Ilev. Mr. Johnson, and having at night retired to his room, he was offering up a tribute of tb i. ksgiving to Him who had been his preserver wii.- *n his toilsome journey through the hostile tj*ibc:o jf the mountains, when he heard a rap at his door. Rising, he admitted the stranger, who phiced a package of letters in his hands and immediately loft the room. He broke the black seal of one, and the lirst line conveyed to him the heart-rending in- Jd.c. vas accompanied by P. L. Edwards, of ■i'.''-i, Mr. Ewing, of Missouri, and two Indian 136 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. telHgence that his Ann Maria and her little son were numbered with t] < lead. Sorely afflicted u loss which he had sustained, a knowledge of whicn xd been communicated by an express sent by his friends in Oregon, after resting a few days he proceeded on to New York, where he arrived about the 1st of November, and at once zeal- ously engaged in accomplishing the objects of his visit to the United States. On the 14th he was present at a meeting of the Missionary Board, and stated at length the object of his visit. He urged with much earnestness the importance of extending the missionary work in Oregon ; and, in view of this, he pleaded with great zeal the necessity of sending to that country a large reinforcement. In his opinion it was essential, for the prosperity of the mission, to supply it with the requisite means to furnish itself with all the means of support, and all the necessary implements for husbandry and mechanical purposes should be sent out by the Board. To meet all these demands would require a very heavy outlay, and for this and some other reasons Mr. Leo met with strong opposition from some of the members of the Board, who sincerely doubted the expediency of the measure; but the superintendent, who had just come from the field of operations, perseveringly and powerfully urged the claims of the mission until he succeeded in obtaining all, and more than all he requested. As a result of his interviews with the Board, the latter, at a meeting held on the Gth of December, 1838, OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 137 ,■1 m passed a resolution to send to Oregon five additional missionaries, one physician, six mechanics, four farm- ers, one steward or accountant, and four female teachers, making i hirty-six adult persons. Connected with the different familes were seventeen children, making the aggregate fifty-three. These were all selected and appointed within a few months, the lay- men by Dr. Bangs and Mr. Lee, and the missionaries by Bishop Hedding, who at the time had the charge of the foreign missions. This company was collected from almost every part of the United States, and w^as the largest mission family that had ever sailed at one time from any American port. They left the port of New York, accompanied by Mr. Lee himself, on the 9th of October, 1839, in the ship Lausanne, and going by the way of Cape Horn and the Sandwich Islands, arrived in Oregon in May, 1840. The following are the names of the persons belonging to this expedi- tion who subsequently were connected with the great educational enterprise of the country, whose history it is the object of the following pages to trace: Eev. A. F. Waller, Rev. Gustavus Ilines, Rev. J. L. Parrish, Rev. L. II. Jwdson, Rev. James Olley, Doctor J. L. Babcock, Mr. George Abernethy, Mr. Hamilton Campbell, M. H. B. Brewer, Mr. AV. W. Raymond, and their families ; and Miss C. A. Clark, (now Mrs. Wilson,) Miss Elmira Phillips, Miss Almira Phelps, (now Mrs. Ilolman,) and Miss Orpha Lancton, (now Mrs. M'Kinney.) There were other persons con- nected with this large reinforcement who came out as missionaries, but as they remained in the country nsl 'M 138 OREGON" AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Inlll ' -liflflfliHi' >i but a short time, and had nothing to do in the matter of providing for the educational wants of the popula- tion, it is not necessary to mention them particularly in this history. Some of the members of the last reinforcement were sent into other portions of the work, but most of them received their appointments vrithin the Willamette Yalley. At this time the missionaries themselves and their families constituted quite a large colony, their num- ber being about seventy-five, embracing upward of twenty children. Situated as they were, the parents could not educate thf ^'r own children, and they began already to feel the necessity of having a public school established, where they could place their children for education, and have them separated from those influ- ences arising from the heathenism by which they were surrounded. Besides these already named, all of whom were directly connected with our missionary es- tablishment, there were beginning to be, as early as 1841, some immigrants from the Eastern States, and other portions of the world, who had settled in vari- ous parts of the country, constituting already quite a growing community. Childreif and youth were be- coming somewhat numerous, and were growing up in comparative ignorance, and the general voice seemed to call loudly upon the friends of science to make one united eifort in some way to furnish means to supply the pressing educational demands of the infant though rising colony. The community generally looked to those who were connected with the Oregon Mission to take "» ".5 :} f '^^f r I ■ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 139 the lead in the grand enterprise, and, accordingly, a meeting of the members of the mission, and all others interested in the subject, was called on the 17th day of January, 1842, by the Eev. Jason Lee, superin- tendent of the mission, at his own house at what was then known as Cheraekete, now North Salem, for the purpose of consultation upon the subject of English education in Oregon, and to prepare the way for the speedy establishment of a literary insti- tution which should meet the wants of the growing community. Little more was done at this first meeting than to discuss the general question of education as the great want of the country, and to appoint a committee to call a public meeting, and to prepare business for the consideration of such meeting in reference to the contemplated institution. Dr. J. L. Babcock, David Leslie, and Gustavus Hines were appointed that j3ommittee. According to instruction, general notice was given, and the meeting was called to be held at what was then be- ginning to be known as " the Old Mission," on the 1st day of February, 1842. The house where this primary public meeting for the promotion of educa- tion in Oregon was held was the original mission house which was erected by Mr, Lee in 1834 on the eastern bank of the Willamette Kiver, near the place known in past years as Garrison's Landing, and one half mile above the present little town of Wlieatland. The tide of influence which was then and there set in motion by the action of that meeting will roll on » Ml ir li f^ 1 ■ ! - 1, .; is- 1 ■ ■ f , ft ■ j, i 140 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. OLD MISSION HOUSE IN OREOON. in its elevating and purifying course, increasing in volume and power to the end of time ; but the house itself, made memorable by many other hallowed associations, and the ground upon which it was loca- ted, by the ceaseless action of the waters of the river have long since been swept away. In addition to the members of the mission, the meeting was well attended b^^ the friend^ of education ip the country generally, among whom was the Rev. Harvey Clark, of precious memory, a minister of the Congregational Church, who, by his judicious counsel contributed much to the promotion of the objects of the meeting. After a careful survey of the whole ground, and a thorough investigation of all the difficulties in the way of accomplishing the object, it was unanimously resolved not simply to make the attempt, but pos- itively to proceed to establish a collegiate institution for the benefit of the rising generation of Oregon. Ketreat and failure were terms that were entirely rejected from the vocabulary of the men who were OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 141 tlie originators of the important measures that were to result in tlie establishment of the first collegiate institution on the waters of the great Pacific. The name by which the institution should be known became a subject of considerable discussion, and it was finally moved by G. Hines, and seconded by J. L. Babcock, that it should be called The Oregon Institute. This motion prevailed, and the meeting then proceeded to organize the institution by the election by ballot of a board of nine trustees. After balloting twice the following persons were declared duly elected the first board of trustees for the Oregon Institute : Rev. Jason Lee, Rev. David Leslie, Rev. G. Hines, Rev. J. L. Parrish, Rev. L. H. Judson, Mr. George Abernethy, Mr. Alanson Beers, Mr. H. Campbell, and Dr. J. L. Babcock. A committee was also elected by this meeting called the committee of location, consisting of Rev. Jason Lee, Rev. G. Hines, Rev. D. Leslie, Rev. H. Clark, and Dr. J. L. Babcock. This committee proceeded at once to survey vari- ous localities in the valley to find a suitable place at which to locate the buildings of the institute, and reported in favor of the upper end of the high prairie known as the French Prairie, a very beautiful locality, but defective in the accommodation of living water. For this reason it was subsequently abandoned ; and it was finally resolved that the Oregon Institute be loca- ted on what was then called the " Wallace Prairie." The land selected for the claim of the institute was l: \ 142 OBEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. the same that is now owned by Asahel Bush and the gentlemen Keizer, two miles and a half below the city of Salem. To set the whole thing in motion, the next step taken was to adopt measures to draw up a prospectus to present to the public, and a constitution and code of by-laws for the government of the school. Accord- ingly, at a meeting of the Board held on March 9th, 1842, it was resolved to appoint a committee of three to accomplish the above object, and report at the next meeting of the Board. The persons appointed on this committee were L. H. Judson, J. L. Farrish, and G. Hines. Without anything to guide them in the accom- plishment of their work except their own judgment, this committee produced the following prospectus, constitution, and code of by-laws, and reported them at a meeting of the Board held on the 15th of March, at the house of L. H. Judson, in North Salem. This report, with slight alterations by the Board, was unanimously adopted: PBOSPEfTUS. To all whom it may concern. Whereas it is be- lieved to be highly important, and indispensably necessary to the future welfare of this rising com- munity, that a permanent literary institution be established in this valley, of such a character as fully to meet the present and prospective wants of the children and youth of Oregon, in which they may OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 143 receive that intellectual and moral training wliicli alone can prepare them for respectability and use- fulness ; therefore a respectable number of the in- habitants of the Willamette settlement have entered into arrangements for the purpose of raising funds and carrying into operation a respectable boarding- school. It is also contemplated, so soon as the community and the resources of the institution shall justify it, that it will become a university. The contemplated institution is to be called the "Oregon Institute," and to be located on the Wallace Prairie, on an eminence about one half mile south of the place occupied by Baptist Delcour, near a fountain of living water. A constitution has been adopted which, in order to secure the best education of the pupils in science, morality, and piety, places the institution in the hands of that society of evangelical Protestant Christians which shall first pledge itself to sustain it, and also making it the right of any person who shall subscribe at any one time fifty dollars or more, and pay the same according to the terms of subscription, to be associated with said society in the transaction of all business pertaining to the institution. A board of nine trustees has been appointed, whose terms of ofiice are to expire as follows : , three at each annual meeting of the society pledged to sustain the school, at which time there shall be three others elected to fill their place. I H'SM 144 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. CONSTITUTION OF THE OREGON INSTITUTE, ADOPTED MARCH 15, 1843. Article I. Whereas the Oregon Institute is designed not only to promote science, but morality and piety, therefore this institution shall always be under the supervision of some evangelical branch of the Protestant Church. Article n. The institution shall be an academical boarding school as soon as practicable ; and whenever it shall be deemed expedient by the proper authorities to make it a university it shall be so constituted. Article III. The primary object of this institution is to educate the children of white men / but no person shall be excluded on account of color, provided their character and qualifications be such as are required in the by-laws of the institution. , - Article IV. There shall be nine trustees for this institution, who shall be elected tri-annually by the society which shall first pledge itself to sustain the institution, two- thirds of whom shall be members of said society, whose duty it shall be to hold in trust for said society all the property of said institution, consisting of real estate, notes, bonds, securities, goods and chattels, OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 145 etc., belonging to it; and any person who bIkiU sub- scribe at any one time fifty dollars or upward shall be entitled to a voice in all the business meetings of the society which relate to the institution. Article V. There shall be a visiting committee appointed by the society contem])lated in the fourth article, or i)y such organized body of the same Church as shall be selected by said society, whose duty it 'shall be to examine all the departments of the institution, and report the result to the public at large. Article VI. There shall be a steward connected with the insti- tution, who shall have the charge of the boarding department, and also of all the children who board in the institution while they are not under the care of their instructors. Article VII. In the literary departments there shall be a male and female branch, subject to the control of male and female teachers, and so conducted as best to promote science, morality, and piety. Article Mill. This Constitution may be altered at any annual meeting of the society above named by a vote of two thirds of the members present, excepting article first, which shall not be altered or amended. m ,.!l! r .fiwfw.'oiP 146 OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Article IX. There shall be an annual meeting of the society pledged to sustain the institution, to be held the last Monday in May in each year. Said annual meeting shall fill all vacancies in the Board of Trn ^^tees, and either appoint the visiting committee or make choice of some organized body for that purpose, and trans- act such other business as may be deemed proper which does not contravene this Constitution. ArticijE X. Should no society pledge itself to sustain the institution previous to the last Monday in May, A. D. one thousand eight hundred ?.nd forty-two, then the business of the institution shall be transacted by those who subscribe fifty dollars or upward at any one time for the support of the institution, till some society shall give a pledge to sustain it. s BY-LAWS ADOPTED MARCH 15, 1842. Section I. As soon as four thousand dollars shall be sub- scribed the trustees shall proceed and erect buildings, and prepare for the contemplated school. Section IL Any person of color who may desire to be ad- mitted as a pupil shall procure testimonials of a good moral character, and that the candidate can read i.l OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 147 and write so as to be understood, and speak the En- glish language intelligibly. Section III. The present truste 3 shall divide themselves into three equal classes by casting lots. The offices of those composing the first class shall terminate in May, A. D. 1843, the second class one year, and the third class two years thereafter, at each of which times there shall be three trustees chosen to fill such vacancies; and tliere shall be annually tliereafter as many trustees chosen as shall fill all vacancies which may be occasioned by death or otherwise. Section IV. Any person who shall subscribe to the funds of the institution fifty dollars or more at any one time, and shall pay the same according to the terms there- of, shall receive a certificate of patronage, signf>d and sealed by the president and secretary of tue Board, which certificate shall entitle the receivur to a voice in all the business of the society relating to the institution during his natural life. ad- read Section V. Any person who shall subscribe to the funds of the institution at any one time five hundred dollars, and pay the same according to the terms thereof, shall receive a certificate of scholarship, signed and sealed as in the above, which certificate shall entitle him or 148 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. his heirs to the tuition of one scholar perpetually in the iustitution. Section VI. All subscriptions less than fifty dollars shall be paid within six months from the time of subscribing. Section Vn. ..Ml subscriptions of fifty dollars, and not exceeding three hundred dollars, shall be paid in four equal in- stallments, due semi-annually from the time of sub- scribing. Section VIII. All subscriptions of three hundred dollars or more shall be paid as follows : One fourth at the annual meeting next succeeding the time of subscribing, tlie remainder in semi-annual payments of fifty dollars each till the whole shall be paid. Section IX. Any person who has subscribed to the funds of the institution at any one time one hundred dollars or more shall be allowed at any one time thereafter to increase his subscription to five hundred dollars, in which case his former subscription shall be reckoned as a part of the sum necessary to entitle him to a certificate of scholarship as provided for above. l!Sll Section X. No person shall be eligible to the ofiice of trustee, or steward, or visiting committee, or receive eniploy- OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 149 ment as a teacher, wlio denies tlie authenticity of the sacred Scriptures. Section XI. The ste-srard and teachers sliall draw up a code of regulations for tlie internal management of the insti- tution, which shall be laid before the Board of Trust- ees for amendment or approval. sectiok xn. The above sixth, seventh, and eighth sections of by-laws shall not take effect until the pledge of sup- port contemplated in the constitution shall be given. Section Xin. The chairman of the Board of Trustees is hereby authorized to call a meeting of said Board whenever he shall be requested to do so by three of the mem- bers of the Board. k ' ■ i ; ': Section XIV. The chairman and secretary of the Board shall be elected annuallv, at which time there shall be three trustees elected. I 'i\ Section XV. It shall be the duty o^ the trustees to report the state of the finances to each annual meeting. For the purpose of carrying into effect the objects set forth in the foregoing prospectus, constitution, and by-laws, a subscription [)aper was drawn up and 10 150 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. i circulated through the community to raise the neces- sary funds. The history would not be complete if this paper in its original form were not to be printed. The following is a true copy of this first subscrip- tion ral^'^d in Oregon for the establishment of a lit- erary institution, and the names of all the subscribers, ■with the amounts donated. '■ !■! SUBSCRIPTION. We whose names are hereunto appended promise to pay to the collector of the Board of Trustees the pums set to our names, according to the following conditions : All subscriptions less than fifty dollars within six months after subscribing ; subscriptions of fifty dollars, and less than three hundred, in four equal semi-annual installments from the time of sub- scribing ; subscriptions of three hundred dollars, and upward, one fourth at the first annual meeting suc- ceeding the time of subscribing ; the remainder in Bemi-annual installments of fifty dollars each. The above conditions of payment are not to take effect until some evangelical branch of the Protestant Church shall pledge itself to sustain the insti.ution. All donations to the institution shall be paid as follows : At least one third iu cash orders on the mission or Vancouver, and the remainder in tame neat cattle, lumber, labor, wheat, or cash, according to the choice of the donors, said property to be de- livered at the institution at the market prices. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 151 subscribers' names. amount. L. H. Jiitlson $500 Joseph Gale 100 Jason Lee 500 Gustaviia Ilines 300 Hamilton Campbell 100 Eltnira Phillips 50 James Olley 100 Joseph Holman 100 David Leslie 500 J. L. Parrish 200 W. W. Raymond 200 Josepli L. Whitcomb 100 J. L. Babcock IGO A. Beers 300 Daniel Lee 100 H. B. Brewer 200 Robert Shortess 100 James Bates 50 James S. O'Neil 50 Orpha Carter 10 W. H. Gray 50 A. F. Waller 200 At the time this subscription was raised the entire business of the community was done by the way of barter trade, as, properly speaking, there was no cash or money in the countrj'^, and the casli men- tioned in connection with the subscriptions simply means accepted orders either upon the mission store at Oregon City, or upon the Hittison's Bay Company at Yancouver. To show the earnestness and liberality with which this enterprise was carried forward it will be proper to observe that, in proportion to the means possessed, perhaps there never was a better subscription raised lor any similar purpose, many of the persons cheer- fully giving from one quarter to one third of all they possessed in the world. The subscription, amounting to about four thousand dollars, was thought to be '■1 ■ ■ : H 152 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. sufficient to warrant the erection of buildin^is ; but there were difficulties in the way ; the whole matter was yet afloat. The constitution which the Board had adopted proviued that the school should always be under the supervision of some branch of the Christian Church ; and further, that it should be that branch that should first come forward and enter into a pledge to patron- ize and sustain the institution. And the by-laws also provided that no subscription was binding until this pledge of patronage and support was duly given. It was therefore very clear that until some Church should assume this res]"'onsibility, and adopt this in- stitution as its own, all the efforts of the' Board to build up the school would be greatly trammeled, and perhaps prove entirely abortive. The Congregational Church had already been organized, with its center at the Tuality Plains, but it was yet too feeble to sustain such a charge ; and as there was no other branch of the evangelical Church in Oregon that seemed either disposed or prepared to occupy such a position, and as the*public generally seemed to be looking to the Methodist Episcopal Church to take the initiation in this grand enterprise, a meeting was held at the house of Rev. Gustavus Hines, known as the " Old Parsonage," in which it was resolved that the Pev. Jason Lee, the superintendent of the Oregon Mission, be respectfully requested to call a meeting of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon, botli ministers and laymen, to take into consideration the importance of receiving the Oregon Institute under OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 153 its care, and pledging itself to patronize and support it. Accordingly the Church and friends of the enter- prise were called to meet at the place of the above meeting on October 26, 1842, and there, after a most thorough investigation of the whole subject, on a mo- tion made by Dr. Elijah White, and seconded by Rev. A. F. "Waller, it was unanimously resolved that, as a branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, we take under our care, and pledge ourselves to make every reasonable effort to sustain, the Oregon Institute. Previously to this act of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a body, of receiving the institute under a pledge of support, the property was in the hands of an irresponsible Board ; but the conditions of ownership expressed in the con- stitution and by-laws having been complied with by this action of the Church, the school, and all that ap- pertained to it, was transferred to the proprietorship of that body. Lest there might be some doubt as to the propriety and validity of this course of procedure another general meeting of the Church and commun- ity was called on May 29, 1843, at the institute premises on AVallace Prairie, and a resolution was presented by Rev. David Leslie, and seconded by L. II. Judson, that this meeting, in behalf of tlie Meth- odist Episcopal Church and the subscribers to the Oregon Institute, do hereby recognize the present Board of Trustees, and approve of their doings. Nearly every subscriber was present on the occasion, and voted in favor of the resolution ; and henceforth the Oregon Institute was regarded as the property, Jlt' ■ j i '" 5 Vf.f r't 154 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. and under the exclusive control of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Immediately after this action tlie Church, then assembled, proceeded to fill the vacancies which had occurred in the Board by resig- nation, and the expiration of the term of service of the first class. W. H. Wilson was elected to take the place of J. L. Babcock, who had resigned, and "W. Ilauxhurst, Alanson Beers, and W. H. Gray to fill the first class, Mr. Gray was a member of the Presbyterian or Congregational Church, and had been for some years connected with the mission in the interior among the Cayuses, under the direction of the American Board ; but he had applied for and obtained a release from any further service to them, that ho might become the general superintendent and secular agent of the Oregon Institute. He was accordingly engaged by the Board at a salary of four hundred dollars per annum. A building committee had also been constituted to take measures to erect a suitable house for the purposes contemplated, and Mr. Gray was authorized to draw upon the Board for the requisite funds, and up to November 16, 1843, there had been expended upon the house about three thousand dollars. At this date ceased the action, in connection with the Board, of one of its most prominent and efficient members, and one whose name is to occupy in the history of Oregon the first place among the pioneers of Christian civilization upon the Pacific slope, namely, Kev. Jason Lee. This indefatigable laborer in the cause of humanity received his birth in the ""'^F! OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 155 township of Stanstead, Canada East, but was mainly educated in the Wilbraham Academy, in the state of Massachusetts, under the tuition of the hunented Dr. "Wilbur Fisk. When it was determined by the Church to send missionaries to Oregon over the Eocky Mountains, he was selected by the authorities of the Church as a suitable person to be placed at the head of the grand enterprise. Yielding to the solicitations of Dr. Fisk, from a conviction of duty lie left the domains of civilization, and, accompanied by a few self-denying and kindred spirits, in the year 1834 he penetrated the deepest recesses of savage barbarism, and finally emerging from the deiiles of the Cascade Mountains into the lovely valleys of Oregon, he commenced the work of laying the foundations for the erection of a Christian civilization upon these western shores. Oregon became at once the country of his adoption and the country of his love; and from the befirinning he showed clearlv that he had all the moral, religious, and educational interests of the country deeply at heart. At the first annual meeting Mr. Lee had been elected president of the board of trustees, and, as he was about to visit the Atlantic States for the purpose of promoting both the civil and religious interests of Oregon, he proposed to accept an agency from the Board if it should be their pleasure to confer it upon him. Accordingly it was resolved that tiie Rev. Jason Lee be requested and authorized to act as agent in the United States to solicit funds and donations for a library, philosophical appaiatus, etc., i' Ml I III ' 1; MM 'ii I :; I ). 166 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. for tlie Oregon Institute. Mr. Lee had bin'ied two wives and an infant son beneath the evergreens of Oregon, and his affections now, in all thoir strength, twined around a little daughter of two years old, whom he had committed to the care of a friend, and who constituted the only family tie that bound him to earth ; yet he considered the objects to be accom- plished in Oregon's advancement and elevation to be of such paramount importance that he could, nnder the conviction that duty called him, tear him- self away from all he held dear on earth to secure this one desire of his heart. On taking leave of this western world he indulged the pleasing hope, that after accomplishing his mission in the East he would be permitted to return to the land he loved better than life, and employ his waning energies in the cause of humanity on the Pacific shores, and finally to lay his bones by the side of those of his two com- panions who had fallen as martyrs in the work to which they had consecrated their all. But an in- scrutable Providence ordered it otherwise. In April, 1845, he fell in the midst of his friends, and they dug his grave near the shores of Lake Memphremagog, in the province of Lower Canada. A marble slab, bearing a suitable record of his life and labors, marks the spot where his dust reposes ; but while vitality remained his heart dwelt in the regions of the setting sun. Possessing but little of this world's goods, he donated to the Oregon Institute six hundred dollars, one hundred of it just before he breathed his last. In the month of May, 1844, energetic measures OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 167 ■were taken to advance tlie interests of the Board by tlie survey, appraisal, and sale of lots ; and by fur- warding the institute building, so that early in the season a school might be put into successful opera- tion. But an event was about to transpire which was destined to change the whole aspect of things in rela- tion to the locality of our school, and show conclu- sively that the interests we sought to promote were under the immediate supervision of the wise provi- dence of God. This event was the revolution that was effected in our missionary policy in Oregon. This revolution originated in the action of the Mis- sionary Board in New York, which, for reasons which appeared justifiable, at a regular meeting held July 19, 1843, recommended to the bishop having charge of foreign missions either the appointment of a spe- cial agent to proceed to Oregon, and investigate the financial concerns of the mission, or supersede Mr. Lee by a new superintendent. The latter course was decided upon by the bishop, and in September following it was announced that the Rev. George Gary, of the Black Biver Conference, was appointed to the superintendency of the Oregon mission. The instructions of the authorities of the Church to the new superintendent were few, but he was clothed with discretionary power, and had the destiny of missionaries, laymen, property, and all, put into his hands. With this almost unlimited authority Mr. Gary arrived in Oregon on the first day of May, 1844, and entered at once upon the delicate and responsible duties devolved upon him. It was a 1 » , • 158 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Bomewhat singular coincidence tliat Mr. Lee, not knowing tliat he had been superseded, was on his way to New York at the same time that Mr. Gary was a{)proacliing the Pacific shoi'es. They never mw each otlier. Mr. Lee, as above stated, fell in Canada, and Mr. Gary assumed the responsibilities of superintendent of the mission in Oregon, which had devolved upon Mr. Lee for the period of ten years. , After Mr. Gary had given himself suflBcient time to survey the ground, and form some just conception of the magnitude of the work committed to his hands, on the 7th of June following his arrival he called a meeting of all the missionaries, ministers and lay- men, at the old parsonage, in what is now Salem, then occupied, by Kev. David Leslie, for the purpose of consultation concerning the various departments of our missionary work. The meeting commenced at an early hour of the day, and such was the im- portance of the interests involved that the investiga- tion continued until daylight the next morning. The principal points arrived at, however, in this instance, was a decision to sell the mission property at Clatsop, near the mouth of the Columbia liiver, consisting of a farm, buildings, and stock. Mr. Gary also informed the laymen connected with the mission that he intended to dismiss them, and proposed to defray their expenses home if they wished to return, or pay them an equivalent in such property as the mission possessed in Oregon, With the exception of one, Dr. J. L. Babcock, they preferred to remain •ir^» OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 169 in tlio country, and accordingly misBion property was distributed among the diii'erent families to the am )unt to each family of from eight hundred to a thousand dollars. And here it should be observed that the course adopted by Mr. Gary in disposing of the laymen belonging to the mission was as satisfac- tory to the latter as it was just and honorable in the superintendent. It will have been already discovered that one of the objects of the missionary enterprise of the Methodist Epifc'jopal Church in Oregon was the establishment and maintenance of a Mission Manual Labor School for the benefit of Indian children. This school had been established by Mr. Lee, in the fall of 1834, on the old mission premises, ten miles below Salem, and, un- der the care of Cyrus Shepherd and others it assumed an interesting and promising aspect. In 1841 this Indian school had increased to about forty children, and these were crowded into a small log-house, and it became evident that more commodious quarters must be provided for it. It was also ascertained, by an ex- perience of a few years, that the original locality of the mission was comparatively an unhealthy one, and it was determined in council to remove the head- quarters of the mission to Chemekete, now the city of Salem. In connection with this removal it was determined by Mr. Lee, by the consent and advice of the Missionary Board in New York, to build a suit- able house for the accommodation of the Indian Mis- sion School. Accordingly, in 1842 this determination was carried into effect by the erection of the old 160 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. wood house still standing upon the institute grounds, and costing the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church when erected ten thousand dol- lars. The Indian Mission School moved into this building in the fall of 1842, and Ibr a few months it seemed to be flourishing ; but a strange fatality nnally fell upon it. A fatal disease carried away many of the children, others ran away, and some were stolen by their parents, until but few were left, and these withering under the influence of the fatal scrofula; bo that, on the arrival of Mr. Gary in 1811:, a dark cloud rested upon the prospects of our Mission School. On the 26th of June the superin- tendent called a general meeting of the missionaries and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the Mission School-house, to take into consideration the subject of the school, an(J determine whether it should be continued or disbanded. The matter was thoroughly investigated pro and con, and it was finally determined to bring the Indian Mission Manual Labor School to a close. This was immediately done, and now the house and premises, which had cost the Missionary Society more than ten thousand dollars, were in the hands of Mr. Gary, to be disposed of and put to sc me other use. The question, Eow can this property be best employed to promote in Oregon the true objects contemplated by the Church in this expenditure? became a matter of grave investigation, and as a result, Mr. Gary proposed to sell the Oregon Mission School-house and lands connected with it to the trustees of the Orcc:ou Institute for the sum of OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 161 four thousand dollars. It was exceedingly desirable on the part of the truste'es of the Oregon Institute to secure this property, as the location was far more eligible, and the lands, embracing a mile square, were far more valuable than the j)lace on Wallace's Prairie. Besides this, the house itself, which was new, had cost the Missionary Board more than twice the amount for which Mr. Gary proposed to sell to the trustees of the institute the entire property. Fortunately for the interests of the Oregon Insti- tute, the Board was presented with an opportunity to sell the property on Wallace's Prairie, which, through a committee appointed for that purpose, was done for the sum of three thousand dollars ; and by the same committee, duly authorized by the Board, the Oregon Mission School-house and lands connected with it were purchased for the sum of four thousand dollars, and became the property of the Oregon Institute. It should be distinctly undei*stood that up to the time of this purchase the name Oregon Institute was known only in connection with the property on Wal- lace Prairie, but now the name was transferred from the old locality to the present locality within the city of Salem, and the Oregon Mission Manual Labor School became, by virtue of said transfer, the Oregon Insti- tute. It may here be properly observed, that Mr. Oary had an opportunity to sell the Mission School property to the Catholics for double the amount of that he was to receive for it from the trustees of the Institute, but in that case it would have been 162 OREGOX AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. converted into a nunnery ; and every evangelical Cliristian will say, " Rather destroy it entirely than desecrate it to so impious a purpose." For the pro- motion of the interests of the Church of Christ, and for the general welfare of this rising country, a more judicious appropriation of the property could not have been made than to place it in the hands of the trustees of the Oregon Institute. This, by a most singular train of providences, was finally done, the Oregon Institute receiving the property for less than one half of its real value, the other half being in eftect a free donation to the Board from the Missionary Society through its agent, the Rev. George Gary. About the time this transfer was made, or a few r^.onths after, twenty-three years ago, the author of this sketch wrote the following in relation to this school ; and the reader cannot fail, in contrasting the present with that period, to see clearly the correct- ness of the views then and there expressed : " The institution stands upon an elevated portion of a beautiful plain, surrounded with the most delight- ful scenery, and at a point which, at some future da;j , is destined to be one of great importance. The build- ing is beautifully proportioned, being seventy-five feet long and forty-eight feet wide, including the wings, and three stories high. When finished it will not only present a fine appearance without, but will be commodious, and well adapted to the purposes in- tended to be accomplished within. It is already so far advanced that a school is now in successful opera- tion, under the tuition of one well qualified to sustain -f • i; OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 163 its interests. Already it numbers more students tlian did either the Cazenovia Seminary or the Wilbraham Academy at their commencement, and who can tell but that it may equal, if not exceed, both those insti- tutions in importance as well as usefulness. Though I cannot say that it is the only hope of Oregon, for whether it lives or dies Oregon will yet be redeemed from the remains of Paganism and the gloom of papal darkness by which she is enshrouded ; but the senti- ment forces itself upon the mind, that the subject of the Oregon Institute is vital to the interests of the Methodist Episcopal Church on :lie Pacific coast. If it lives, it will be a luminary in the moral heavens of Oregon, shedding abroad the light of knowledge long after its founders shall have ceased to live. But if it dies, our sun is set, and it is impossible to tell what will succeed. Perhaps a long and cheerless night of papal darkness ; but. more probably, others, more worthy of the honor than ourselves, will come forth to mold the moral mass according to their own liking, and give direction to the literature and religion of Oregon." As the house whicii had thus fallen into the hands of the trustees of the Orecron Institute had but re- cently been occuj)ied by the Indian school, it was in such a state of forwardness as to render it practicable to open a school fur white children without delay, and consequently a committee was appointed by the Board to employ a teacher, and put the school into immediate operation. Mrs. C. A, Wilson was the person upon whom devolved the honor, by the V I 161 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. employment of this committee, to open, as a teaclicr, tlie Orecron Institute. Mrs. Wilson commenced her school early in the fall of 1844, under very favorable auspices, having more students than some of the academies in the Eastern States had at their com- mencement, which subsequently became very flour- ishing institutions. The committee to whom was delegated tlie power to commence and conduct the school during the winter, were David Leslie, Alanson Beers, L. H. Judson, and John Force ; and, at a meeting of the Board held the 7th of April, 1845, a resolution was passed approving the action of the committee, and assuming the responsibilities of the school, with all its contracts and liabilities. The school at this time was conducted on the principle of a boarding school, most of the pupils coming from a distance and living in the institution, and under the supei vision of W. AV. Baymond, whom the Board had employed as steward of the concern. At this time also there were enacted thirteen rules for the general management of the establishment. At the annual meeting of the Board, May 25, 1845, D. Leslie was re-elected president, W. II. Wilson was elected secretary, and A. Beers treas- urer. As the house was still unfinislicd measures were taken to advance it toward completion, and provide for a school during the following winter, and al-jo for the survey and sale of lots. Previously to this, the Board had conceived the plan of laying out a city embracing most of the land claim which it held by virtue of its purchase from the Missionary OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 165 Society tliroiigli its agent, and this survey was in accordance with the plan and under the direction and at the expense of the Board of Trustees. In the fall of 1845 there came into the valley a large emigration from the Eastern States, and though the country was generally open for settlement, yet the Oregon Institute being now in successful prog- ress, and the business operations in the vicinity aifording facilities for livelihood, the lands in the im- mediate vicinity of the institute soon were all occu- pied, and jumping claims became, to some extent, the order of the day. The recent purchase was con- sidered by many as very desirable, and was looked upon with longing eyes; and the validity of the claim of the institute began to be questioned both by the old residents and the new-comers, and a strong disposition was manifested to jump the claim. The country at this time was very deficient in regard to law, as the provisional government had not provided for the incorporation of such bodies as the Board of the Oregon Institute. Indeed, this body, at this time, had no existence in law, and advantage was taken of this fact in attempts to wrest the land from the possession of the Board, which if successful would have rulnod the institution. With this state of things it required all the wisdom and vigilance of the friends of the school to retain possession of this land, so that it would not be lost to the insti- tution. Fortunately for the interests of education in Oregon, the provisional government had enacted a law providing for the holding of land by a partner- 11 166 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ship of two or more persons, and the friends of the institution took advantage of tliis law to secure the land. It so happened that the claims of W. II. Wilson on the north, H. B. Brewer on the east. Rev. D. Leslie on the south, and Rev. L. II. Judson on the west, all staunch friends of the institution, en- compassed the institute claim on all sides, and arrangements were made with these gentlemen by the Board to extend their personal claims, so as to cover the entire claim of the institute, and have the same recorded as a claim held by them in partner- ship, according to the requirements of the provisional law. These gentlemen entered into heavy bonds with the Board of Trustees to hold the premises as a partnership claim, until such times as the Board should become an incorporate body, and be competent to receive back and hold the property according to law. In March, 1846, it was arranged by the Board, in connection with the partnership, that W. H. Wilson, one of the partners, should, as agent of the concern, take personal charge of the premises for safe keeping. On the twenty-sixth of May, Mr. Wilson, by a unanimous vote of the Board, was confirmed in the agency, and empowered to transact the business of the Oregon Institute, and he was authorized to sell lots and receive pay for the same, and as a compen- sation for such service he was to receive seven per centum on all the sales effected. It should be dis- tinctly understood that at this time the institute land which was held by tlie partnership arrangement OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 167 embraced tlio whole of tlie present site of the city of Salem. The city is indebted entirely to the Board for the magnificent plan upon which the plat was surveyed, a plan that will ultimately make Salem of Oregon one of the most beautiful cities upon the continent of America. The liberality of the Board appeared not only in respect to the town survey, but also in the encouragement given to mechanics and others to settle and improve within the city limits. Instruction was given to the agent, W. H. "Wilson, to make a donation to worthy individuals of one lot to each, to the number of twenty lots, according to his discretion. This was designed both to encourage individuals, and to give a start to the embryo town. For some time after the middle of 1846 various matters of buoiness more or less affecting the interests of the institute engaged the attention of the Board, the particulars of which 'it will not be necessary to incorporate into this history. It will be sufficient simply to allude to them, such as providing for the finishing of the outside of the institute buildmg, the erection of out-houses, the inclosing of yards, the donation of lands for church and yard purposes, the selection of a cemetery, and the adjustment of certain matters relating to the sale of lands to D. Leslie, J. L. Parrish, and C. Craft. The business pertaining to these last mentioned sales does not appear to have been completed until June, 1847. The price for which the lands mentioned were sold was fixed at twelve dollars per acre. At the same time a resolu- ; 11 :i 'Hii*^ i if !'J 168 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. tion was passed by the Board empowering D. Leslie, L. II. Judson, and "W. II. Wilson to dispose of the water-power or mill-seat belonging to the institute premises, and as mnch land with it as they might think proper. It was also resolved that the agent, W. II. Wilson, be instructed to commence the sale of lots by public auction, after giving at least ten days' notice through the columns of the " Oregon Spectator." The committee authorized to sell the water privilege was also instructed to sell to appli- cants any portion of the land embraced in the town survey, previous to the public sale by the agent, at such prices, not less than the minimum price fixed by the Board, as in their judgment they might think proper. These measures were, as far as practicable, carried out by the Board through the committees appointed, and in the mean time the school was kept for the most part in successful operation. The civil changes that occurred in respect to Oregon, as regarded the land interests of the country, produced a marked efiect in their final results upon the institution whose history we are endeavoring to trace. When the Board of the Oregon Institute was first organized in 1842, it was not only self-consti- tuted, but entirely an irresponsible body, based upon no law, as, indeed, the country then was wholly without law, every man being left to do that which was pleasing in his own sight. The original members of the Board, however, were men who considered that a " higher law " than any mere civil enactment had its claims upon them, and to that law, in all their OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 169 operations aifecting the interests of tlie Oregon Insti- tute, they held themselves strictly accountable. To hold the property and secure it to the interests of the school through all the changes that took place from a state of no law up to the establishment of legitimate government among us, required, as has been seen, integrity of purpose, added to perseverance, foresight, and great watchfulness. These qualities having been brought into constant requisition for its advancement and security, the Oregon Institute is found at tlie close of the fifth year of its existence to occupy a very promising position, and bidding fair to become the leading literary institution on the Pacific coast. In 1848 the Oregon Donation Land Law, througli the agency of the Hon. Samuel Thurston, delegate to Congress from the territory of Oregon, passed both houses of Congress, and opened the way for the rapid settlement of the "Willamette Yalley. This act, im- portant as it was to the general interests of the country, not only became the occasion of serious and protracted trouble and difiiculty to the Board of Trustees, but in its final results became the cause of inflicting a very serious injury upon the financial in- terests of the institution. At the time of the passage of the Donation Law W. II. Wilson, with his family, lived upon the claim, and in the institute building, and, as has been stated, were in the employment of the Board of Trustees, he as agent, while Mrs. Wilson was conducting the school as teacher. Mr. Wilson was also a member U • I 170 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Il M of tlie Board of Trustees, and had acted doubtlessly in all good faith with the other inenibcrs of the Board in all tlie struggles of the past to sustain the institu- tion, and, as they were in the occupancy of the land when the Donation Law was passed, it was natural for the Board to look to them as the proper persons through whom to secure the premises by a fulfillment of the provisions of that law ; but as the pi-imary object of this history is not so much to make an ex- position of all the particulars which have entered into it, and the errors and mistakes of those who have been connected with the enterprise, as to pro- mote its present and future interests, we deem it not important to trace in all its minutiae the tedious and unpleasant controversy in regard to this land claim between the Board of Trustees of the institution on the one hand, and Dr. "Wilson and his wife on the other. There were indeed two sides to the question ; but the interests involved, so far as the institution was concerned, were of such a nature as for many months to constitute subjects of grave, earnest, and ex- tended investigation in the meetings of the Board. But the character of these investigations, and the opinions entertained and expressed by the different parties, are not so important matters of history as the manner in which, finally, the whole controversy was settled. We shall therefore dismiss the whole sub- ject after stating a few facts in relation to this point. At a meeting of the Board, held November 1, 1854, a committee was appointed consisting of A. F. t^f. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 171 "Waller, G. Ilincs, and J. L. Parrisli, to take into consideration the subject of dift'erence between Will- iam H. Wilson and the trustees of the Oregon Insti- tute, and all the interests of the university growing out of the land claim, and report at a subsequent meet- ing of the Board a plan for the full adjustment of all the interests involved in the premises. This com- mittee at once attended to the work as~igned them, and had an interview with Mr. Wilson, and as a result, the latter, at the next meeting of the Board, made the following proposition : "Feeling as I do a very deep and anxious solici- tude for the "welfare of the institution of learning in our midst, and feeling most seriously the embarrass- ments under which it labors in consequence of ques- tions in which I am involved, I propose to submit the following as the basis of a final setth meYit : You perceived by the exhibit of yesterday, admitting its correctness, that I had received from the sales upon my part of the claim but three thousand three hun- dred and five dollars, and had paid out over five thousand. I propose first to relinquish to you that excess. I propose to secure to you, or the trustees of the Willamette University, the sixty acres called for in the bond you hold, or if it has been encroached upon, to make it good, to be held in trust as per bond. I propose in the next place to divide the un- sold remains of that portion of the claim lying on the south side of the street, which runs east from the river in front of the Methodist meeting-house, so as to secure to vou. or the trustees of the Willamette ' 1 172 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. University, two thirds in value of such unsold re- mains, to be held or disposed of by the said trustees at their discretion, for the endowment of said univer- sity. If tlio above propositions are acceded to, then, and in that case, mutual releases shall be ])as8ed, showing a final settlement of all the interests growing out of the land claim. " Signed, William II. "Wilson." As matters stood the Board had no alternative; and, acting upon the principle that a half loaf is better than no bread, acceded to this proposition as the best that probably could be done under the circumstances, and a committee consisting of "W. II. Wilson, A. F. Waller, and G. Ilines, was appointed, whose duty it was to proceed and view the premises, and divide the land, and designate by metes and bounds that which was awarded to the institution, and that which was awarded to said W. II. Wilson. This committee im- mediately performed the task imposed upon them, and the apportionment thus made was accepted by the parties as a final settlement of the interests in- volved in the land claim of the Oregon Institute and Willamette University. The Board then ordered the president and secretary to receive from Mr. Wil- son all conveyances and instruments necessary and proper for the carrying out of the propositions of Mr. Wilson, and to execute to him all receipts and acquittances necessary to the adjustment and cancel- lation of all claims of said Board asrainst him. This CD instruction was subsequently carried into effect by \' OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 173 the constituted authorities, and the legal questions involved in the matter were in this manner forever put to rest. We are not in these representations disposed to be rigid, nor at all uncharitable. We woidd accord to all parties good intentions in all that they have done touching this matter. In the statements that have been made we have not designed to call in question the motives of any. We have simply dealt in facts as far as we have gone, and upon this subject, as upon all others, we would say, let the public first under- stand, and then judge. And here it will be proper to observe that during the whole history of the insti- tution up to this period no persons in the country showed a more lively interest in the welfare of the school, and none were more liberal in the use of time and money in its support, than were Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Dr. Wilson himself was one of the early secretaries of the Board, and officiated in that capac- ity for some years. He was also for years the effi- cient agent of the Board, and contributed much by his counsel as well as means to carry forward the en- terprise toward ultimate success. Tie came to Oregon as a layman in connection with the first reinforcement to the mission in 1837. An active member of the Church, an efficient leader and steward, he was also licensed to preach as a local preacher in Oregon, and officiated in that capacity for a number of years. In 1840 he was married to Chloe A. Clark, who was a member of the large reinforcement of that year. Dr. Wilson was one of the earliest permanent set- 1^' m m^ 174 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. tiers on the Pacific coast, Lud from tlie beginning took a deep interest in every enterprise ibr the pro- motion of the moral, intellectual, and physical devel- opment of the country. True to the interests of the Church, and faithful in the observance of all religious duties, from his geniality and kindness, and the vein of good feeling that always sieeraed to be running through his entire nature, he was remarkably popular in all the associations of life. He died very suddenly in the city of Salem by an apoplectic stroke, leaving a widow and three children to mourn hie unexpected and premature departure. e ii niiafljjLa ■ O mmmmmmmm 4 OREGON AN]"* ITS INSTITUTIONS. 175 CHAPTER VII. ORGANIZATION OF THE WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY. It lias been already observed that the original design of the founders of the Oregon Institute was to place it under the control of some organized religious body that would enter into a pledge to patronize and sus- tain it. This pledge was given,^ so far as it was pos- sible, in 1842. True, there was not an organized conference at that time in the country, yet there was a Methodist society which had been organized by Rev. Jason Lee and his associates according to the constitution of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This society or branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon, thus organized, formally received the institution under the pledge required, and in this form, as a simple society, had the entire management and control of the school up to September, 1819. In the mean time the provisional government had given place to the territorial form of government, and the Methodist society established in the country had grown into the Oregon and Califoi'nia Mission Conference, which had been organized under the direction and by the authority of the General Con- ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. During the first session of the Mission Conference thus or- ganized, which was hold in the chapel of tlie Institute 170 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. building, measures were taken to adopt the institu- tion as a conference, and provide for tlie security of the property belonging to it. It was also resolved to make application to the legislature of Oregon Territory for a suitable charter for the government of the institution. Eev. "Wm. Eoberts, who was the superintendent of the mission at that time, and the preacher in charge of Oregon City, were appointed a committee to carry out these measures. Whatever this com- mittee may have done in the premises does not ap- pear upon the records, but it is evident that they did not succeed in obtaining a charter, for we find that during the third session of the Oregon and California Mission Conference, held in the Institute building, September 3, 1851, that a committee of five was ap- pointed, consisting of J. H. Wilber, C. S. Kingsley, N. Doane, F. S. Hoyt, and Wm. Roberts, to procure from the next legislature of the Oregon Territory the incorporation of the Oregon Institute and Uni- versity; and to take measures, in connection with the executive committee, to secure their speedy endowment. At the same conference the following persons were elected members of the Board of Trustees for the Oregon Institute and University : David Leslie, Wm. Roberts, A. F. Waller, W.II. Wilson, J. L. Parrish, J. H. Wilber, J. Q. Thornton, Thomas Nel- son, George Abernethy, C. S. Kingsley, J. Flinn, J. Stewart, F. S. Hoyt, and Amory Holbrook. There was also a Board of Visitors elected, which ■mmnnp OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 177 bIiows that tlio institution had fully passed into the hands of the conference. The committee of five, appointed by the Board to procure a charter of incorporation from the Legis- lative Assembly of 1853, made application to that body for that purpose, and as a result reported to the Board of the Oregon Institute AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY. Whereas the happiness and prosperity of every community, under the direction and government of Divine Providence, depend in an eminent degree on the right education of the youth who must succeed the aged in the important offices of society, and the principles of virtue and elements of liberal knowl- edge fostered and imparted in the higher institutions of learning tend to develop a people in those quali- fications most essential to their present welfare and future advancement ; and whereas it appears that the establishment of a university in the town of Salem, in the county of Marion, with a suitable pre- paratory department for the instruction of youth in the arts and sciences, is likely to subserve the intel- lectual development and enlightening of the youth of this territory ; therefore. Section I. Be it enacted hy the Legislatim Assembly of the Territory of Oregon^ That there shall be established in the town of Salem, in the couuty of Marion, a ITS OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. university, to be called the Willamette University, and tliat David Leslie, Wm. Eoberts, George Aber- netliy, W. 11. Wilson, Alanson Beers, Thomas II. Pearne, Francis S. Hoyt, James II. Wilber, Calvin S. Kingsley, John Flinn, E. M. Barnum, L. F. Grover, B. F. Harding, Samuel Burch, Francis Fletcher, Jeremiah Ralston, J. D. Boon, Joseph Holman, James R. Robb, Cyrus Olney, Asahel Bush, and Samuel Parker, and their associates and suc- cessors, are hereby declared to be a body corporate and politic in law, by the name and style of the " Trustees of the Willamette University." Section II. And he it further enacted, That said corporation shall have perpetual succession, and shall have power to acquire, receive, and possebL, by donation, gift, or pur- chase, and to retain and enjoy property, real, personal, and mixed, and the same to sell, grant, convey, rent, or otherwise dispose of at pleasure ; Provided, that no part of the resources thereof shall -ever be used for any other than educational purposes, as herein contemplated: and provided further, That the year- ly income of which, accruing to said institution, shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars. They shall have power to contract and be contracted with, to sue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded in all courts of justice, both at law, and in equity. They shall cause to be made for their use a common seal, impressed with such devices and inscriptions as they ehall deem proper, by v/hicli said seal all deeds, ® ® i" OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 179 diplomas, and acts of said corporation sliall pass and be authenticated, and tliey shall have power to alter or amend the same at their pleasure. They shall have power to form and adopt a constitution and by- laws for their government, to make and to carry into efi'ect all necessary regulations for the management of their fiscal concerns, to appoint subordinate ofiicers and agents, to make, ordain, and establish such ordi- nances, rules, and regulations as they may deem necessary or expedient for the good government of said institution, its officers, teachers, and pupils; Provided, that such ordinances, rules, and regula- tions shall in no manner contravene the constitution and laws of the United States nor the laws of this Territory. ■i\^\ hall shall to all They seal, they leeds, Section III. And he it further enacted, That said trustees shall meet at least once every year, and shall manage the concerns of said institution as they shall judge most advantageous to the cause of education ; that seven of their number shall form a quorum, at an}'^ regular meeting, for the transaction of business. The said trustees shall elect one of their number to be presi- dent of their Board ; and when it may be deemed advisable to add to the number of said trustees, or become necessary to fill vacancies, which may occur by death, resignation, or otherwise, the Annual Con- ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Oregon, within whose bounds said institution is located, shall elect such additional trustees, and fill such occurring m : ■'' 180 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. .1 ) mm vacancies. The first meeting of said Board of Trus- tees after the passage of this act, shall be called by David Leslie, and held at the Oregon Institute. They shall divide themselves into three classes ; the term of office of the first class shall expire in one year, the second in two years, and the third in three years; and thereafter, each class shall hold its term of office for three years. Section IV. And he it further enacted^ That all deeds and other instruments of conveyance shall be made by the order of the Board of Trustees, sealed with the seal of the corporation, signed by the president, and by him acknowledged in his official capacity, in order to insure their validity. Section V. And he it further enacted^ That the Annual Con- ferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Ore- gon may appoint seven visitors, to visit and examine into the afiairs of said institution, and each year to meet and confer with the Board of Trustees at some convenient time during its annual meeting ; and the governor of this territory, judges of the Supreme Court, and president of the Council, and speaker of the House of Kepresentatives of the Legislative Assembly, next preceding each annual meeting of said Board, shall be ex-officio visitors, having equal rights and privileges with the herein beforementioned visitors. ^^pr OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 181 Section VI. And he it further enacted, That, in order to con- k.titute the university, established by this act, a gen- eral and efficient seminary of learning, there shall be included within it a preparatory department, known by the name of the " Oregon Institute," which shall be open to persons of botli sexes, and over which said Board of Trustees shall have entire supervisioa and control ; Provided, that they shall respect all contracts heretofore made and now existing in re- gard to said Institute ; And provided further, that said Board of Trustees shall have power to add such other departments in the arts and sciences, law, and medicine, and theology, as in their judgment may be suitable to the wants and condition of the country. Section VII. And he it further enacted, That the principal or president, and professors of said institution, shall be styled the " Faculty of Willamette University," who shall have power, watli the advice of and in accordance with the rule adopted by the Board of Trustees and Visitors, to grant and confer degrees in the liberal arts and sciences to such pupils of the institution and others as by their proficiency in learning, or by other meritorious consideration, shall have entitled themselves to academic honors ; and the said faculty and board shall have and exercise generally all such powers and privileges of conferring honorary degrees, and other marks of literary and 12 182 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. scientific distinction, as are exercised by other similar institutions in the United States. Section VIIL Tlie president of the Board of Trustees shall annu- ally, in the month of December, make a report to the secretary of the Territory of the names and officers of the faculty, the names of the teachers, and the brandies taught by them, the number- of pupils taught in the university during the year, the num- ber in the several classes respectively, and the names and degree of the graduates. And it shall be the duty of the secretary to place and keep on file in his office such report, which shall at all times be open for the inspection of any person or persons wishing to examine the same. Section IX. And he it further enacted, That the legislature shall have power at any subsequent session, when ' the necessities of the institution or considerations of public good require it, to alter or amend this act at pleasure. Section X. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Passed by the House of Representatives, January 11, 1853. Passed by the Council, January 1^, 1853. P. F. Harding, Speaker of the House of Represent- atives ; M. P. Deady, President of the Council. By this act of incorporation the Oregon Institute is absorbed in the Willamette University. True, the OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 183 name is retained in connection with the academical department ; but the distinguishing designation of the institution by this act, which originated with tlie Board of Trustees, became the Willamette University, endowed with all the rights and privileges belonging to universities of the first grade in the United States. But eleven years had passed since the idea of such an institution originated in the minds of a few voluntary exiles in a then heathen land, and found expression in measures taken with great diffidence and trembling as to their ultimate success ; but now the institution had become a chartered university, according to the original design of its founders, and was evidently marching on to the accomplishment of a high and noble destiny. To adapt the action of the Board to' the new order of things, a meeting of that body was called by David Leslie, according to the provisions of the charter, in the chapel of the Institute, March 16, 1853. At this meeting, as the third section of the act of incorporation required a division of the Board into three classes, the Board proceeded to make such classification. First class, to continue one year : B. F. Harding, A. F. Waller, Cyrus Olney, J. Ilolman, F. S. Hoyt, John Flinn, S. Burch, Asahel Bush, W. Ilaux- liurst. Second class, two years : L, F. Grover, J. Corson, J. Ralston, William Roberts, George Abernethy, W. H. Wilson, C. S. Kingsley, D. Leslie. Third class, three years : E. M. Barnum, J. R. 11^ iij! 1 1! nil 184 OKEGON AlsD ITS INSTITUTIONS. Robb, Samuel Parker, A. Beers, J. Stewart, F. Fietclier, J. D. Boon, T. H. Pearne, J. II. Wilber. As a new name and university powers liad been conferred upon the institution, it was found, as a matter of course, that the old constitution and by- laws under wdiich the school had been conducted would no longer answer the purpose ; consequently, at this first meeting of the Board under the charter a committee was appointed, consisting of A. F. Waller, W. H. Wilber, T. II. Pearne, C. S. Kingsley, and F. S. Hoyt, to draft a constitution and code of by-laws. The Board also by a resolution requested Bishop Ames, who was then in attendance, to appoint at the coming session of the Oregon Annual Conference a member of said conference to the presidency of the Oregon Institute, the old name being still used in the action of the Board, doubtless more by habit than otherwise. The design of this request was carried out at the ensuing Annual Conference by the appoint- ment of Rev. Francis S. Hoyt as president of the Willamette University. The first ofiicers of the Board under the charter were elected March 19, 1853 : David Leslie, Pres- ident, T. II. Pearne, Secretary, and J. L. Parrish, Treasurer. T. H. Pearne resigned, and E. M. Bar- num was elected in his place. The committee that was appointed to draft a con- stitution and by-laws made their report at a subse- quent meeting, but the constitution reported seemed to require further investigation, and was deferred «■ I OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 185 until Bome future time ; but the by-laws wbich were presented were thoroughly discussed, and adopted as follows : BY-LAWS OF WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY. 1. The University shall consist of two departments, namely, a Collegiate Department, and a Preparatory or Academic Department COLLEGIATE DEPARTMENT. 2. Until the wants of the institution require further provision for a board of instruction, the fol- lowing shall be the faculty of the Collegiate Depart- ment : (1.) A president, whose title shall be the president of the Willamette University, who shall act as pro- fessor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. (2.) A professor of Ancient and Modern Lan- guages. (3.) A professor of Natural and Exact Sciences. 3. The president shall, in addition to his duties as a professor, have the entire supervision and direction of the disciplinary conduct of the Collegiate Department, subject at all times to the counsel of the faculty and to the ordinances of the trustees, and he shall receive for his services the annual salary of one thousand dollars, ($1,000.) 4. The professor of Ancient and Modern Languages, and the professor of Natural and Exact Sciences, shall give diligent instruction in their proper departments. '1 IMA3E EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■-IM .50 ™^^ *» illM III iiig 11^ 120 18 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► V <^ d-l /W '> ,>^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 4. #> ^^ V s V o 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (/16) 872-4503 -^ iV ^. o^ <■•■ 1 V #'...>.^ # m 186 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. shall have the entire disciplinary control of students while under their immediate instruction, shall coun- sel the president in relation to the government of the institution, and shall severally receive as compensa- tion for their services the annual salary of nine hun- dred dollars, ($900.) PRELIMINARY, OR ACADEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 5. The president of the University shall act as principal of the Academical Pepartment, and shall have the same supervisory control of it as of the Col- legiate Department, and until further provision be made, he shall give such instruction, not inconsistent with his duties as a professor in the Collegiate De- partment, as the wants of the inptitntion require. 6. The Preliminary, or Academic Department, shall be divided into two divisions : first, the male ; second, the female. •- . : ■ 7. The male division, except in the care and in- struction of boys under the age of ten years, shall be under the tuition of a preceptor. 8. The female division, except in case of advanced scholars desirous of pursuing collegiate or ornamental branches, which may be by the regulation of the in- stitution be taught by a preceptor, shall be under the tuition of a preceptress, whose salary shall not bo more tlian seven hundred and fifty dollars, ($750.) A rule was also passed requiring each teacher to keep a faithful record of the daily attendance, recita- tions, and conduct of each pupil, grading them so \i\*- ) Y to cita- n so OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 187 that their standing should range from one hundred to five hundred, according to their propriety of con- duct, or merit of recitations. Other rules were also adopted in relation to giving marks of demerit for absence and other causes, and to regulate the conduct of students in their rooms, and in relation to the price of tuition, and public examinations and exhibitions. The school was conducted the first year of its history under the charter with some good degree of success, though every thing pertaining to it was in a crude and imperfect state, or rather in a state of formation. There were no other means for the support of the school than was furnished by the tuition paid by the pupils, and the receipts from this quarter were so limited that it was necessary to place the salaries of the teachers at a very low figure. But improvement marked the progress of the institution, and a better day seemed to be dawning. The first annual meeting of the trustees of the Willamette University under the charter was held in the chapel of the Oregon Institute March 1, 1850. Up to this period no special efforts had been made to raise an endowment fund aside from endeavoring to secure the interests involved in the land claim, already described. This, if it could have been se- cured according to the original purpose of the trust- ees, would have made a splendid endowment, at least for some years ; but as the amount arising from the land wliich could be made available as an endowment 188 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. fund from the loss of more than one half of the claim was necessarily small, amounting to but a few thou- sand dollars, it became absolutely necessary to enter with energy into other measures to accomplish the same object. Accordingly at this first annual meet- ing under the charter, as the duty of developing the Willamette University as an institution of learning was devolved upon the trustees of the same, and as, in the judgment of the Board, the time had come when the wants of the community and the interests of the institution demanded an immediate efibrt to provide an endowment thereof, it was therefore re- solved to raise a fund as soon as practicable, addi- tional to the interest arising from the land, to consist of two parts. 1. A fund for the support of the Board of Instruc- tion of said university, which shall be irreducible, and the income of which shall amount to at least five thousand dollars, ($5,000.) 2. A building fund, which shall amount in total to twenty-five thousand dollars, ($25,000,) and which shall be at the direct disposal of the trustees, to be devoted to the purpose of erecting suitable buildings for the convenience of the university. These funds were to be raised by the sale of schol- arships, entitling the holders thereof to the privilege of sending a pupil to be instructed free of tuition in the institution for the term of time mentioned in the certificate of each of such scholarships, and to the department mentioned in the same. Three orders of scholarships were to be sold, as follows : The first :m OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 189 should entitle the holder thereof to the tuition of one pupil in the Preparatory Department for the period of ten years, and should be sold for one hundred and fifty dollars, ($150;) the second should entitle the holder to the privilege of sending one pupil, free of tuition, to either the Preparatory or Collegiate Department, or both of them, for ten years, and should be sold for two hundred dollars, ($200,) provided always that no such holder should be entitled to the tuition of more than one pupil at a time in said institution on ac- count of said scholarship, and provided that such scholarship shall not entitle any person to instruction in the ornamontal branches. The third order was that of perpetual scholarships, entitling the holders to tuition of pupils in any of the departments of said institution during the exist- ence thereof, should be sold for fiive hundred dollars, (C500,) and subject to the same restrictions as the former. These scholarships were made assignable, and when assigned entitled the assignee to the same privileges and interests in said institution as were vested in the original or in any subsequent holder thereof at the time of the assignment. The energy with which the Board entered into this endowment enterprise may be further seen in the fact that the bishop presiding at the next annual con- ference was to be requested to appoint the presiding elders of this conference agents to procure funds for the institution. It was further arranged by the Board that the funds accruing to the institution from the sale of scholarships should be divided, so that one 190 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. r^ '•!.• i third should be appropriated to the building fund until the same should amount to twenty-five thousand dollars, ($25,000,) after which all moneys accruing from the sale of scholarships shall accrue to the irre- ducible fuTid, and the other two thirds of all moneys accruing as before stated should continue to accrue to the said irred"dble fund for the support of the Board of Instruction. The agent of the university was instructed and authorized to secure lands, or any other gifts to the institution, either by donation, or as security for the payment for the same, under the direction of the executive committee. Another act of importance by the Board at this time was the passage of a resolution requesting the bishop at the next session of the con- ference to appoint F. S. Hoyt president of the Willa- mette University. With the experience of the past, the Board found it necessary to improve upon the police of the school, and consequently under the same date the following rules to regulate the general conduct of the students as far as possible were enacted : Drinking wine or intoxicating liquors, smoking, card-playing, swearing, immorality of any kind, quarreling, rude and unkind treatment of fellow- pupils, the throwing of stones, disobedience, indo- lence, and any other acts or behavior calculated to injure the reputation and peace of the university, or the moral habits of the students, were entirely prohib- ited. The disciplinary arrangements of the institu- tion further provided that in cases of the violation of m OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 191 the rules, after due admonition, the president shall, where circumstances permit, notify the parents of such pupils, after which, if the faculty judge it neces- sary, said pupil may be suspended from the privileges of the institution for any period of time not exceed- ing fourteen days, within which time the executive committee shall be called together and decide upon the relation of such pupil to the institution, provided that in extreme cases of violation of rule, or of im- proper behavior, the president, by and with the con- Bent of the faculty, shall have the power summarily to expel. The institution had possessed a twofold character, being partly a boarding-school and partly not, some of the young men occupying rooms in the third story of the institute building, and boarding themselves, and some young men and young ladies boarding in private families, and some of the pupils boarding with their parents or guardians at home, and it was difficult to adapt any given set of rules to such a variety of circumstances ; but to meet some of the exigences of the case, and to produce uniformity as far as possible, it was ordained that study hours both for the evening and the day should be announced by the president at the beginning of each quarter, and during such hours students were required to attend closelv to their studies. And those who studied in their rooms were required to maintain the same quiet- ness and diligence as though under the eye of the teacher. And all business, work, paying or receiv- ing visits, were prohibited during study hours. And \l i 1 il 192 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. no visiting about town, or at stores, shops, or hotels, were to bo allowed during the evening. And to ren- der this arrangement effective, parents and guardians of pupils residing in the vicinity were requested to have their children and wards who attended school conform to this rule as far as possible, both for their own improvement and for good example. Up to this period the school had been of a mixed character, the different departments not having been well defined, the smaller pupils being connected with the larger in the same rooms ; but now a primary division was established, including boys and girls under and about ten years of age, which were to be under the tuition of a male or female teacher, as might be judged proper by the executive committee. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 193 CHAPTER VIII. SCHOLARSHIPS AND INTERNAL HISTORY. On the 31st of May, 1854, pursuant to a call of the president, the Board of Trustees met at the chapel of the institute for the purpose of perfecting, if possible, the scholarship system, already to some extent de- scribed, and of introducing some other arrangements which might serve as a basis of action in our efforts to advance the financial interests of the university. As the scholarship system which has been introduced into the financial plans of the Willamette Univer- sity constitutes one of the main pillars of its support, it would not be proper in this history to omit a par- ticular description of this policy. The general prin- ciples have been referred to on a previous page, and to provide for the application of these principles was the object of the present action of the Board. It had been resolved to issue three kinds or degrees of schol- ai-ships, one of one hundred and fifty dollars, ($150,) one of two hundred dollars, ($200,) and one of five hundred dollars, ($500,) the first two ten years' scholar- ships, and the last perpetual. It was necessary to execute a form of certificate adapted to each one of these grades, according to the design of the scholar- ship. This was done by the Board, and the follow- ing are the forms adopted for the three kinds : 194 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. FIRST FORM FOR A TEN YEARS' SCHOLARSHIP. Having paid to the undersignod, an authorized agfent of the Willainctle University, the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, has entitled himself or his order, upon the presentation of this certificate, to one scholarship, for the term of ten years from the date hereof, in the Preparatory Department of said university. V SECOND FORM FOR A TEN YEARS' SCHOLARSHIP. Having paid to the undersigned, an authorized agent of the Willamette University, the sum of two hundred dollars. has entitled himself or his order, upon presentation of this certificate, to one scholarship, for the term of ten years from the date hereof, in the Preparatory or Collegiate Department of said university, or in both. THIRD FORM — PERPETUAL SCHOLARSHIP. Having paid the undersigned, agent of the Willa- mette University, the sum of five hundred dollars, has entitled himself or his order, upon the pre- sentation of this certificate, to one perpetual scholar- ship in the Preparatory or Collegiate Department of said university, or in both. To carry out these and other financial arrange- ments contemplated, the Board appointed, perhaps, the most formidable phalanx of agents that ever was employed by any single university at the same time. It consisted of Rev. A. F. Waller, Rev. T. H. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 195 Pearne, Rev. James II. Wilber, Ttov. Wiliiam Roberts, and tlio lion. George II. "Williams. These were all regularly appointed agents of the university, and authorized to receive donations of money or property for said university, to sell scholarships and receive pay or securitj' therefor pursuant to the resolutions of the Board instructing them relative thereto, and to execute all necessary receipts, certifi- cates, and instruments of writing for the transaction of such business. As it was contemplated to receive lands as well as money in payment for scholar- ships, it was necessary to have a form of deed or bond suited to the case ; accordingly Judge "Wil- liams, being a legal gentleman, was requested by the Board to draft a form suited to the circumstances. The following is the form adopted by the Board : Know all men by these presents, that I, , am held and firmlv bound unto the "Willamette Uni- vcrsity in the penal sum of dollars, to the pay- ment of which sum I bind myself, my heirs, ex- ecutors, and administrators. Sealed with my seal, and dated this day of 18—. The condition of the above obligation is such, that if the above named shall convey, by good and sufficient deed, within , from the date hereof, the following described lands, to wit, , as a do- nation to said university, then this obligation to be null, otherwise of force. The agents were further instructed to make the securities for ten years' scholarships in the Pre- paratory Department payable, the interest annually, 196 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. m' 5/ S-v: 1' ! i and principal in two years ; and those for ton years' Bcliolarsbips in tlie Preparatory or Collegiate Depart- ment, or both, payable, interest annually and prin- cipal in three years ; and the securities for perpetual scholarships, interest payable annually and ])rincii)al in five years ; the rate of interest to be not less than the legal rates, and both interest and princ;^) ;' ])ay- able to any authorized agent of the F \rd, or to the treasurer of the same. The securities which the agents were authorized to receive were to consist of promissory notes, with one or more sureties, or mortgages upon real estate ; and the seal which was adopted by the university was the eagle side of a United States ten dollar gold coin. With this financial system of operations thus far introduced, and with such an array of talent in the corps of agents to carry out the plan to practical effect in the sale of scholarships and in the use of other measures to establish an endowment fund, we will leave them for the time being to the accomplish- ment of the. important work committed to them, and for a while attend to some other matters of historical interest connected with the Oregon Institute and Willamette University. In the regular course of our history we now approach an important matter of financial interest to the university, with which stands connected a name, the mention of which will excite emotions of deep interest in the minds of all that were favored with his acquaintance, and especially of all '•.he early Oregonians. The name is that of Alanson Beers, OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 197 BceiB, and the interest referred to is that which was con- nected with wliat was called the Beers House. Tlio name of Alansv; Beers ceased to appear in connection with tlio acts if the Board in the spring of 1853, simply her i use ho was no longer an inhabitant of earth. After a very severe illness of a few days only, he passf 1 at that time from the scenes of earth to the rewards of eternity. Alanson Beers came to Oregon as a lay member of the Oregon Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He sailed with his family, in connection with a number of other persons, from Boston in July, 1836, and entered the mouth of the Columbia River in May, 1837. Though he was connected with the mission as a blacksmith, yet the superintendent placed him in charge of tlio mission farm near Matheny's Ferry. lie entert.i at once into all the moral and religious reforms of t'le day which promised good to the people, and he w s especially active and efficient in the formation of the provisional government. He was a member of the first legislative committee of the territory, and also of the pxe^'utive committee of three who acted as a kind of triune governor of Oregon. He was efficient, reliable, and honest in all these relations, winning the favor and the confidence of all with whom he had intercourse. In February, 1842, he was present at a public meeting where the Oregon Institute re- ceived its birth, and was elected one of the members of the original Board of Trustees. At an annual meeting he was elected treasurer of the Board, and served a few years in that capacity, always showing 13 198 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. i' ,4 : l! -I'':' I '•'■■ that he had thp interests of the institution deeply at heart. He conceived the idea that a boarding house connected with the institution, properly conducted, would do much to promote its interests, and he applied to the Board for the privilege of erecting a suitable house for that purpose on the northwest corner of what is known as the sixty acre reserve. The Board consented to the erection of such a house, but did not either sell or lease Mr, Beers the land upon which the house was located. The house was therefo "e the property of Mr. Beers before his death, and was recognized by the Board as belonging to his estate. Consequently, on November 1, 1854, the question was brought before the Board, " What dis- position can be made of the property belonging to the estate of Alanson Beers situated on the lands of the university ? " Eev. J. L. Parrish was the ad- ministrator of the estate, and having made various statements in relation to the circumstances under which the building was erected, the Board proceeded to adopt the following preamble and resolution : Whereas Mr. Alanson Beers, in pursuance of an arrangement made with the Oregon Institute, did erect on the premises of said institute a houre to be permanently occupied as a boarding house for the accommodation of the institute ; and whereas said Alanson Beers has subsequently deceased, and, there- fore, cannot carry out the contract made with tlie institute ; and whereas the power of controlling the interests of the Oregon Institute is now vested in the 'ml 'I OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 199 trustees of the Willamette University, therefore, liesolved, that we proceed to elect a committee to take into consideration the subject of the interests of the Institute in the premises above-mentioned, and report at an adjourned meeting of the Board a plan for the settlement of the questions involved. This committee, after a full investigation of the subject, recommended that, in adjusting the interests of the institution in the Beers House, the original intention of the parties in the erection of the house should be strictly observed ; and if it were necessary in carrying out this design to lease the land for a term of years, it should be so leased, and the Board at first adopted this recommendation. Subsequently, however, the Board reconsidered this action, and provided an agent to be present at the adminis- trator's sale of said house, with discretionary authority to purchase it, which he did by bidding it off at three thousand dollars. But it is not necessary to trace all the action of the Board from time to time in relation to the Beers House. It will be sufficient to say that after a number of trials to use it for the purposes for which it was constructed, it was finally decided that the time had probably not yet come wlien a. boarding house could be sustained in connection with the Willamette University. Accordingly, the whole property was sold to Mr. John Ford, and by him conveyed to its present occupant. General John F. Miller. Thus the object contemplated by the builder of this house, Mr. Alan- son Beers, was, in part at least, defeated ; and yet 1 T 200 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. it is quite probable tliat if the originator had sur- vived it would have been a great blessing to the institution. But he fell ; just as he was preparing to move into the building, all finished, and its capacious rooms waiting oeoupancy, he fell ; and when he fell society lost a most valuable member, the young and rising territory one of its most useful and cherished citizens, and the Willamette University one of its warmest and most faithful friends. As has been stated, he was one of the original nine who con- stituted the first Board of Trustees for the Oregon Institute, and he remained a member of the Board by re-election from time to time until his death. At a meeting of the Board, held November 1, 1854, Rev. William Roberts, who had at a previous annual meeting been elected secretary, resigned liis position in consequence of his having been appointed presid- ing elder in Washington Territory, and at an ad- journed meeting the Board elected Gustavus Ilines to fill his place until the close of the year. The second annual meeting under the charter was held in the chapel of the institute March 7, 1855, and the following persons were elected officers of the Board for the ensuing year : Rev. David Leslie, President ; Rev. J. D. Boon, Yice-President ; Rev. Gustavus IIines, Secretary; Mr. Elisha Strong, Treasurer. Rev. A. F. Waller, Rev. J. D. Boon, Hon. G. 11. Williams, Hon. E. N. Cook, and William II. Wil- son, were elected members of the executive com- mittee. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 201 At this meeting President Hojt presented liis res- ignation to the Board, desiring it to take effect at the close of the summer term. The resignation was re- ferred to a select committee. At an adjourned meet- ing the constitution was so amended as to require seven to be on the executive committee, and Gusta- vus nines and F. S. Hoyt were elected to fill up that committee, and the following persons were nomin- ated and recommended to the Oregon Annual Confer- ence for election to fill the class in the Board whose term of service had expired : L. F. Grover, W. H. "Wilson, A. M. Belt, C. Bennet, William Eoberts, A. C. Gibbs, J. G. Wilson, D. Smith, John C. Peebles, George H. Jones, C. A. Eeed. The executive committee during the year had made some repairs in the foundation and chimneys of the institute building, and recommended that measures be taken for further improvement in both the build- ing and grounds the ensuing year. The Board also resolved to appoint seven agents to solicit scholarships and donations for the institution during the coming year, and the following persons were elected said agents : T. II. Pearne, F. S. Iloyt, A. F. Waller, L. F. Grover, Samuel Parker, T. F. Royal, and E. M. Barnum ; and the executive com- mittee was instructed to procure printed certificates of scholarships, to be given to those who purchase the same, and action was taken to change the certifi- cates so as to agree with the present arrangements of the Board. At this time the select committee to whom was ' i' 202 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. f 1 1 1' I S, 1 ™ 3 J 111 * i \i> referred the matter of the resignation of President Iloyt reported adversely to the acceptance of tlie resignation, and recommended to the Board the elec- tion of a professor of mathematics, and appointed a committee of correspondence on the subject. Tlie report was adopted ; but at a subsequent meeting of the Board so much of it as related to the election of a professor of mathematics was reconsidered, and finally amended so as to provide for the election of a professor to take his place in the institution at the commencement of the fall term. It is in connection with the operations of the school during the present year that the name of Mrs. Thurs- ton appears upon the records. She had been asso- ciated with the school as one of the faculty for some time previously, and the Boa^d, placing a high esti- mate upon her services, and receiving an intimation that she would probably retire from the school, passed a resolution respectfully inviting her to remain in connection with the institute as prece^, )ss. The Board received a communication at this time from Rev. T. H. Pearne, Financial Agent of the Mis- sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, requesting payment of whatever sum might be due on the four thousand four hundred and thirty-seven dollars and eighty-three cents, ($•1,437 83,) secured by bond executed by W. II. Wilson and others to said Missionary Society. This communication was referred to a committee, which was instructed to correspond witli the Board of Managers of said soci- ety, and secure the formal relinquishment to this 1 » If If ' OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 203 Board of Trustees of the claim and bond above re- ferred to. Questions from time to time had arisen since the incorporation of the institution and the adoption of the name of Willamette University, and the schol- arship system under the charter, in regard to the rights of the original subscribers to the funds of the Oregon Institute in relation to scholarships ; whetlier they were entitled to seholai'ships by virtue of their former subscriptions, or whether those subscriptions were to ,be ignored in the sale of scholarships, and the old subscribers be required to pay the same as others who had never subscribed in aid of the institu- tion. To ascertain the facts in relation to the matter, so that the Board could come to a just conclusion in the premises, a committee was appointed to procure and take into consideration certain papers relating to the origin and early history of the institution. This committee consisted of Rev. Gustavus Iliues, Rev. J. L. Parrish, Rev. A. F. Waller, and Hon. L. F. Grover. This committee obtained the original papers of the Oregon Institute, and upon them made their report. In their report they gave the history of the institution from its incipiency up to that time, and on the facts presented the committee found, 1. That in the establishment of the Oregon Institute in 1842 on Wallace's Prairie the institution was in- tended as a progressive one, with an express intent of advancing the same to our present organization ; / that at no time since has the object of the institution been abandoned, however embarrassed its condition ^■"ll!l^ i ■ ■i 204 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. §: 'A ; i if; m ;■ i^ or informal its proceedings ; and, 2. That tlie early patrons of the Oregon Institute, who entitled tliem- selves to scholarships in the same, were equitably as well as legally entitled to scholarships in the Willa- mette University in value equal to the amounts paid by them into the treasury of said institution. This proved to be acceptable to the Board, and was conse- quently adopted ; and a meeting, held August 15, 1855, in carrying out the principles of the report of the Board, took action, granting Rev. David Leslie, Rev. L. H. Judson, and Rev. Jason Lee (deceased) perpetual scholarships for having paid five hundred dollars each to build up the Oregon Institute. And it was furthermore decreed that all who had hereto- fore entitled themselves to scholarships in full, or in part, be entitled to avail themselves of the benefit of such scholarships from the date of the certificates of said scholarship issued or to be issued by virtue of the late action of the Board in the premises. In the case of Rev. Jason Lee, deceased, the action of the Board at this time was eminently just and proper It was as follows : Whereas the Rev. Jason Lee by his last will do- nated to this institution the sum of one hundred dollars over and above the amount of five hundred dollars ($500) personally donated by him in his life- time ; therefore, liesolved, That a perpetual scholarship be issued to the estate of said Jason Lee, and that all tuition heretofore accrued due from said estate be remitted in consideration of said bequest of one hundred dol OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 205 lars. And further, in acting upon this principle, it was determined that, in view of the deep interest which Alanson Beers took in the establishment and maintenance of the institution, each of his children be presented with a ten years' scholarship, not to be transferred. The Board of Instruction for the past two years had varied somewhat from time to time, as it was found quite impossible as yet to obtain permanent teachers. It had consisted of Mr. Hoyt, who was both president and principal of the academical de- partment ; Mrs. Thurston, preceptress ; and Miss Julia Bryant, teacher in the primary department. But changes had taken place, so that at the close of the year ending February, 1856, we find Eev. F. S. Hoyt president and professor, Kev. Charles Hall Professor of Exact Sciences, and Mrs. Hoyt pre- ceptress, and teacher in the primary department. li 206 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. "if CHAPTER IX. POPULATION, NEW CONSTITUTION, AND ENDOWMENT We have now reached the fifteenth year of the his tory of the Oregon Institute, and the fourth of the Willamette University. During that period we have been passing through great changes, civil, political, and religious ; but especially in regard to the population of our country. In 1842, when the Oregon Institute sprang into being, there were not two hundred white persons of American origin, all told, on the Pacific slope of our continent. Indeed at that time, taken as a whole, the country was in a state of comparative barbarism. A more heterogeneoiir class of hvimanity, small as it was, could not have been found in an} land than had sought an asylum in the wilds of the Pacific coast. Here were the Indian, the legitimate proprietor of the soil. Englishmen, Scotchmen, Irish- men, Americans, Germans, Prussians, Italians, Span- ish, Frenchmen, Danes, Canadians, Hawaiians, Ota- heitans, Africans, and Chinese. From intermarrying with one another, and particularly with the natives of the countrv ever since white men first visited these shores, an amalgamated population had been introduced, presenting every variety of color, dispo- sition, and character of which the human species is capable. The English, Scotch, French, and some 'Ml^^ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 207 others, had been introduced into the country mainly through the Hudson's Bay Company. Many persons had found their way ^-y Oregon from the numerous vessels which, from the earliest dis- coveries, had touched at various points along tliis extended coast. Scarcely a ship had visited the Columbia River for years from which two or more had not made their escape, and, secreting themselves until the vessel had left, they would come forth to mingle with the motley inhabitants as citizens of Oregon. Some had deserted their ships on the coast of California, and had fought their way to the valley of the famed "Multnomah" through the hostile tribes that roamed among the Klamath and Umpqua Mount- ains, and some had found their way to the fertile valleys of Oregon from the Rocky Mountains them- selves ; men who, in connection with the American companies established for purposes of traffic with the Blackfeet, Nez Forces, and other Indian tribes, had for many years been ranging the mountainous regions of the vast interior, experiencing the most surprising adventures among the Indians, and enduring every variety of hardships which human nature is capable of suffering, and at last had found a peaceful and quiet retreat on the banks of some beautiful river or stroam- let meandering through the vales, where they were secure from savage violence and treachery, and where most of them proposed to close their earthly career. Some of these mountaineei's had Indian wives, and formed an attachment for the mothers of their sons and daughters, and consequently, on leaving the scenes i! ? y. r I M n „ u i' i ■ n ii: 208 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. of their savage life, they took with them their wives and children, anxious that both might be benefited by mingling with civilized society ; and they had heard that civilization was springing up in the midst of the mixed population of the valleys of Oregon. The most fruitful channel, however, for the supply of population for Oregon was the immigration channel from the United States east of the mountains to the Pacific coast. It had long been a problem whether the unknown regions west of the Rocky Mountains would or could ever be populated by immigrations across the continent, direct from the Atlantic States. The problem, however, was about to be solved. Lewis and Clark found their way across. AVilson Price Hunt and company scaled the barriers. Bon- neville and Wyeth passed the stupendous gates, and traced the waters as they flowed westward to the ocean. The intrepid Lee, the pioneer missionary, and his companions, explored the South Pass through the mountains on their passage toward the setting sun. "Whitman and Spaulding, with their wives and associates, followed in the train, and found no insu- perable barriers. In 1839-4:1 parties comparatively small made the transit in safety. In 1842 the immi- gration numbered one hundred and thirty-two per- sons in all. Up to this period the transit had been made either on foot, or on the backs of mules or Indian ponies ; but now another question was to be settled. Can wheeled carriages perform the trip over the mountains, from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean ? Tlie emphatic answer is. They can ; OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 209 for in 1843 tlie iminigratioii, consisting of over eiglit Imndrod persons, performed the trip in wagons drawn by oxen. The gates were now open, the bars were all let down, the problem was fully solved. Oregon and the whole Pacific coast were to be peopled by immigration from the Eastern States. In 184:4 an- other eight hundred was added to the population in the same manner. In 1845 three thousand souls sought the "better country," "not an heavenly," fanned by the breezes of the western ocean. In 1846 and 1847 the immigrations were respectable as to numbers; and in 1848 the donation land law was passed, and, but for the wonderful discovery of gold on the Sacramento, in California, doubtless an over- whelming tide of immigration would have set in to Oregon ; but as it \\ c.j, for the time being the stream was turned aside; some thousands, however, annually were added to the population of Oregon. In 1852 twenty thousand men, women, and children found homes and rest in these lovely valleys. In 1853 ten thousand were added to the former. In 1854 and 1855 the number, though jespectable, was very much smaller. The aggregate of all these immigrations, diminished by just so many as from dissatisfaction had left the country or had died, had occupied the whole country, sparsely in many places, from Puget's Sound to Siskin Mountains, and from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific coast. We have Taken this cursory glance at the popula- tion of Oregon at this time for the purpose of show- ing the basis upon which we were operating, the 4', 1|f! mi 210 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. \ causes which impelled us forward, and the inci easing importance of the institution which wo were laboring to establish. The Oregon Institute had been located in the most delightful and fertile portion of the en- tire country, at a very central point in the unrivaled valley of the Willamette. The population through- out the whole country, and especially in the vicinity of the institution, was continually increasing, and the demands upon the school seemed ( rrespond- ingly to increase. And hence the energy that was thrown into the action of the Board, and hence the conception and vigorous application of the plans for properly endowing the Univei*8ity, so that it would, according to the original design, so far as literature and science were concerned, meet the growing de- mands of the country. At the annual meeting of the Board, held March 5, 1856, the following persons were elected officers for the ensuing year : Eev. David Leslie, President; Hon. G. II. "Williams, Vice-President; Hon. L. F. Grovek, Secretary ; Elisha Strong, Treasurer. An executive committee and an auditing com- mittee were also elected; a committee was also ap- pointed to revise the constitution, and, at a meeting held Sept. 10, 1856, the Board adopted the constitu- tion, as follows : , constitution. ♦ To secure a regular and efficient discharge of their duties, the Trustees of the V/illamttte University OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 211 adopt, and agree to be governed by, the following constitution : Article I. Section 1. — This association shall be called the Board of Trustees of the Willamette University, pur- suant to the provision of the Act of Incorporation granted by the Legislative Assembly of the territory of Oregon, bearing date January 12, 1853. Section 2. — The recognized duties of this Board of Trustees shall be to secure to the Willamette University the possession and perpetuity of an ade- quate endowment, to manage its fiscal afiairs, and to organize and exercise such supervision over its de- partments of instruction as shall best secure its use- fulness as an institution of learning. ^^W' Article U. — Officers. Section 1. — The officers of the Board of Trustees shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer. Section 2. — It shall be the duty of the president to preside at all meetings of the Board, to call such special meetings as are hereinafter provided for, to subscribe his name to all acts and proceedings of the Board when necessary and proper to give validity to the same, to visit during each term the several departments of instruction connected with the uni- versity, and to make a written report of their effi- ciency at the next ensuing meeting of the Board. I 4, i: X 212 OKEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. f i( »' i^ Section 3. — It shall be tlie duty of the vice-pred- dent to perform the duties of the president in his absence. Section 4. — It shall be the duty of the secretary to give due notice of the meetings of the Board, to keep a full record of its proceedings, to attest and pffix the seal of the university to all instruments of writing, whenever necessary to give them validity, to receive and file all papers and documents, collect all moneys due the university, and pay the same to the treasurer, taking his receipt therefor, and make re- port to the Board at each annual meeting. Section 5. — It shall be the duty of the treasurer to keep a full, accurate, and complete account of the fiscal afiairs of the university, to receive all moneys due the institution for tuition or otherwise, and ac- count for the same ; to make such exhibit thereof at each meeting as shall furnish the Board a proper and satisfac'j'^i-y knowledge of the same ; to make a writ- ten report in detail at each annual meeting, the same having been submitted to and received the ap- proval of the auditing committee, and he shall in no case pay out money except on the order of the Board, signed by the president, and countersigned by the secretary. Section 6. — The officers of the Board shall be elected by ballot at a regular meeting, and shall liokl their several offices until the next ensuing annual meeting, or until their Buccessors are elected and qualified. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 213 Article in. — Meetikgs. Section 1. — The Board shall hold its annual meetings on tlie Tuesday preceding the collegiate anniversary, and quarterly meetings on the third "Wednesday in November, February, and May, and such other meetings as may be called by the pres- ident upon the application of two or more mem- bers of the executive committee. This article was amended so that the third quarterly meeting could be held at the close of the winter term. 1\ ■ n it n;IM t '4' ! Akticle IV. — Committees. Section 1. — There shall be two standing commit- tees, an auditing comniittee that shall consist of three, and an Executive Committee to consist of sev- en, to be elected annually from among the members of the Board. The president of the university shall be ex-officio member of the executive committee. Section 2. — It shall be the duty of the Auditing Committee to audit the accounts of the ti'casurer. Section 3. — It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to have the general supervision of the University and the business of the Board in the interim of its meetings, and to make report thereof at each regular meeting of the Board. Article V. This constitution may be altered or amended by a two thirds vote of all the members of the Board present at any regular meeting. 214 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ;i'^ .1 3, R In connection with the adoption of the above con- stitution, a course of study, which had been thorough- ly digested by a qualified committee, of whom Rev. r. S. Iloyt, the president of the institution, was the chairman, was also adopted, and the collegiate year was divided into three terms ; and it was further provided that the course of instruction should extend through four years in the College proper, and three years in the Preparatory Department; the college years to be designated according to well-established usage in such institutions, by the names of Senior, Junior, Sophomore, and Freshman. As the course of study which was adopted was subsequently revised, it is not necessary to give it in detail in this place. It may be proper to observe, however, that it compared well in its comprehen- siveness with that of older and more mature institu- tions in the Atlantic States ; and, in connection with the amended constitution, and the arrangements in reference to the proper designation of the collegiate years, shows the advancement of our cherished school from the character of a mere primary and academ- ical institution, to the position and characteristics of a real college. It was now passing from its chrysalis condition into a new-fledged university, and was preparing to plume its wings for an upward flight. In the progress of this history it has been neces- sary frequently to revet to the efforts which the Board of Trustees was putting forth to create an endowment fund by the sale of scholarships, and otherwise; and here we shall resuiiie the subject, m OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 215 1, and subject, and present in one view the Btruggles of the Board in relation to the endowment up to the present time. The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church was still in possession of considerable prop- erty in Oregon in lands, having a claim on the land upon which the city of Dalles is located, and also having secured a title to land to the extent of a quarter section in the vicinity of the city of Salem. The Missionary Society had expended an immense amount of money since the beginning of missionary operations in Oregon, and the country had been vastly benefited, both religiously and financially, by such expenditure, and it was proper and right that the lands which the missionaries had occupied should be confirmed to the Board. This was done so far as the land at Salem was concerned, and, as this land lay adjoining the univer- sity campus, it was valuable in itself, and might be used greatly to the advantage of the university ; and as the Board of Trustees had been greatly dis- appointed in respect to their original claim, it was very desirable on their part to secure this land, and use it to the best advantage for the enlargement of the endowment fund of the university. The property was in Oregon, and had been secured to the Missionary Board through the instrumefltality of those men "who counted not their lives dear unto them so that they might finish the ministry committed to their hands ; and it was thought by all that the avails of that property should be appropriated to the J ii 216 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ri: promotion of religion and science in Oregon ; and if 80, that it could not be employed better than to put it into the hands of the Trustees of the Willamette University. The subject of the endowment of the university was one of the deepest possible interest to the state of Oregon and the Pacific coast generally, and con- sequently it was proper for the Board to use all law- ful and Christian means to compass so desirable an end. Little, however, had been effected previously to 1856, but at that time the Rev. T. H. Pearne, who had been elected as a delegate to the General Conference from Oregon, was authorized by the Board of Trustees to make application in the Atlantic States for aid to- ward the endowment of the Willamette Universitv. Mr. Pearne presented the subject before the Mission- ary Society in New York, and that body received it with their usual liberality, and proceeded to pass the following resolution : " Resolved^ That our agent in Oregon who, for the time being, may hold legal power from the Board to act for it, be authorized to pay over to the Trustees of the Willamette University the sum of five thou- Band dollars toward the endowment of said univer- sity out of any moneys in his hands arising out of the mission property in Oregon belonging to the Mis- sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church; ^^Provided^ that before said agent shall pay over as aforesaid, the Board shall be informed and satisfied that the sum of fifteen thousand dollars has been invested in good and sufficient and productive secu- I' I OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 217 rities, other than simply individual liabilities, said securities to be free from all claims against them, and to have arisen out of sources not heretofore granted bj this Board, but from other and different sources." This resolution was reported to the Board of Trustees in Oregon in September of 1856, and was hailed by them as an act worthy of the Missionary Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and it afforded them very great encouragement in their efforts to raise funds for the endowment of the university. Prompted by the necessities of our in- stitution, and this generous offer of the Missionary Board to aid us in its endowment, we proceeded through our agent, the Rev. A. F. Waller, to canvass the country for the purpose of raising the funds requisite to entitle the Board to the five thousand dollars. The principal method adopted to raise the fifteen thousand dollars was the sale of perpetual schol- arshi])S at five hundred dollars each, though other measures, with some degree of success, were also employed. It was found to be a very difficult matter in the sparsely settled and undeveloped state of Oregon to raise so large a sum; but by energetic and unceasing efforts for nearly three years, it was found on the fifth of August, 1859, that the whole amount of fifteen thousand dollars had been raised and invested in good securities. So soon as this was ascertained by the report of the agent, the Board of Trustees passed, in substance, the following preamble and resolution : 218 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. I " Whereas it lias been understood that the Mis- sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church proposed to secure to the Willamette University the sum of five thousand dollars on condition that said university would raise the sura of fifteen thousand dollars ; and whereas the sum of fifteen thousand dollars was raised on or before the first day of August, 1859, therefore, " Resolved., That a committee be appointed to cor- respond with said Missionary Board, and secure as soon as possible the said five thousand dollars, so that it may be funded, and the interest thereof used for the support of said university." Rev. William Roberts was appointed that com- mittee, and he addressed a letter to the Missionary Board informing them that we had substantially ful- filled the condition upon our part, and consequently were ready to receive the five thousand dollars accord- ing to the ofier of the Missionary Board. After this correspondence several years passed by, and the matter remained unadjusted ; but at the ses- sion of the Oregon Conference held in Salem, 1864-, Rev. T. H. Pearne, who was the authorized agent of the Missionary Board in Oregon, informed the con- ference that the Board proposed to convey to the Trustees of the Willamette University a certain piece or parcel of land lying in the vicinity of Salem, con- taining some eighty acres, more or less, in lieu of the five thousand dollars in cash, and requested the con- ference to take action upon the subject. The action of the conference was favorable to this arrangement, OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 219 'filffif? and immediately after the adjournment of the con- ference a special meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to take into consideration the proposition of the Missionary Board. At this meeting, which was held August 20, 1864, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution accepting of the land as a full satisfaction for the five thousand dollars in cash. The land proposed to be given possessed a value which would justify the Missionary Board in convey- ing it and the Trustees of the University in receiving it as an equivalent for the five thousand dollars. The impression had gone abroad that this land possessed an immense value in consequence of a certain water privilege which it contained. Tliis, however, was an entire mistake. The water which ran through the premises in a ditch which had been excavated for that purpose, did not belong to the premises, but was the property of the Oregon Milling Company, subject to their control, and liable to be removed into another channel at their option. The premises, therefore, were not made more valuable, but rather injured in value by the ditch which was dug through them. Consequently, in conveying that land to the Board of Trustees, the Missionary Board would not be giving more than was first proposed, and the Board of Trustees would receive what they could ultimately use to about the same advantage as would have resulted from the investment of the five thousand dollars. There arose between the Missionary Society and the Board of Trustees, doubtless more from a mis- 220 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. n Mr? apprehension of each other's views and intentions than from any other cause, a somewhat protracted controversy in relation to this business operation, and, consequently, there was a delay of the final arrangement until the present year, (186Y.) Early in this year the Missionary Board through their sec- retary, W. L. Harris, D.D., and much to the satis- faction of the Board of Trustees, took effectual measures to transfer to that body, by a good and sufficient deed, the said tract of land, comprising eighty acres, more or less, in lieu of the five thousand dollars. This transfer was eminently wise and just upon the part of the Missionary Society, first, because the property thus appropriated becomes a permanent fund for the accomplishment of good to the end of time ; and second, by a reflex influence it doubtless will tend directly to the promotion of the future interests of the missionary cause by returning four- fold into the treasury of the Missionary Society ; third, because this arrangement becomes the occa- sion of greatly increasing the confidence of the public in our institution, and will contribute greatly toward relieving the Board from all embarrassment arising from a want of income, and open the way for the Willamette University finally to enter upon a career of great usefulness and prosperity. In this connection it may be proper to observe, that while the negotiation between the two Boards was going on, the Board of Trustees was laboring faithfully and constantly for the maintenance and advance- ment of their beloved institution, and tliey had T'": II I OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 221 succeeded, entirely outside of all sources granted to them by the Missionary Board, in raising the endow- ment fund up to the amount of twenty-four thousand dollars, nearly all of which was amply secured. Be- sides this, the Board of Trustees had but recently invested in real estate, in the form of a splendid brick edifice located on their college campus, which in size and beauty when finished would do honor to any state in the Union, the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. This was nearly all provided for by subscription, and the entire property, amounting to about fifty thousand dollars, was, indeed, free from all incumbrance. This amount does not in- clude the college campus of sixty acres, nor the lands which the Board received in their settlement with Dr. "W". H. "Wilson, the value of which it would be diflicult at this time to determine ; but the fact, in itself of considerable importance to the Board of Trustees, which here should be clearly exhibited, is, that at the time the Missionary Board made the transfer of the land spoken of, the Board of Trustees had raised and invested in real estate, and funded as the beginning of an endowment, from the resources of the country, independent of any and every thing that had ever been received from any other source, the sum of fifty thousand dollars. To accomplish this, and to keep the building which we were erect- ing free from debt, or rather, unembarrassed with debt, it was necessary to pull upon every string and to move with great precaution. Also, by this con- stant and unusual draft upon the people it was 1 ' ■ i'A M 222 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. extreraelj difficult to sustain the other financial departments of the university. The population of Oregon was small, the people were poor, and money was scarce, and the Willamette University felt the pressure ; and the bestowment by the Missionary Board of the eighty acres of land spoken of, fi-om its present, but especially from its prospective value, was indeed a godsend to our cherished institution, for which the Board of Trustees and the friends of religious education generally in Oregon cannot be too thankful. The Missionarj' Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Book Concern have, under God, been the greatest benefactors of the Pacific Coast. Aside from that part of the coast embraced in the state of California, they have paid in cash for the religious and civil benefit of the country within the limits of the Oregon Conference, since the first missionaries went there in 1834, not less than five hundred thousand dollars. Oregon should not forget her benefactors ; and the friends of the "Willamette University should remember that but for the benevolence of the Mission- ary Society, and the interest it has ever taken in the advancement of the Church and its institutions, the success which has crowned the efibrt to establish the institution is to be, in part, attributed to the timely and efficient aid which that society has afforded. It seemed proper to indulge in these reflections while considering the manner in which the un- pleasant controversy between the two Boards in relation to the five-thousand-dollar donation was t< 1 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 223 closed up. Surely, the final issue was of such a nature as that the Board of Trustees of the uni- versity has been laid under lasting obligation to the Missionary Society ; while at the same time they claim, in all the protracted controversy, to have been actuated by honesty of purpose, and a sincere desire to promote the best interests of humanity in Oregon. And here the old adage may be properly inserted, " To err is human ; to forgive, divine." Having traced the history of the five-thousand- dollar donation to the endowment fund, it will be necessary to revert back to the period when the Board of Trustees considered that they had fulfilled the condition in relation to the fifteen thousand dollars. This was in July 28, 1859. At a meet- ing of the Board held at this time it was ascer- tained from the report of Rev. A. F. Waller, who had been acting as agent without remuneration for two years, that the endowment of twenty thousand dollars, embracing the five thousand, was completed, and it was resolved forthwith to raise an additional endowment, if possible, of twenty thousand, and a request was voted to the next annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church to appoint Rev. A. F. Waller as agent of the university for the ensuing year, to carry out the wishes of the Board in reference to the endowment. According to this request the bishop presiding at the ensuing conference appointed Rev. A. F. Waller agent, and he continued his efforts, as circumstances would permit, to enlarge the endowment fund by the sale of scliolarsliips. As he ^■.. >'\ 224 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. had already tlioronglily canvassed tlio ground in raising the fifteen thousand dolhirs, and as tlie com- munity was quite limited, and the people of wealtli few and far between, it was found, after years of effort, to be quite impossible to raise an additional twenty thousand dollars. A few thousand, however, was added to the former collections, and the follow- ing is a list of the names of all the persons who, by the payment of five hundred dollars, have entitled themselves to perpetual scholarships : ■n" Francis Flotcbor $500 Rev. C. S. Kiiigsley 500 Rov. T. H. Poame 500 Hon. Lansdalo 500 Hon. J. S. Smith 500 Rev. J. L. Parrisli 500 Rev. David Leslie 500 Mrs. C. A. Wilson 1,000 Rev. Jason Lee 600 Hon. L. F. Grover 600 E. Strong 500 Rev. A. F. Waller 500 M. Swcgle 500 J. N. Gilbert 500 Joseph Waldo 500 Joseph Holman 500 Rev. J. D. Boon 500 Thomas Cross 500 Rev. Gustavus nines 500 Webley Hauxhurst 500 Hon. J. M. Harrison 500 W. S. Ladd 500 Rev. William Roberta $500 Rev. J. H. Wilber 600 Fletcher Crabtreo 500 W. W. M'Kinuey 500 William Odell 600 Martin Va\ighn 600 W. 0. Gibson 500 George Belknap 500 Orrin Bellan<5 at; ii^t'ng him as teacher during the same time. Tiiey wcv i (Hciont and active, and gave excellent satisfaction to the ])atrons of the school ; but it was not necessary to continue both Mr. Iloyt and Mr. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 229 Doane in connection with the school at the "ame time, consequently the latter left the institution for other service, and Mr. Hoyt, after his arrival, which took place late in 1850, took charge of the school in accord- ance with the design of his appointment. Mr. Hoyt was connected with the institution for ten years as pro- fessor and president, or from 1850 to 1860, his reappoint- mentfrom the conference having been annually'- request- ed by the Board of Trustees. During the long period of Mr. Iloyt's service as the principal and president of the institution there was, with the exception of the president, but little permanency in the Board of In- struction. While he had the direction of the school the assistants that were employed under him were numerous, and a particular account of them all would extend this chapter to an undue length. It will be sujfiicient simply to insert their names as nearly in the order in whicli they served the institution as the data which we have in our possession will admit. In con- nection with the Primary Department the following names appear : Miss Belle Walker, now Mrs. Cook ; Mrs. Dillon ; Miss Mary Leslie, since Mrs. Jones, now deceased ; Miss Julia Bryant, now Mrs. Terry ; Miss Mary Waller, now Mrs. Hall ; Miss Sarelia Pringle, now Mrs. Ncrthrup ; Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. S. B. Wilber, Miss Jordan, Miss Draper, now Mrs. Arthur Nicklen, and Miss S. A. Cornell. In the Academic or Preparatory Department dur- ing the same period we find the names of the follow- ing persons : Mr. J. Dillon, Mrs. Hoyt, Mr. C. Hall as Professor of Exact Sciences, Mr. Newcomb, Mr. 15 , "r i :< m 1 ' If « 230 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. D. L. Spaulding, Mr. S. B. Wilber, Miss Lucia A. N. Jordan, Miss L. Boise, Miss Mary Miller, now Mrs. Col. Kelley, Mr. I. L. Powell, Mr. F. D. Hodg- son, Mr. Barnard, Mr. Stinson, Edwin Ca*twriglit, Mrs. Joseph Wilson, Mr. F. Grubbs, and Mrs. Thurston, now Mrs. Wm. Odell. Doubtless there were other persons that taught in the school during the administration of Mr. Iloyt, but the above-named were the principal. Through their assistance the Oregon Institute, under the super- intendence of Mr. Hoyt, moved on slowly but surely in the path of improvement, from the character of a primary to that of a well-developed academical and preparatory school, and had already begun to as- sume many of the airs of even a collegiate institution. At the session of the Oregon Annual Conference, held at Albany in August, 1859, President Hoyt was elected a delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was to be held the following May in the city of Buffalo, in the state of New York. Consequently I find in the records of the Board under date of October 19, 1859, this action : " On motion, it was voted that Mr. Hoyt be allowed leave of absence to visit the Eastern States, and that his salary be continued without intermission during his absence." This action of the Board was with the expectation that Mr. Hoyt, after having discharged his obliga- tions as a delegate to the General Conference, and availed himself, by visiting colleges and other insti- tutions of learning, of tlie more recent improvements nfn OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 231 and facilities for tlie conduct and management of such institutions, would return again to Oregon and resume his position as president of the Willamette University. In this, however, the Board was doomed to disappointment. Mr. Waller, who was the col- league of Mr. Hoyt to the General Conference, had returned, and in a meeting of the Board, held at Salem, August 18, 1860, gave the information that President Hoyt had made application for a situation in the Ohio Wesleyan University ; but as no oflScial communication had been received from him by the Board no action was taken at this time. At a meet- ing, however, held Sept. 26, 1860, the president of the Board of Trustees, Rev. David Leslie, presented a letter from Rev. F. S. Hoyt, resigning his situation as president of the Willamette University, which was read, and, on motion, the resignation was accepted. The following preamble and resolutions were then read and adopted : '-■ - Whereas the Rev. F. S. Hoyt has resigned his position as president of the Willamette University in order to return with his family to the Atlantic States; therefore, ' Besolved, That after an intercourse of nearly ten years, during which time he has had charge of this institution, we have learned very highly to appre- ciate the capabilities of Rev. F. S. Hoyt as an in- structor of youth, a Christian gentleman, and fellow- laborer in the cause of education. jResolved, That while we ]^art with himself and family with regret, we learn with pleasure that he a 232 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. i ^. i' Las become connected with an eminent institution of learning in Ohio, and that we follow him with our most ardent wishes for success. liesolved, That we cherish a most grateful recol- lection of the peace and harmony with which our mutual labors with our beloved brother have been characterized, and shall richly enjoy such correspond- ence in the future as the duties of his new relation may permit. Thus terminated the long and onerous term of service of Rev. F. S. Hoyt, as principal of the Oregon Institute, and president of the Willamette University. Before taking leave of him after having so faithfully conducted the growing institution in the midst of many discouragements, arising as well from its poverty as from the heterogeneous character of its patrons and students, for ten long years, it will be proper here to accord to him the meed of praise which is justly liis due. As a teacher, inside the walls of the Institute, he was decidedly popular and efficient, gaining not only the good-will and affection of the students generally, but also their highest re- spect. "With the Board of Trustees his course was characterized by kindness, affability, a high respect for their judgment and authority, and a manifest disposition to carry out faithfully the instructions which from time to time they thought proper to communicate. This rendered him popular with the Board of Trustees, while his character as a gentle- man, a Christian, and a minister was such as to en- title him to the high consideration of the public W ' OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 233 tion . our ecol- L our been pond- Lation rin of 3f the imette baving in tlie 11 from jr of it3 will be ' praise iide the liar and iffection rbest re- use was L respect manifest tractions >roper to with tlie a gentle- as to en- le public generally where he was known. Before entering upon his labors in connection with the Ohio Wes- ley an University, he returned to Oregon, disposed of his property, took leave of his friends, of whom he had many, and bade adieu to the scenes of his early toil on the Pacific shores, and returned to the East, where it is hoped that his labor will be vastly lighter, his usefulness more extended, and his eu v'lu- ments and honors much greater than any that he could have secured in the Western world. He now, 1.867, occupies the chair of theology in the Ohio Wesleyan University, having been connected with that institution since he left Oregon. On the 3d of August, 1860, the Board received in- formation through Hon. J. S. Smith that Professor T. M. Gatch, who had been teaching in Washington TeiTitory, and who was previously connected with a college in California, had, in answer to a proposition made to him some time before, indicated to him his willingness to be employed as a professor in the University, and consequently the Board proceeded at once to elect T. M. Gatch Professor of Ancient Languages and Moral Science. This was before word was received that Mr. Hoyt had severed his connection with the institution. So soon as this in- formation was given, at a special meeting of the Board held Sept. 26, 1860, it was resolved that Professor T. M. Gatch be constituted the acting president of the institution until a president shall be duly elected. Measures were taken also to hold correspondence with various persons on the subject ' n 234 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. m i> of the presidency, preparatory to an election at tlie next meeting. This was held October 3, 1860, and the correspondence reported that they had had the subject under careful consideration, and recommended the immediate election of a president. Whereupon the Board proceeded to ballot, and the Eev. Wm. J. Maclay was unanimously elected president of the Willamette University. The secretary of the Board, Kev. Wm. Eoberts, was instructed to inform Mr. Maclay of his election, which accordingly he did, and on Dec. 5, 1860, the Board was informed that Mr. Maclay declined to accept of the presidency of the institution. Immediately upon this, Professor T. M. Gatch was placed upon nomination, and having re- ceived the vote of every member present, twenty-two in all, he was declared duly elected president of the Willamette University. Mr. Hoyt, who had not left the country, was appointed a committee to wait on Mr. Gatch and inform him of his election, and ask him to signify his acceptance. Being assured that the election was unanimous, Mr. Gatch signified his acceptance, and Mr. Hoyt had the pleasure of placing one well qualified to fill it in the chair which he had vacated by a voluntary resignation. Various changes had occurred from year to year in the membership of the Board of Trustees, but it is not necessary to speak of these particularly. At the time, however, of the election of Mr. Gatch to the presidency of the institution the classes stood as follows: Tr 'f. W ' OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 236 t tlie , and i the siided mpon m. J. if the 5oard, a Mr. d, and Eit Mr, of the • T. M. ing re- ity-two , of the not left svait on uid ask -ed that liied hiB ' placing 1 he had to year but it is At the ih to the Btood as THUSTEES ELECTED IN 1858. "Wm. Eoberts, C. S. Kingsley, Thos. Cross, W. Ilanxhnrst, L. F. Grover, D. Leslie, Geo. Aber- netliy, Geo. H. Jones, J. S. Smith, John Ford, J. R. Moores, A. M. Bett, F. R. Smith. TRUSTEES ELECTED IN 1859. J. D. Boon, J. H. Wilber, J. Lamson, J. II. Moores, J. L. Parrish, T. H. Pearne, J. M. Garrison, A. W. Ferguson, H. K. Hines, H. Gordon, W. H. Odell, J. Watt, I. N. Gilbert, J. H. Nicklin, J. M. Harrison, A. C. Gibbs, A. S. Abernethy. TRUSTEES ELECTED IN I860. A. F. Waller, G. Hines, F. S. Iloyt, E. Strong, Jos. Holman, E. N. Cook, G. H. Williams, C. JST. Terry, E. N. Barnum, Charles Craft, Daniel Waldo. The officers of the Board elected at the previous annual meeting were as follows : David Leslie, president; John H. Moores, vice-president; Wm. Roberts, secretary; Geo. II. Jones, treasurer. L. F. Grover, C. N. Terry, A. F. Waller, J. II. Moores, J. S. Smith, F. S. Hoyt, and Gustavus Ilines, executive committee; J. R. Moors, C. N. Terry, and J. S. Smith, auditing committee. Sustained by this array of ability on the part of the Board, every member of which seemed to feel a deep interest for the advancement of the institution, Mr. Gatch applied himself to his responsible task '.''t / t;;, ! Ih h .1 I i' I 4 236 .OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. with great tact and energy, whicli seemed to extend into every department of the school, giving it, as it were, new life and vigor, and causing it to exhibit satisfactory evidences of real prosperity. " ' At a meeting of the Board held February 20, 1861, Mr. Gatch made a statement in regard to the school, in which it appeared that it was more full than ever known at any corresponding season of the year. Mr. Gatch himself, during the quarter, had taught twelve classes, and the necessity of assistance in the Board of Instruction was obvious, and measures were taken to procure such assistance. The Board of Instruction at this time consisted of the following persons : T. M. Gatch, L. S. Dyer, F. H. Grubbs, Mary Millar, Lucia A.N. Jordan. Dur- ing the year "William E. Barnard was added to the list of teachers, by an election to the chair of math- ematics, and also Mrs. J. G. Wilson was employed for one term. Mr. L. J. Powell was elected teacher in the school, November 20, 1861, to perform such duties as might be assigned him by the president, and being informed of his election, he at once came forward and entered upon his work. There were other teachers employed during this collegiate year, 80 that at the close in July, 1862, the following per- sons were found to have rendered service some por- tion of the year : T. M. Gatch, William E. Barnard, L. J. Powell, F. H. Grubbs, T. H. Crawford, Mary Millar, Lizzie Boise, L. Draper. By a vote of the Board, August 19, 1862, Mr. L. J. Powell \7as promoted ^r, the chair of mathematics, OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 237 heretofore occupied by W. E. Barnard, who liad re- signed his place, and J. A. B. Stinson was elected a teacher under the direction of the president. With these changes in the Board of Instruction, the first three years of Mr. Gatch's administration passed away harmoniously and prosperously ; but at a meeting of the Board, which was held at tlie chapel January 17, 1863, the president presented the following paper: "Kev. David Leslie, President op the Board of Trustees of Willamette University. "Dear Sir: I hereby resign the presidency of the Willamette University. Permit me through you to return my sincere thanks to the honorable Board of Trustees, for their hearty co-operation in every- thing that has pertained to the successful manage- ment of the school, and let me express the hope that the confidence reposed in me has not been entirely misplaced. With the assurance that I earnestly desire the prosperity of the university, I subscribe myself. Yours, respectfully, T. M. Gatch." The Board received this announcement with deep regret, and proceeded at once to pass the following preamble and resolutions : "Whereas President Gatch has tendered to this Board his resignation of the office of president ; and whereas his administration has been entirely successful, having the respect and confidence of the community, the affection of the students, and the , I il 238 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. %v unqualified approbation of the Board of Trustees ; therefore, " Resolved^ 1. That the Trustees liave received the cotnmunication of President Gatcli witli feelin<:58 of profound regret. That during his continuance in office he lias showed himself eminently fitted for the trust reposed in him at his election by the unanimous vote of this Board. . " 2. That it wo be very gratifying to the mem- bers of this Bo«,. ^ and in their judgment highly promotive of the best interests of the university, if ho would consent to withdraw his resignation, and con- tinue his past relation to the school. " 3. That if he cannot, consistently with his inter- ests or views of duty, consent to remain permanently at the head of the university, he be requested to continue to perform the duties of president thereof as long as he conveniently can, and, if possible, until the close of the collegiate year." A copy of the above resolutions was put into the hands of President Gatch, and resulted much to the gratification of all the friends of the institution, in his withdrawal of the act of resignation, and continuing the president of tlie school. Favored with the supervision of an excellent pres- ident, and a corps of teachers that were disposed to labor with him in perfect unison, the school pro- gressed satisfactorily to all concerned through the collegiate year, terminating July 14, 1863, with but little change in the personnel employed, save the addition of a few new names to the list of teachers. J .1 ■■ I \: OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 239 . In tliG third quarter of this year, May 20, 1863, the name of Lucy A. M. Lee, still a student in the school, first appears among the teachers for half time. Miss Samantha Cornell was also employed to enter the Primary Department at a future time. Mr. John W. Johnson was elected as a teacher, but never con- nected himself with the institution. The faculty at this date stood as follows : T. M. Gatch, president; L. J. Powell, professor; W. E. Barnard, academical department; Mary B. Mil- lar, preparatory and French ; LucY A. M. Lee, as- sistant ; Mrs. Belle Cook, primary department. At the close of the year, July 16, a slight change appears in the list of teachers, but no names that have not already been mentioned. Thomas H. Craw- ford is added to the list, and Samantha A. Cornell takes the place of Mrs. Belle Cook. The annual meeting of the Board, the twenty-first since the school was founded, and the thirteenth since it became a chartered university, was held in the chapel of the Institute, July 14, 1863. The oflicers of the Board elected for the ensuing year were: David Leslie, president; Chester N. Terry, secretary ; E. N. Cook, treasurer ; John H. MooRES, J. S. Smith, A. F. Waller, Thomas Cross, T. M. Gatch, Gustavus Hines, J. L. Parrish, ex- ecutive committee ; J. C. Peebles, Elisha Strong, J. R. RoBB, auditing committee. The faculty underwent a slight change, as will appear from the following action of the Board of Trustees : m. 1 :■. "l ,1 ..X U^ Ill' ;!• I 240 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. " Resolved^ That the Board of Instruction fur the ensuing year consist of the fol hawing persons, and that we agree to pav them the following rates of salary : T. M. Gatch, $1,200; Lucy A. M. Lee, $500; L. J, Powell, $1,000 ; Samantha A. Cornell, $500. And it was also ordered that the Exuiutive Committee be empowered to employ any additional teachers that might be needed. The Board of Trustees at this meeting, which was well attended, there being some twenty member? pres- ent, was very highly gratified and encouraged by the evidences of the growing prosperity of the institution which appeared before them. A number of the old trustees who witnessed the struggles of the school for existence in its earliest infancy, and had watched it with the most earnest solicitude at every step of its history, were present, and what they were now per- mitted to behold was to them exceedingly satisfactory and cheering. Previously to this, though there had many persons left the school who had received a thorough education in English science and literature, yet there had but two persons regularly graduated, after having entitled themselves I'o the honors of the institution by completing the whole course of study. The first graduate was Emily J. York, in 1850, who, having finished the course prescribed for young ladies, was constituted Mistress of English Literature. The second was Addie B. Looey, who received similar honors in 1862.* * Deceased. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 241 At the present meeting of tlie Board, however, the president of the university, T. M. Gatch, made a communication which showed that the harvest time of the institution had abeady come, when the labor- ers were to re - the fruits of their exertions. The communis ition was as follows : " To THE Honorable Board of Trustees of Willamette University. *' Gentlemen : The following young men Lave completed the full classical course of study in the university: Thomas H. Crawford, Francis H. Grubbs, and J. C. Grubbs, and the same are hereby recom- mended as entitled to the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and Latin diplomas certifying to their attainments. " Emily N. Belt, Margaretta Grubbs, Lucy A. M. Lee, Mary M'Ghee, Angeline Robb, and Nelly Stipp have completed the course prescribed for young ladies, and Colon T, Finlayson, Alva M'Wharter, and John B. Waldo have completed the English branches laid do '/n in the course, and it is recommended that a f uitable diploma be furnished each. " Respectfully submitted, T. M. Gatch, " President Willamette University. ^'July 14, 1863." The Board carried out the recommendation of the president, and the appropriate degrees were conferred upon this interesting class of twelve young persons, the legitimate fruits of our toils in sustaining the now rising institution. On the follovvlng day after this I li 242 OREGON AND ITS IIS STITUTIONS. action of the Board the large Methodist Episcopal Church in Salem, beautifully and appropriately dec- orated with festoons and mottoes of evergreens, and hung with the national banner, the red, white, and blue, was filled to its utmost capacity with the popu- lation of the town and visitors from the surrounding country to witness what was never seen before on the Pacific shores, but what is doubtless hereafter often to be witnessed — a large, respectable, and thoroughly educated class of young gentlemen and ladies pub- licly receiving the honors to which they had entitled themselves by their industry and perseverance, and then to take their affectionate leave of each other, of their long cherished friends and teachers, and of their young alma mater, and go forth to take upon themselves the responsibilities of life for which, by long years of faithful study and training, they had endeavored to qualify themselves. The orations of the young men, and the essays of the young ladies on this occasion were truly of an elevated character, and did great credit to their respective authors, reflecting much honor also upon the faculty of instruction. Indeed all present to witness these commencement exercises, the Board of Trustees, the patrons and spectators, were all impressed with the great importance and immense value of the institution which was now be- ginning fully to develop its capabilities of n Jtting the educational demands of the community, and thereby of becoming of incalculable benefit to the rising country. The Board of Instruction for the collegiate year OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 243 great lonor sed all ircises, tators, and ow be- jtting , and to the ;e year commencing September, 1863, was changed only by the addition, by the election by the trustees, of Francis H. Grubbs, to take charge of the Academical Depart- ment. The faculty stood as follows : T. M. Gatch, President of Faculty, and Teacher of Ancient Languages; L. J. Powell, Teacher of Mathematics and Natural Science ; Lucy A. Lee, Teacher of French and English Composition ; Fran- cis H. Grubbs, Academical Department ; Samantha A. Cornell, Primary Department ; Louisa Bray- man, Music Teacher. The Board of Teachers during this year assumed a little more permanency than formerly, there being wer changes called for on account of the transient character of the material tiaployed. This is in part accounted for from the fact that the school itself, through its thoronghlj trained graduates, was now providing for its own wa ts as well as those of the country at large This corps of teachers oper- ated in great harniuny, as a general rule, both in their teaching and in the discipline which they exer- cised over their respect! , departments. There was, however, during the • ard quarter of this year a mat- ter of discipline which it may be proper and useful to relacc. A meeting of the Board was called, at the instance of Mr. Gatch, to decide a case of discipline in relation to one of the students, concerning which there was a difference of opinion between him and Professor Powell. It appears that Professor Powell had dismissed a student from his department for some misdemeanor, and that President Gatch had received \ ■ 15 iff? V.tii 244 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. Lira back, so far as bis department was concerned, to recite Latin and Frencb, wbich were not taugbt in Professor Powell's department. Professor Powell tbouglit that tbe president ougbt not to have received bim back to tbose classes until be bad made tbe satis- faction required. Tbe matter elicited considerable discussion, and, as a result, a resolution was pre- sented wbicb embodied tbe views entertained by tbe Board : tbat we consider tbe discipline of Professor Powell in tbe case of tbe student in question to have been correct, and therefore should be sustained ; and tbat as neither be nor President Gatcb understood that bis dismission from Professor Powell's depart- ment was an expulsion from tbe school, tbat there- fore tbe act of President Gatcb in allowing the stu- dent to recite Latin and Frencb in other departments was also correct. Entertaining these views, the Board passed a resolution sustaining tbe course of President Gatcb. Mrs. C. A. Wilson, during the first part of this year, made arrangements for tbe accommodation in her commodious bouse of a number of young ladies both with rooms and board for tbe benefit of tbe school. This arrangement was advertised in the papers, and resulted in the collection of several young ladies at Mrs. Wilson's. To enable her to exercise a proper discipline and control over these young ladies she was, at Mr. Gatch's instance, at the close of tbe third quarter, appointed governess of the Ladies' Department of the university. The school moved on without anything occurring OKEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 245 of special interest in its internal character, except that it was cliaracterized by general prosperity, until the close of the collegiate year, when, at the annual meeting, held July 19, 1864, President Gatch pre- sented the following communication : f this don ill ladies of the 111 the several her to these at the of the " To THE Honorable Board of Trustees of Willamette University. " Gentlemen : Charles W. Parrish and Sylvester C. Simpson have completed the full classical course of the university ; Eliza A. Cross, Anna R. Robb, Clara A. Watt, and Pauline Whitson have com- pleted the course prescribed for young ladies. Jo- seph P. Jones has completed the English studies of the institution. As all these have passed satisfactory examinations, it is recommended that the degree of Bachelor Artium be conferred on Mr. Parrish and Mr. Simpson, and that suitable diplomas be granted to all herein mentioned. " Eespectfully submitted, T. M. Gatch, " Pres. of Faculty^ and Teacher of Anc. Lang. " L. J. Powell, " Teacher of Mathematics and Natural Science. " Lucy A. M. Lee, " Teacher of French and English Composition.^'' Diplomas were awarded to each of the persons recommended by the president, and on the day of public commencement they acquitted themselves in their orations and essays with equal honor with the class of the ]>revious year, and with corresponding 10 246 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. credit to the institution that had nurtured them. The Faculty of Instruction for the collegiate year commencing September, 1864, was the same as the previous year. Prosperity crowned the efforts of both the faculty and trustees during the year, and at its close, July 18, 1865, the Board were gratified to receive from the Faculty of Instruction the following communication: .... .. . . - " Gentlemen : Presley M. Denny and Parrish L. Willis have completed the full classical course of study, and are hereby recommended to the Board as qualified to receive the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Charles W. Kahlor has completed the English course, Janette M'Calley and Frances "Wilson have com- pleted the course prescribed for young ladies. All these, having passed satisfactory examinations, are recommended as entitled to the honors of gradu- ation." 'I' 111 Hi, Accordingly the Board conferred the degree of A. B. upon Presley M. Denny and Parrish L. Willis, and of B. S. upon Charles W. Kahlor, and of M. E. L. upon Janette M'Calley and Frances A. Wilson. At the annual meeting of the Board, which was held July 26, 1865, Mr. Gatch, after five years of most acceptable and efiicient service as president of the university, resigned his position, and as it was evident that he could not be prevailed upon to recall his act, as in the former instance, his resignation was accepted, with many thanks for the services which OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 247 lem. year } tlie ts of nd at ed to 3 wing ■isli L. irse of lard as f Arts. course, e com- 8. All ns, are gradu- gree of Willis, f M. E. ilson. jell was ^ears of ^ident of it was Ito recall Ition was ks wliicb he had rendered the institution, and regrets that we were losing the same. After Mr. Gatch had taken leave of the school, at a meeting of the Board, held August 25, 1865, a motion, presented by Rev. I. Dil- lon was carried, that L. J. Powell, F. H. Grubbs, and Lucy A. M. Grubbs constitute the Board of In- struction for the ensuing year, and that L. J. P'owell act as president until otherwise ordered. jiTrs. C. A. Wilson was continued also as governess. At the same time J. S. Smith, G. Hines, and A. F. Waller were appointed a committee to correspond in relation to procurin^^ a president for the university. Bishop Kingsley was present at this meeting of the Board, and by the committee of correspondence was respectfully requested to aid the Board and com- mitttee in procuring a suitable person to take charge of the institution as president. lie was then on his way to California. The academical year opened September 10 more promisingly than any preceding year, there being in the senior class nine young gentlemen and nine young ladies at the beginning of the year. The other departments were correspondingly full, and the faculty addressed themselves to their work with courage and unanimity. On the twentieth of September a special meeting of the Board was called, when a telegram from Bish- op Kingsley from California was read, recommending the election of Rev. J. H. Wythe, A. M., M. D., to the presidency of the institution. The secretary was instructed to write to Dr. Wythe, giving him in- (' h (0 a. ui > z "J lU h h 111 < J J ■ " i OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 261 CHAPTER XI. HISTORY OF THE NEW COLLEGE BUILDING. > h (i) OC 111 > z Ul H H Ul < J J For some years previous to 1860 the trustees and friends of the Institution generally had felt the need of a more commodious building for the accommoda- tion of the school. The old building had been con- structed with a view to its occupancy for other pur- poses than that of a college edifice, and though it answered a very good purpose for many years, yet the rooms were low and uncomfortable, and the building was becoming dilapidated, the roof being scarcely a protection from the storm, as the shingles in many places were worn literally through to the sheeting, and the whole building had become so weakened by age and decay that the winter winds would shake it from the cupola to the foundation. Besides this the old building was becoming too small for the school, the number of which varied from year to year from one hundred and seventy-five to three hundred and twenty students. The inability of the community to meet the expenses of such an under- taking restrained the Board for some time from making the attempt to erect a new college edifice ; but the increasingly dilapidated condition of the old building and the increase of students rendered it ab- solutely necessary for them either to build or abandon 'V: ! * V 262 OEEGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. r the wliole enterprise. The latter idea, however, did not belong to their vocabulary. A new and commo- dious building had become an absolute necessity for the interests and perpetuity of the institution, and as Providence had smiled upon our eflforts thus far, and conducted us safely through every trj'mg emer- gency, guiding ou~ bark at times in the midst of storms and breakers on every hand, we decided to venture out. upon another sea of uncertainty, so far as human view could determine results, not doubting but that the same good Providence that had sus- tained and prospered us thus far on our voyage would bring us safe to land. Consequently, influ- enced by these considerations, at a meeting, held October 3, 1860, the Board resolved to take imme- diate measures to prepare for the erection of a new college building, and the agent, Eev. A. F. "Waller, was instructed to raise subscriptions for that purpose. The necessities of the case prompted to this action of the Board at this time more than the prospect of immediate success. The action was found to be a little premature. Consequently two years passed and little progress was made, except that the subject of building during that time was thoroughly can- vassed by the agent and others, and the necessity for a new building became more and more apparent. Again, November 19, 1862, the question of a new college edifice was introduced before the Board by the secretary, Rev. William Roberts, and, on motion of J. L. Parrish, it was again resolved that the Board now proceed to take measures for the erection of a !■: OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 263 new college building some time during the ensuing year. Pursuant to this, for the purpose of setting the wheels in motion, a committee, consisting of J H. Moores, J. Lamson, G. llines, A. F. "Waller, and J. L. Parrish, was appointed to prepare and submit plans of college buildings to the Board at the next meeting. The committee thus appointed reported a number of plans at a meeting held December 2, 1862, and on motion of Gustavus Hines the Board instructed the agent to solicit subscriptions for, and appointed a committee to call a public meeting at the Methodist Episcopal church for the purpose of raising funds to aid in the erection of the building. The agent was further instructed to obtain subscriptions, to the amount of twenty thousand dollars or more, for this purpose, and the subscribers were made liable for their respective subscriptions when the amount of fifteen thousand dollars was subscribed, the money to be paid in gold or silver coin, or its equivalent. To bring the matter properly before the public the sub- stance of the above resolutions was published in the Oregon Statesman and the Pacific Christian Advocate. The agent. Rev. A. F. Waller, thus backed by the Board of Trustees, entered upon his work of soliciting subscriptions, but found it to be a slow and tedious process ; for, five months after com- mencing, at a meeting of the Board, held May 20, 1863, he reported that twelve thousand eight hun- dred dollars only had been subscribed. Such, how- ever, were the encouragements for an increase of J ■ : 1' 264 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. subscriptions that the Boa-d proceeded to appoint a building committee, consisting of J. H. Moores, A. F. Waller, and E. N. Cook, to which was added subse- quently the names of T. M. Gatch and G. Ilines. As yet no particular plan of building had been adopted by the Board, and a somewhat warm and lengthened discussion arose in the Board in regard to the kind of building which should be erected. Two , or three plans were adopted at different times, and subsequently set aside. Finally, at a meeting of the Board held February 22, 1864, a settlement of the plan was effected by a vote of sixteen to one, a num- ber of the members being absent, and the action was thought sufficiently harmonious to warrant the break- ing of ground for the foundation of the building. It had previously been decided to build of brick, and by examination it was found that the earth to be re- moved to make room for the basement, and for the foundation of the building, was as good a material for the manufacture of the brick as any that could be found; hence it was decided to make the brick upon the ground. The earth was broken the last part of the month of February, 1864, and a professional brick-maker was employed to superintend the manu- facture of five hundred thousand brick. Rev. A. F. Waller having the general oversight of the whole matter as agent of the Board. This plan succeeded to admiration, for in due time the workmen employed presented us with a most magnificent kiln of brick of the very first quality, which seemed waiting to be employed to elevate the walls of our college edifice. 14 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 205 int a A.F. iubse- iB. been a and ard to Two s, and of the of tlie I num- on was break- ng. It and by I be re- br the rial for ould be £ upon part of sional manu- A. F. whole cceeded tiployed 3f brick msa to be edifice. esi Stoiic of tlie most durable quality was procured to lay the foundation tl'reo feet high. This precaution was entered into to protect the brick from the damp- ness of the earth. While these things were moving forward Mr. "Waller was enlarging the subscription for the building, so that when the bricks were ready, and the stone-masons were laying the foundation, and the time approached to lay the corner-stone of our college, the snbscription amounted to about twenty- five thor and dollars. The corner-stone of the uni- ^■ersity was laid July 24, 1864, with somewhat im- posing ceremonies. Governor Gibbs delivered an address on the occasion, and a historical sketch of the institution was read before a very large assem- bly < if the citizens of Salem and vicinity by Gustavus Ilines. Rev. David Leslie, the venerable president of the Board of Trustees, performed the ceremony of laying the corner-stone, various other gentkmen as- sisting in the services. The historical sketch, Bible, Hymn Book, Methodist Discipline, and the names of many of the old pioneers, with various other docu- ments and trinkets, were deposited in an excavation in the corner-stone, according to the usnal custom in such cases, and then the blessing of Almighty God, without whose aid " The best concerted schemes are vain, And never can succeed," was devoutly invoked upon the enterprise by the Rev. William Roberts, that it might be carried for- ward to a triumphant and glorions success. And i' 266 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. I ' !li now the walls begin to assume shape and form, and gradually to rise from their foundation. At length the last brick is laid, the timbers are all adjusted to their places, the roof covers the beautiful superstruc- ture, the symmetrical dome crowns the pile, and the whole stands forth in its beauty and grandeur as a monument of the indomitable perseverance and energy of the few men who were the active members of the Board of Trustees, whose plans and policies and instructions were faithfully carried out by Kev. A. F. Waller, perhaps the most indefatigable agent with whom an institution of learning was ever favored. The plan of the building is that of a Greek cross, and was recommended to the agent by Bishop Janes when he last visited the Oregon Conference. The two parts of the cross are each eighty-four feet long and forty-four feet wide. These cross each other exactly in the center, so that the building presents about the same appearance from which ever side you take your observation. The height of the building from the base to the top of the dome is one hundred feet, and from the base to the eaves fifty feet. The basement story is twelve feet, the first story above is sixteen feet, the second twelve feet, and the third twelve feet. There are three entrances to the building, the main entrance into the chapel being in the end of the north wing, and the other entrances being in the east and west wings. These wings are mainly occupied by a broad and commodious winding stairway which lead to the school rooms above, so that the members ir ■ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 207 of the Bcbool on entering are not obliged to pass through the chapel. The chapel is very commodious, occu])ying the entire story of the cross above the basement, running north and south. That is, the chapel is forty-four by eighty-four feet, with the walls taken ont. It is nicely finished, with a broad platform at the south end, and finely and comfort- ably seated throughout. At each side there is a door which passes into the east and west wings to the stair- ways. One of these doors is designed for the ingress and egress of the ladies, and the other for the gentle- men of the school. The school rooms in the second and third stories are large and very neatly finished, and furnished with seats of the latest improvement. They are of sufficient capacity to accommodate about four hundred pupils. The house is judiciously arranged for the accommodation of the different departments, together with the literary societies, of which there are three connected with the institution. Until other arrangements can be made by the Med- ical Faculty, the Medical Department will occupy one room in the third story. The faculty and students of the institution had often, during the last year, been flattered with the idea that they would soon be able to remove froLi their uncomfortable quarters in the old building into the new building ; but up to this period (October 14,) the progress of the building toward complotion was so retarded by circumstances that the Board of Trustees seemed unable to control, thai the rooms remained in so unfinished a condition that no one of 'Ww^mfr'' ^■• I :i; 11 im if 268 OEEQON AND ITS INSTITUTIOXS. them could consistently be occupied. At tliis time, however, it was announced that on Monday, the 2l8t of October, the removal could be made. Accordingly, at 9 o'clock of the 21st day of October, 1867, the school was marched, by the acting president, to the sound of martial music, from the old house to the new, where some of the members of the Board of Trustees, and friends of the institution, were as- sembled to receive them. There was no formal dedication of the house, as is usual on such occasions ; but the venerable president of the Board of Trustees, Rev. David Leslie, by an appropriate address to the faculty and students, opened so much of the house as had been finished for their occupancy, and, with other members of the Board present, gave the school a most cordial and hearty welcome and greeting to the neat and commodious halls of the new college edifice. The financial condition of the building which we have thus described, according to a close estimate, is as follows : Cost of the building thus far $40,000 Subscriptions collected " 30,000 Subscriptions on Land " 8,000 Liabilities " 10,000 Finishing the building will cost 1,000 Besides this, we need to furnish the building with additional apparatus, a library, a good piano, warm- ing apparatus, and other things necessary, say ten tliousand dollars. This showing, and the figures are very moderate. I OREGON AXD ITS INSTITUTIONS. 269 ,000 ,000 ,000 ,1)00 ,000 ig with warin- iay ten 1(1 crate, presents the fact that the university needs for pres- ent use to set it fully in working order twenty thou- sand dollars. The question here arises, How is this twenty thou- sand dollars to be obtained ? The peopla of the city of Salem, and the community generally wliere the institution is located, have contributed already to the extent of their ability. The lands that have been donated with a view to the permanent endowment of the institution cannot be used for building purposes, neither would it be wise to so use tliem, even if the Board had the right to do it. The Board indulged the hope tliat consider- able material aid might be afforded them from the Centenary collections within the bounds of the Oregon Conference; but the territory embraced within the limits of the conference was new and thinly settled, and each community had its own Church and educational interests to promote, and, consequently, most of the offerings made were designed to promote interests of a local character, and hence the assist- ance from this quarter will be very limited. Sometimes the Board has looked with hope toward the East, when they have heard of the millions of money that have been placed as Centenarj' offerings upon the altar of the Church, and have wondero.d whether, in the general distribution of Centenary gifts, a struggling, feeble people on the Pacific coast might not be remembered. We have also thought of those wealthy members of the Church who are nhvavs readv to everv good work, and liave most 270 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ardently desired an opportunity to set clearly before tliem our necessities, believing tbat if we could do so they would extend their generosity even to us. If it be the object of wealthy men in the bestowment of money to do good, surely there never was a better opportunity than to relieve the Willamette Univer- sity in its present needs, and place it upon a proper basiSj by bestowing; '^ on it a suitable endowment, ® OREUON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 271 CHAPTER XII. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS CONNECTED WITH OUR HISTORY. In a previous cliapter we have spoken of tlie estab- lishment of a Medical Department in connection with the Willamette University; but as a few changes have occurred in that department since its first organ- ization, it will be proper to refer to it again. The first session opened, in the spring of 1867, with twenty students in attendance, a very encouraging number for so young an institution. We have already stated that three of the students received the honors of the institution. The second session was to open on the fifth of November, with the prospect of an increase of one third in the number of students in attendance. The announcement for the session of 1867-8, sets forth the following as the Medical Faculty for the present year: , DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY. J. H. Wythe, A. M., M. D., President. MEDICAL FACULTY. H. Carpenter, M. D., professor of Civil and Military Surgery; E. R. FiSKE, A.M., M. D., professor of Pathology and Practice of Medicine; J. Boswell, i»SII«t^|',W«iLP >laced ourselves, at ten o'clock on Monday, the 24th, we pit out with our light canoo into the dashing current of the Umpqua. We ran a number of narrow t^hoots where the current was at least twelve knots an hour, and in some instances shot past the rocks which projected into the stream with the velocity of an arrow ; but our Indians, of whom there were seven, showed themselves to be ia their proper element by the astonishing dexterity with which they ran the dangerous rapids with which the river abounds. Fifteen miles below the fort the river rushes over a ledge of rocks in a number of narrow channels, and falling about twenty-five feet in so many rods, forms a fine salmon fishery. Here we found, crowded into four small lodges, about one hundred Indians, exceedingly squalid in their appear- ance, and subsisting entirely on fish. We remained here but a few moments, and, passing on, nine of them, five men and four women, jumped into a large canoe for the purpose of accompanying us down the river. Having thus increased our company more than half we proceeded on our voyage, contemplating the barbarous appearance of both animate and inanimate nature around us until the gathering shadows re- minded us that night approached, and running om* canoes in along the right hand shore, we at length I' I; 1) If |t.!i' « 306 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. : 11' .r ■ I'f^ found a place suflficiently broad from the river to the base of the mountain to admit of our encamping, and here we pitched our tent for the night. Our Indians soon struck up two good fires, one for themselves, and one for us. Mr. Lee and myself prepared our supper, our female friend providing ua with a choice piece of salmon, which she had broiled, and which, with bread, butter, and tea, constituted our humble repast. Never did we partake of a sup- per with a better relish. While we were enjoying it, our newly-made neo- phytes prepared supper for themselves, and it was not a little interesting, to one who was not familiar with such scenes, to see them prepare their food. Their supper consisted of fresh salmon and a species of hazel-nut, which is found in the country in great abundance. Having made a suitable fire, they com- menced the operation of cooking their salmon. This was performed in the following manner. They all provided themselves with sticks about three feet long, pointed at one end and split at the other. They then apportioned the salmon, each one receiv- ing a large piece, and filling it with splinters to pre- vent its falling to pieces when cooking, placed it with great care into the forked end of the stick, and fastened the forks together with a small withe. Then placing themselves around the fire so as to describe a circle, they stuck the pointed end of the sticks into the ground a short distance from the fire, inclining the top toward the flames so as to bring the salmon in contact with the heat, thus forming a kind of 1 V. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. ^07 pyramid of salmon over the whole fire. One side being cooked the other was turned to the heat, and speedily the whole was prepared for eating. Stones were then provided for the purpose of cracking nuts, and all being seated on the ground the eating process commenced. The extreme novelty of their appear- ance, the nut cracking, the general merriment, the apparent jokes, ready repartees, and bursts of laugh- ter were sufficient to have excited the risibilities of even a Romish priest, however phlegmatic. And certainly a more jovial set of fellows than these sons of nature I have never seen. They were as untamed as the elk they chase over their mountains, but they feasted upon their fish and nuts with as much of a zest, and with as much seeming satisfaction to them- selves, as the most fashionable and refined party that ever graced the gay saloon ever enjoyed while re- galing themselves with the most costly viands. Sup- per being over, we called the attention of the Indians while we engaged in our evening devotions. I sang a hymn, and then we both engaged in prayer, the Indians all kneeling with us, and evidently manifest- ing a peculiar interest in what was passing before them. And thought I, Why should they not feel interested ? Never before had the death-like silence which reigned along this valley been broken by the voice of prayer and praise. The somber shades of moral darkness, which had ever cast a melancholy gloom upon the people, had never before been pene- trated by the rays of Gospel light. The heralds of mercy, who bring glad tidings of good things to those fc:. -.v Hi, »!■ Fit. it |i': I: I -•ff^!Bm!yijK\' 308 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. iJ wlio wander upon the dark mountains, had never before set their feet upon these hostile shores. After prayer Mr. Lee addressed the Indians through our interpreter in relation to the objects of our visit, and they listened as to a story calculated to excite the utmost wonder, but expressed great satisfaction at what they had heard. At ten o'clock we lay down upon our bed of blankets in quietness, slept in peace, arose in the morning in safety, and breaking our fast on bread and salmon, proceeded on our way along the widening Umpqua toward the great Pacific, and at noon arrived among the Indians at the mouth of the river. We found the Indians living in three small vil- lages, the larger being on the south, and the other two on the north side of the river. Tlie whole num- ber, including some that were absent, as near as we could ascertain, amounted to about three hundred men, women, and children. About one third of the tribe had gone into the mountains for tlie purpose of gathering berries. It was thought best by our guar- dian and adviser to pitch our tent some half a mile distant from the larger village, on the south side of the river, near which, she told us, the chiefs and their people would meet us to hold a talk. Though the news of our arrival quickly flew to all the lodgei}, none of the people came near us until we sent them a message that we had come and desired to see them at our tent. Complying with om* invita- tion, three chiefs and fifty-five of their people, mostly men, came out to see us. Seating themselves in tho HHI OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 309 and Band in the form of a crescent in front of our tent, the chiefs very ceremoniously informed us through our interpreter that " they were ready to liear what we had to say." Mr. Lee then addressed them on the objects of our visit. He tokl them whence we came; how long it took us to perform our voyage from our native land to their country ; that we had many friends at home who dcaired us not to leave them ; that a sense of duty had brought us to their country to tell them about Jesus Christ; that in coming to them we had been exposed to a thousand dangers, but had been preserved in the midst of them all by the " Great Chief above ;" that we had heard much about them and the Indians generally in the country, and that we were glad now to be per- mitted to see them for ourselves, and become ac- quainted with them. He then inquired of them whether they approved of our visit, and whether they desired to be instructed ? After a few moments' consultation among them- selves, the chiefs, one after another, arose, and ad- vancing to within six feet of Mr. Lee, addressed him in substance as follows, there being but little differ- ence in their speeches: "Great Chief, we are very much pleased with our lands. "VVe love this world. We wish to live a great while. We very much desire to become old men before we die. It is true we liave killed many people, but we have never killed any but bad people. Many lies have been told about us. We have been called a bad people, and we are glad that you have come to see us for yourselves. We If U l\ 1^ 310 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. '^m 3,i( il" HjH J^ ^ f^ 1^1 at 9 m ''fl p ^1 ^ 1 ;.^i iMM !l ■ have seen some white people before, but they came to get our beaver. None ever came before to instruct us. We are glad to see you ; we want to learn ; we wish to throw away all our bad things and be- come good." They spoke very loud, and tlieir ges- tures v;ere remarkably violent. Sometimes in the course of their speeclies they would rise upon tiptoe, with both hands stretched high above their heads, and then throw themselves forward until their faces al- most touched the ground. After they concluded their speeches they returned to their places in the sand, and told us that they would then hear us more particularly on the subject of our mission. At the request of Mr. Lee, who was no singer him- self, I stepped out into an open space and struck into Heber's Missionary Hymn, "From Greenland's icy mountains," etc., and while singing the first verse the Indians all seated themselves on the sand, forming three fourths of a circle around us, and then with the most fixed attention listened to the remaining part of the hymn. We then both engaged in prayer, all the Indians kneeling with us, and invoked upon our enterprise the blessing of Almighty God. Though our congre- gation was totally ignorant of the true nature of wor- ship, yet the scene to us was deeply affecting. Never before had they thus bowed ; never before had they heard the voice of prayer. We then preached to them the Gospel as well as we could through the jargon of the country, giving them an account of tho -ffj OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 311 creation of the world, the fall of man, the advent, Bufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, and inter- cession of Christ to save mankind from sin, death, and hell, all of which was interpreted to her people by our female friend. We cherished the fond belief that, for the first time in their history, a few rays from the Sun of Righteousness had pierced the gloom of the long and dismal night which had hung around them. The chiefs expressed their approbation of what they had heard, saying " it was all very good," and that " they had never heard such things before." They then all dispersed and went to their lodges, and Mr. Lee and myself prepared and took our supper of salmon and bread, the last of which our wives had prepared for us ten days before. After the shades of the evening had gathered around us, the Indians all returned to our tent, for the purpose, as they told us, of " hearing us talk to God" previous to our lying down for the night. They collected wood and built a large fire, and then seated themselves around it. I then sang another hymn, after which we again en- gaged in prayer. As they still lingered around, Mr. Lee gave them another lesson from the word of the Lord, after which they reluctantly scattered away to their wigwams, leaving us to repose ourselves on our bed of blankets spread upon the sand. Mr. Lee having been accustomed to such experi- ence slept soundly during the night ; but the strange scenes of the preceding day, the circumstances at- tending the night, and the remembrance that we were lying at the mercy of those who had proved 20 i t-i. if 312 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 1'', (, M M IS themselves among the most treacherous of savages, produced such an effect upon my nerves as to destroy- all inclination to close my eyes. From hearing noises outside, I frequently drew aside the tent cloth and cast a look around, and in every instance ob- served that our protectress and her brother and an- other Indian, who had lived among the whites but had returned to his people, were keeping up a large fire in front of our tent, which threw its light back into the dense forest which lay in our rear. Sometimes they were in earnest conversation ; then they would pile on the dry sticks until the flames would ascend to the height of ten feet, and enabled them to dis- tinguish every object within a circle of twenty rods. This they continued during the whole night, neither of them for a moment attempting to sleep. That night of anxiety wore away and the morning dawned, and none of the Indians, to our knowledge, had shown any disposition to molest us during the night. After our breakfast was over, they all collected again, and seating themselves on the sand, expressed a wish once more to witness our devotions before parting with us. Accordingly we again offered up our fervent prayers to the Desire of nations in their behalf. After prayers we addressed to them a few parting words, and were preparing to leave tliem, when one of tlie chiefs, standing on his knees, began to speak. He said he was very glad that we had come to see them ; that their hearts toward ua were like our hearts toward them ; that he wanted us to continue with them anotJier day, and tell them ^ OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 313 more about God ; that tliey had heard about us, and had been told we were a bad people ; that they were glad to Bee us for themselves, and were convinced that what they had heard was a lie ; that they now believed us to be a good people, and that they meant to be good also. When they were informed that probably the next summer one of us would come and visit them again they were exceedingly well pleased, and said, " It is very good, we will be glad to see you." Having fully satisfied ourselves with regard to the number, disposition, and accessibility of the Indians in this solitary region, we told the chiefs that we must go, and the people all came out to witness our departure. Distributing among them a few presents, on Wednesday morning at nine o'clock, driven forward by the strokes of the Indian paddle, we were rounding a high bluff situated on the south side of the mouth of Umpqua River, and forming one side of a small bay in the bosom of which the Indian village we had just left v/as situated, and which was fast disappearing behind the point of the projecting cliff. Crossing tlie mouth of the river, which is about one mile wide, we stopped a few monicnts on the north side to lay in a little provision, and give ourselves an o]>])ortunity to take some observations of the surroundinc; countrv. Contemi)lating the probable period when the barbarism of botli animate and inanimate nature along this river shall give place to civilization and Christianity, we turned our backs upon the great 314 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. in it I I Pacific, and by the combined assistance of the Indian paddle and the flood tide passed rapidly up the river, and at nightfall encamped again at the salmon fishery. We here ascertained that the Indians at the falls are not of the same tribe of those on the coast, though they speak a similar language. Spreading our blankets down upon the rocks, we slept without molestation though surrounded by treacherous savages. The next day we started at an early hour, and though we had but fifteen miles to travel, yet on account of the numerous strong rapids we had to ascend, and the portages we had to make, we were till sunset in reaching the fort. We were again welcomed by the Frenchman, and refreshed with a supper of bread made of the flour of wheat pounded in a mortar, and roasted elk beef. During the evening Mr. Gonea came to us very much excited, and congratulated us on the safe guardian- ship his wife had exercised over us in our absence. He told us that in all probability we should have been robbed of all that we had, if we had not lost our lives, had it not been for the faithfulness of his wife and her brother. He said that one of the chiefs of the clan we had visited was at the fort on our first arrival, and saw us as we came in. Learn- ing that we designed to visit his people on the coast, and excited with the utmost fear, he hastened down the river and reported many evil things about us, intending thereby to instigate the Indians to prevent our going among them. Mr. Lee had brought with him a fowling piece, and had in his possession a tsh I ^P" vre by OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 315 patent sliot-pouch. This was the thing that had alarmed the chief. One story he told was that we had brought medicine in a bag that Mr. Lee wore on his neck for the purpose of killing them all off, and that if we were permitted to come among them the fatal bag would be opened and they would all be destroyed. This story exasperated many of tliem, especially the younger men of the tribe, and Gonea's wife told him that we were in the greatest danger the night we slept on the coast. She said that the Indians were lurking about us during that whole night, seeking an opportunity to attack when it was dark around our tent ; but that she and her brother kept a constant watch over us until morning. This explained to me the exciting circumstances of that anxious night already described. The young men of the tribe had resolved to attack us in the night, and but for the wise precaution of our protectress in first erecting our tent in an open space midway between the ocean and the forest, and second, in kee])ing up a bright lire during the whole night and watching over us, we doubtless had fallen victims to savage barbarity, and our mission there would have ended, and this story had never been told. But be this as it mav, at the time we were not sensible that we were particularly exposed, and, indeed, we felt ourselves safe under the protection of our heavenly Father. On Friday morning we prepared to continue our exploring tour further into the interior and up the valley of the llmpqua liiver. Through the kind 316 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. m- h tu, 1.=' ' m '• '^! J!! ( • ill 5« 1 I its-'' i' y', 1 !i '\',i i^ .( assistance of Mr. Gonea we procured an Indian guide of the Uinpqna tribe, whom the French had designated by the name of ""We We," who well understood the jargon of the country and could ofHciate as our interpreter. The forenoon was spent mostly in finding our horses and preparing our pack. All being ready, between twelve and one o'clock we moved up the river, our guide in advance, and pass- ing over a number of high hills and fording the Umpqua three times where the bottom was very rocky and the water was up to our horses' backs, we camped at night on the bank of a small rivulet and under the shelter of a grove of fir. "We had traveled twenty miles. Saturday, 29, continued our toilsome way over mountains and through valleys, and at noon arrived at the head-quarters of that portion of the Indians of this valley distinguished by the name of the river. Here the head chief of the Umpquas had fixed a temporary abode, and here one of those circum- stances had recently transpired which, though of com- mon occurrence in heathen countries, where the vicious propensities of human nature are permitted to revel uncontrolled, are sufiicient to freeze the heart's blood even to contemplate at a distance. A report had readied the ears of the chief of the Umpquas that his wife had been guilty of infidelity toward her husband. This so enraged him that, without knowing whether the report was true or false, he seized his musket and went directly to the lodge where his wife was sitting and deliberately shot her through the heart. OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 31Y Soon after our arrival on the side of the river opposite to the village, this chief with the few intMi that were with him came over to see us. lie made us a long speech, which was interpreted to us by We We, in making which one of his first objects seemed to be to justify the murder of his wife, and then to express his gratitude that Christian teachers had come among them. While he was haranguing us, my attention was caught away from his speech by a terrible burst of heathen passions which took place on the other side of the river among the lodges. In the absence of the men the women had a regular fight, scratching and biting each other, and tearing one another's hair, and squalling most frightfully. So tremendous was the explosion that even the chief paused in the midst of his address and significantly remarked, " Our women are Idas masicha (very bad.) " Such were the indications here that we came to the conclusion that the sooner we were out of the place the better it would be for us, and so soon as we had taken a little refreshment from our scanty stores, we told our guide that we were ready to pro- ceed ; but he positively refused to go any fm-ther that day, saying that it would be using his people very ill, and that the chief would be very angry with us if we did not stop and sleep with them one night. The contention became quite warm, and we began to consider ourselves in rather critical circumstances. If abandoned by our guide it was extremely doubtful, as we had traveled much of the distance without 318 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. i the sign of a trail, whether we could lind our way- back to the fort, or forward to the valley wo were Boeking. But with all these difficulties wo showed that wo were fixed in our resolutions to leave this suspicious horde of savages before darkness should favor Ihein in the execution of any treacherous designs which they might entertain toward us. Discovering that we were ready to mount our horses, "W e We became more pliable, and said that he would proceed with us on condition that Ave would pay him an extra shirt, having at first given him one shirt and a pair of pantaloons, Mr. Lee told him that he would give him no more, but to get rid of the difficulty I told "We We that if he would go I would give him the additional shirt so soon as we should reach the California trail leading through the great valley. Turning, to his people he addressed them a few words in the Umpqua language, and then told us he was i-eady to go. Accordingly we left this group of wretched beings about three o'clock P. M., and galloped swiftly over a little plain toward a high mountain. Three hours of hard labor in ascending and descending brought us to the foot of the mountain on the opposite side, and passing through a dense thicket we found ourselves again on the bank of the river. We We brought out a well- known Indian " whoop," and was answered by another Indian just below us on the river. Im- mediately four Indians came in sight with a canoe, and We Wc told us we had better unpack our OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 319 liorses, and put all our things in tlio canoe to bo taken up the river a few miles beyond a place where the pass by the way of the trail w.as vei'y rocky, narrow, and dangerous. But the strange conduct of the Indians we had just left had excited our suspicions, and supposing that those in the canoe were some of the same party whom We We had perhaps caused to come up the river I'or no good purpose, we resolved to keep what we had under our own eye as long as we could. We therefore told the guide that we should keep our things on our horses' backs. We We hung his head, and told us we would be sorry for it before we got through. We proceeded, but found it as We We had fore- warned us. Our trail lay along a frightful precipice which towered far above us, and extended far below us, and in some places was so narrow and broken that a misstep would have precipitated us headlong on the rocks below, or into the rushing waters of the Umpqua. In one instance my own horse, which I hap- pened to be leading at the time instead of riding, fell fifteen feet down the rocks, but catching upon a kind of shelf on the side of the precipice, at length succeeded in gaining the trail without receiving much injury. But we were not destined to make tlie pass without receiving a proof that the caution of We We was well founded. We were attempting to pass the last dangerous point when " Old Pomp," our pack-horse, lost his footing, and rolling down a rocky steep of some thirty feet, went backward into the Umpqua 320 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTTONS. i.'i.; River. We liad fastened around his neck a lasso some forty feet long, and tlie loose end of the lasso remaining on shore, we succeeded, by drawing it around a tree, in raising and keeping the head of the animal above the water until We We had relieved him of his pack. While We We dashed in among the rocks, where the water was up to his neck, and was exerting himself to his utmost to relieve the horse of his burden and save him from drow 'ling, he taunt- ingly told us that we might have saved ourselves that difficulty if we had truste:> they, yet we could not but contemplate the time --x., not far distant when it would he teeming with all the activities and associ^itions o.'' «• civilized and Christian pco])le. The Indians inhabiting the Umpqua Valley from W OllEGOX AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 323 ire the Pacific Ocean one linndred miles into the interior were very few. All that we could find, or get any satisfactory evidence as then in existence, did not ex- ceed three hundred and seventy-five souls. These lived in several different clans, were hostile to each other, and spoke two distinct languages. They were favorable toward the establisliment of a mission in their country, but seemed to think that the greatest benefit it would confer upon them would be to enable them to sell their beaver and deer skins for a higher price. The most of them, residing as they did on the coast, were almost inaccessible, and the estab- lishment and support of a mission among them would have been attended with immense expense. The best information we could obtain from the Indians and others, led us to the conclusion that the time doubtless had been when the Indians of the valley had been vastly more numerous, but by disease and family wars their numbers had been greatly reduced, and were still rapidly diminishing. Under the solemn impression that the doom of extinction was suspended over this wretched race, and that the hand of Providence was removing it to give place to a people more worthy of this beautiful and fertile country, we committed ourselves to quietness and repose for the night. Having fulfilled his engagement in bringing us to this point, our guide took leave of us and returned to his people ; and on Monday morning, September 1, having the California trail as our guide, we quickened our pace northwardly, and at noon stopped for din- 324 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 'S'X ner on Elk Eiver, at tlie place where, on going out, we left the trail. In the afternoon we again passed over the Callapooia Mountains, and found that the fire was still raging with increased violence. A vast quantity of the large fir and cedar timber had been burned down, and in some places the trail was so blockaded with fallen trees that it was almost impos- sible to proceed ; while now and then we passed a giant cedar or mammoth fir, through whose trunks the fire had made a passage, and was still flaming like an oven. Every few moments these majestic spars would come crashing, crackling, and thunder- ing to the ground. But while the fire was thus robbing the mountain of its glory, we pushed on over its desolated ridges, and at sundown arrived on a little prairie at its northern base, where we made our camp ; but we were often awakened during the night by the crash of falling timber. Tuesday, 2, proceeded, and at noon arrived in the southern part of the Willamette Yalley, where, ac- cording to engagement, we met the Callapooia chief. He had collected about sixty of his people, and said he had about forty more. We remained with them four hours, and, as best we could, preached to them " the unsearchable riches of Christ." Many of tliem were sick, and they appeared wretched beyond de- scription. Our bowels of compassion yearned over them, but it was not in our power to help them. Commending them to God, at four P. M. we pur- sued our way, but finding no water, we did not camp OREGOX AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. 325 till eleven o'clock at night. Tliongli it was very dark, our Spanish horses kept the narrow trail wind- ing along down the valley, while ever and anon the stillness of the evening would be broken by the dis- mal howling of the wolves that prowled around us. Finding no water yet, fearing that our horses would fail, we stripped them on the open prairie, and turned them loose to shirk for themselves, and lay ourselves down upon our blankets without supper, and with our lips parched with thirst. Next morning, how- ever, like Hagar in the desert, we found ourselves within a short distance of good water. Here 1 roasted a small duck for our breakfast, which the Callapooia chief had given us, and which we ate with neither bread nor sauce ; but a cup of coffee, that sine qua nan for prairie traveling, washed it down, and on the strength of it we traveled forty miles during the day over a country of surpassing loveliness. Surely, thought I, infinite skill has here been employed in fitting up a country which requires nothing more than a population under the influence of the religion of Christ to render it a perfect para- dise. The last night we encamped within fifteen miles of our families and friends, and, picking the bones of our duck, which we had the precaution to carry with us, we rested upon our blankets until morning. Thursday, the 4th, weary and hungry, about two o'clock P. M. we reached our home in safety, but found that our families in our absence had been in- vaded by disease ; but having been constantly in a ■Hi ■H 326 OREGON AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. m J- u I'll ¥A-^- ; i healthy exercise ourselves we returned in the enjoy- ment of excellent health, and the temporary weakness resulting from excessive labor and the want of food for the previous three days was soon remedied by an ap- propriation of " nature's sweet restorer " and the ample viands spread before us by our companions. Twenty-eight years have passed since this, to me, memorable tonr of observation was performed. The country then, from Salem to Mexico, the distance of seven hundred miles, so far as civilized humanity was concerned, was one vast solitude, now the whole extent is occupied by Anglo-Saxons, and everywhere appear the signs of an advancing civilization and Christianity. The same country which twenty-eight years ago was so desolate and dreary, for four years past has constituted a presiding elder's district, where the writer has been preaching the Gospel to thou- sands upon thousands in every part of the land. Let it never be forgotten that the missionary of the cross was not only the pioneer, but the instrument of es- tablishing a Christian civilization on the shores of the great Pacific. Surely the wilderness and the solitary places have been made glad for them, and the desert has rejoiced and blossomed as the rose. THE END. iiPfMIIVPWW^PpppHipiipiM