| Show r Dr OJ John n J r tine the uW J By ELMO SCOTT WATSON newspapers In many parts part of the United States Slates printed this story I CITY ORE ORF Naturalize lion papers of Dr John Father of ot Oregon have hue been discovered I ered In the vaults of the county recorders recorder's re- re corders cordere office here Doctor McLoughlin factor of ot the J British Hudson Hay Day Fur company befriended be bOo k American settlers In Oregon 1 In the early days day When the fur post was discontinued after atler Oregon W was l I ceded cedel to the United States Doctor 1 rk r McLoughlin remained and nd took a farm tarm The I naturalization papers were Issued by the Second 1 District District court of Oregon Territory September 5 k r 1851 I c f i Back of that brief news Item lies III's one of the most romantic and significant and significant and at the lameW same lame 1 W time one of ot the most tragic tragic stories stories In American t history For Jor this Dr John JollO McLoughlin was more than Just a factor of ot the British Hudson Hay Ual 7 than the Father I Fur company yes company yes even more 5 I sot of ot Oregon There was a time when he was t known far tar and wide as the Emperor of the I West a wilderness king whose word was ab absolute o- o J lute law over square miles an empire that extended all along the Pacific c coast from It California to Alaska and as 81 far tar east cast as the Great Salt lake In Utah There was a time when beheld he be heYo Yo held beld an Influence over the Indians ll such luch as no t white white man had since the days of Sir William 0 t t Johnsons Johnson's dominance over the Iroquois on the theother A i other side Ilde of the continent There was WOl a time alma when he by bl speaking a n few tew words could have hue embroiled the United States J and Great Britain In a third war and If that had bad f happened happen It is doubtful If the Pacific Northwest r. r i would now be under the American flag flar But Dut he 7 I. I refrained from speaking those words and by bl refraining re re- reY r. r 1 Y framing BOY saved Id I'd the lives of hundreds of American Ameri Amen 1 can cn settlers lettler and probably thousands of American rw 1 and nd British soldiers and sailors lallor W fj ms ta it Thus Thu the romance and the historical significance lignin k ic s s c cance ranee oe In the life story of Dr John McLoughlin As AI i for the tragedy It was the tragedy of a aking ai king who lost his hi kingdom and of a real man without a country countr a more pitiful figure than the fictitious hero of Edward Everett Hales Hale's fa- fa moua book Such Is U the story In part back of the dl disco discovery cov ery cry after more than three-quarters three of a century of ot the document which made John McLoughlin I an American citizen But ut even eyen though he was no ao longera man without a country that docu docu- document ment meat could not save lave him from going to his grave grue six Iz years later a hearted broken old man the victim of the selfishness lIell and the basest basest tude on the part of those who had best reason to tobe tor r- r be grateful to him the him the American settlers be had bad befriended I The complete story Is told In a new biography appeared ae a It which by bl an Interesting coincidence e short tI time after the dl discovery covery of the Un Ila naturalization papers In the vault In Oregon City This biography Is II The Headed White Eaglet Eagle I John Jahn McLoughlin Builder of an Empire written by Richard G. G Montgomery of Portland Ore and aDlI published by the Macmillan company of New York Much uch has hal been written about Mc Me- McLoughlin Loughlin the list of authorities occupies five the full tull pages at the end of this biography but Mr l Montgomery's book Is II one of the most authoritative authoritative and most Interesting word portraits of McLoughlin that has yet appeared was born at Riviere du Loup Ioup some miles below Quebec on the St. St Lawrence In 1784 1184 Ills father tather was an Irishman his mother a Fraser In whom French blood was wal mixed with the Scotch As a boy he was serious minded and very verr religious with none of the dashing reck reek that characterized the men engaged Inthe inthe In ln the business In which he was to become famous the the fur trade Due to the tho Influence ence of ot one of his hll uncles Dr Simon Fraser It appeared certain that young Joung John would become a doctor and nd atthe at atthe atthe the age of sixteen he be began studying medicine Although he practiced for tor a white while In tn Montreal It noon soon became apparent that a professional ca career reer teen In a well settled well settled community held no fascination tion for tor him The lads lad's gray eyes eyel were focused on West there the West there was no hankering for city s y life Ufe In his hi nature That was wal largely due to another nother uncle uncle uncle Alexander Fraser who had hall become beI become be be- I come prominent In the affairs of ot the North West company which had been organized In 1 the year ear young John was born to compete with the Hudsons Hudson's Bay Day company for tor the rich prize of the fur trade throughout Canada Through Uncle Alexanders Alexander's In Influence the young doctor received an n appointment as ae resident physician In the North West company and In tn the winter of 1503 OI proceeded to Fort William the company's chief depot and n factory on Lake This his a marked k the l-the-bI the beginning n Of of that that amazing career which resulted In Mclaughlin's Mclaughlins becoming e the Emperor of the West From being a medical medi medi- medical cal officer he soon loon progressed to 10 the position of chief trader In 1820 1320 wh when n the bitter rivalry between the h Hudson's Hudsons Bay Dar com company pan and the North ended In a truce young Joung Mclaughlin McLoughlin lin went to London as AI a North West representative to drive the bargain which consolidated the two companies He lIe then became a Hudsons Hudson's l Bay Dal man Dlan and continued as 81 such through the remainder of his active life For Irol a time he be served as 81 chief factor at Fort Francis on the Lake of the Then Gov George Simpson head bead of the II B. B C C. recognising lag ing the great ability of the young doctor made him assistant to Chief Factor Alexander Kennedy Ien Ken nedy on the Iver Nver with the Idea of or his eventually 11 l Kennedy enned there This was all U a part of ot the bold scheme which Simpson badIn hadIn had bad In la mind F The American John Jacob Astor Altor had bad failed fa In his bis attempt to to found nd a fur tur empire In the Pacific c Northwest and and his bli post Astoria at the x mouth of the Columbia had bad fallen Into the hands bands of ot the North West Welt company tint first and nd then tho the Hudson's Hudsons 11 Bay company The Oregon country was wa held herd jointly by br Great Britain and nd the United States but Simpson planned to win this vast region with Its wealth Ith of furs for England but butmore butmore more particularly t to bring all 1 the territory west welt of ot the Rocky mountains within a single Hudsons Hudson's t Bay Bar company Jurisdiction w. w was sel selected as 81 the Instrument t to o I bring this about and nd there could have hue been nor no I r better one selected From the mom moment nt he be took 1 J i 1 rt Iq Fort V v V A Mf Dr John Mc Me m i F MarT Marker in House HUse of Dr n K a tI a a S yh l I v 5 t a o ta in I mn ara Grave Stones i Mclaughlin and 1 i Wife Year e I charge In 1824 1 abandoned Astoria and moved I up the river to establish Fort Vancouver It became became became be be- came apparent that here was the man man who could coul rule both the Indians Indiana and the turbulent trappers and fur tur traders Rule he ho dl did sternly but justly and the Indians who called McLoughlin the White Headed Eagle because of f his shock of ot enow white snow hair respected and loved him quite as much as they feared him For a period of ten years Fort Vancouver was the center of a feudal empire the like of which the New World never before and seldom since lince has seen It was a sanctuary of of- civilization In the heart of ot othe the he savage western country and to It came many a traveler and explorer whose name Is written large In the history of the West Jedediah Smith Nathaniel J. J Wyeth Hall J J. J Kelly Jason Lee Marcus larcus Whitman Captain and nd a host of ot others One of the notables who who- came to Vancouver was Capt Copt Simpson of the British navy and and a symbol of ot his visit Is to be be seen leen near the site lite of Fort Vancouver to this day During his hla sojourn at Vancouver Simpson unwittingly contributed In no small Ima degree toward toward to to- toward ward the agricultural progress of the community community community writes Montgomery While dining one evening with the the doctor doctor he be was reminded by bJ one of his hia men of ot a promise he had made a certain young young youn lady back In London It U appears that during dun dur dunIng In ing the dessert course of ot a farewell banquet given In his honor this young oung lady had extracted the seeds leeds from an apple and had laughingly presented pre pre- vented lentell them to Simpson with the request that he plant them when he reached his destination In n the Northwest wilderness The Incident had been forgotten until that moment but when the captains captain's attention was called to It by his aide he reached Into his coat pocket and there reposing repos ing log under his kid gloves he found Cound the little packet of ot seeds leeds A ripple of laughter ran around the table as 81 he handed them over OTer to his bl host Doctor John was not the man to underrate such a gift The very next day he entrusted the apple seeds to Robert Bruce Druce the venerable Scotch gardener of ot the fort tort who planted them with great care under glass Thus In 10 the spirit of jest the redoubtable white-gloved white made possible the first Oral Oregon apple That was years lears ago ego One of the trees which sprang from tho those seeds It still stands standi where the venerable Robert Hobert Bruce planted them and It still bears fruit as the writer of this article who took the photograph of It shown above can testify Unhappily for tor other seeds reeds were also being planted In to the fertile soil of the Or Orgon Oregon Oregon Ore Ore- e- e gon country and they bore a crop of trouble e I for him For just when he was well established as the Emperor of ot the West the energetic Yankee who were to dispute with Great Britain lint Brit sin ain ow ownership of ot the Northwest began to appear first first as competitive fur tur traders and later as 81 missionaries and anel settlers The doctor being of a pious plou disposition he hewal was wal baptized a Catholic his hla mothers mother's faith but grew up an Episcopalian the faith of his father was naturally well disposed toward the missionaries missionaries mission mission- aries arles and nd he gave cave both medical and other aid to them when as so 10 often oCten happened In tn their early earll days they thel were In distress For that mater matter mat mat- ter er he did the bame for tor the settlers even though he as factor for tor the Hudsons Hudson's Bay DOl company and therefore obligated to consider Its Us Interests first would have hue been justified by the rules of big bl business which bleb were even then In vogue In to letting thorn them starve Instead of doing that he be gave rave generously from his hll own resources and that very generosity re re- resulted suited In hi his hla downfall Governor Simpson had never approved of his hi open-handed open hospitality to the American settlers and that combined with Innumerable other disagreements be between the head of the Hudson's Hudsons Bay Day company a and ad Its representative representative rep rep- In Oregon Oreton resulted In 1845 In McLoughlin's Mc- Mc Ic- Ic Loughlin's retirement from the H. H B B. B G C a re to- retirement which seems to have baye been beeD little more than a summary dismisSAl In the meantime the American settlers who had bad been coming Into Oregon In 10 Increasing ever since 1842 18 had been beseeching congress con guess gress to guarantee their land it I ties on the Columbia Columbia Colum bia bla and had bad taken steps to form torm a local go gov rov government eminent bad had become Involved In 10 r 1 the political maneuverings maneuvering Incident to that action I and made a number of ot enemies among the future leaders of the new American territory After retiring from the Hudson Bay Day company service he moved to the present site lite of Oregon City where he had every reason to expect that his new neighbors so extensively the recipients of his largess would welcome him as 81 a benefactor benefactor benefactor bene bene- factor rather than spurn him as a fallen auto auto- crat He lie made the very human mistake of countIng count count- Ing lug too heavily heully on the religious tolerance and anticipated gratitude of these people For they were Protestants and he be was a Catholic having returned once more to to the religious religions faith of his youth he vas u-as as also also a British subject and they were roue roul J to a high pitch of patriotic ardor over the Oregon boundary dispute Although he Immediately took steps to become ari an al American citizen his hll motives were suspected and there were numerous annoying delays before his final citizenship papers were signed But Dut even that did not end his troubles American settlers seWers had squatted on some of his lands and there were disputes over land titles After Oregon Oregon Ore Ore- gon became a territory Its first delegate to congress con gress an enemy of the doctor Influenced the passage of ot legislation the Oregon Donation Land Law which cheated out of real estate that was rightfully his No wonder that toward the close of ot his career the embittered old man penned these lines By Dy British demagogues I have bave been represented as asa asa asa a traitor For what Because I acted as as a Christian Chris Chris- Ian tian saved American citizens men women and children from the Indian tomahawk and enabled them to take farms farina to support their families American demagogues have been base enough to assert that I had bad caused American citizens to be massacred by hundreds by bl the savages I who saved all that I could I could not have done more for tor the settlers If it they had been brothers and sisters lister To be brief I founded this settlement settlement set set- and prevented a war war f and for tor doing this and quietly I was treated by the British In la such a manner that from self-respect self I II I resigned my situation In the Hudsons Hudson's Bay Day company's company's com com- pany's service by which I sacrificed per annum and the Oregon Land Land Dill Bill shows the treatment I received from the Americans The end of his troubles came on September 3 3 1857 1851 when he died peacefully In his home In Oregon City Five years later the Oregon legislature legislature legis lature made partial amends for tor the Injustices he had suffered by passing an act which permitted his heirs to acquire all of hi original land claims with the exception of one Island upon the payment of 1000 which was designated for tor the University Fund of Oregon Although he Is II generally hailed as the Father of Oregon no monument In keeping with his Importance in the history of ot the Pacific c Northwest Northwest Northwest North North- west has ever been erected In his memory The simple white-painted white frame Crame dwelling In tn Or Oregon gon City CUr where he spent his last lut days Is II preserved as 01 a museum and a memorial to him The TheIn in on on his old fashioned tombstone set In Inthe Inthe inthe the brick foundations of the painted brown-painted Catholic Cath Cath- olio olic church |
