Ogden Daily Standard | 1914-04-11 | Page 8 | Peter Skene Ogden Married Four Indian Squaws in His Day

PETER SKENE OGDEN MARRIED FOUR INDIAN SQUAWS IN HIS DAY Man Who Named This Place Had Many Matrimonial Adventures Adven-tures and Had Several Families Was First to Discover the Humboldt River Which Was Named After Him Until Fremont Renamed the Stream Ogden's First View of Great Salt Lake. ' (By O. A. Kennedy.) Since the publication of the Hrst article on the life of Ogden attention has been called by several readers to an apparent confusion in the use of the name as applied to the peak east of the city and to tho valley boyond. Chittenden designates as Ogden Hole the "sheltered cove in the moun talnB" occupied by the town of North Ogden and other writers seem to favor fav-or this view. The old residents generally gen-erally state that North Ogden wan at first frequently designated as Ogden Hale. One of the engineers who surveyed the line of the proposed canal, which in 1SS0 was planned to bring the waters of the Bear River along the foothills to the Ogden RIvor at Farr'a Mill, states that, while engaged in the work that year, a resident of North Ogden pointed out to him an old foundation of a cabin and said "That is supposed to bo all that is left of the old John Ogden trading post. At loast tho first pioneers to settle in North Ogden found that 'there." The location of this was somewhere south of the North Ogdon Pass and near the big spring recently purchased purchas-ed by the State Industrial School, but It has not been possible, after a lapso of 25 years, to authenticate the story, Mr. B. J. Cheney, a veteran of the j Ogden fire department, says: "When my people came to this city about 45 years ago what is now known as Ogden valley was nearly always spoken of as Ceden Hole., The man we bought out moved to a farm in Ogden Hole near Huntsvllle. 1 knew a number of men engaged In getting out logs for the saw mill in the canyon and they always referred to the valley as Ogden Hole. "Tho road through tho canyon had been open but a short time as a top. road and before that the route was by way of North Ogden Pass and because be-cause of that the mistake must have originated. It was the common prac tice to refer to an enclosed vallev as a hole. Thus we have valleys on the upper Snake river called Pierre's Hole and Jackson Hole. "The trappers and hunters traveled with a great number of riding horses and pack horses and a sheltered place like Ogden valley with its abundanco of grass, timber and fine springs and streams must have seemed like a paradise par-adise to them. It was easy of access from every direction and it Is not surprising sur-prising that It became a noted, rally-In rally-In r point. 'The peak east of the city , was always al-ways referred to as Ogden Peak 40 vears ago. Along In the 80'b the U. S. Genditjc Survey established a camp . there and a party of surveyors were located there a few weeks each year for a number of years. There is still some trace of their camp in the sad-, sad-, die between tho higher and the lower peaks. They were triangulating and haa a telescope; by which a man on tho top of Mt. Nobo could be seen easily. "About this time -people began calling cal-ling it Observatory Peak and that name seems to have gradually taken the place of the original. "But the real observatory was not on the peak but on the sandhill near the school house in West Ogdeu. There the two big stones .set up with inscriptions showing latitude and longitude mark the site of a building erected by the government in the 70's ani which was guarded by a detail of soldiers .for a number of years. "In the 70's a party of Frenchmen came from Paris to take observations of the transit of Venus across tho face of tho sun. They mounted their telescopes nnd instruments, as I recall, re-call, uping those stones as foundations. founda-tions. They made elaborate preparations, prepar-ations, and, when the time came, there was a cloud completely hiding the sun. "I remember my stepfather, William Wil-liam Farrell, coming homo and telling tel-ling how the .Frenchmen had acted when the cloud came up; how they had walked up and down and ra,ved and tore their hair; bow tltoy swore in French and shook their flfjts at tho cloud and, as the time finally passed for the transit of the planet, and tho cloud still stuck, they broke down and cried and embraced one another and bogan packing their Instruments to go back to Paris without a' sinslo note, on the great ovent." In the year J,1, Peter Skene V Ogden, entered the employ of thQ Northwest company as a clerk. He had studied some law and for a short time had been a clerk for John Jacob Astor, probably In his Montreal office. The Northwest company sent young Peter out to Isle a la Crosse In south cm Athabasca. Here there was an Island In the lake on which were two trading posts, ono belonging to the Northwest company and the other to the "gentlemen adventurers oi England trading into Hudson's bay," and generally known as the Hudson's Bay Fur company. Hero for seven years Peter Skene Ogden served his apprenticeship and took an active part in the feud between be-tween the trappers of the two companies. com-panies. Elliott feels called upon to deny that Peter had run away from home and that ho was given to dissipations, but he quotoa Donald Gunn In his history of Manitoba, who, speaking of tho winter of 1814-15, says: "Tho servants of the Northwest company, among them Samuol Black and Mr. Peter Ogden, acted a conspicuous con-spicuous part when at leisure, amused themselves by annoying and insulting their neighbors, at times encouraging if not commanding their men to set their nets adrift, and at other times cutting th?m Into pieces not forget ting to pay occasional visits to the Hudson's Bay company's house, where" their conduct was often highly improper im-proper and unjustifiable." Which sounds liko an effort to speak mildly of Mr. Peter Ogden. Another writer, Ross Cox. in 181? says: "We remained a couple of days at the fort to refresh the men and were hospitably entertained by our hosts on excellent white fish and tea, without sugar. One of these gentlemen, Mr. Peter Ogden, was nearly related to a high judicial func tionary, and in early life was destined for the same profession. The study of provincial jurisprudence and sig norial subdivisions of Canadian property, prop-erty, had no charms for the mercurial temperament of Mr. Ogdon; and, contrary con-trary to the wishes of his friends, ho preferred the wild untrammeled life of an Indian trader to the law's de lay, and the wholesome restraints which are provided for the correction of over-exuberant spirits in civilized society." Which, reading between the lines hints at some wild doings by Mr. Pe tor Ogden, The same writor says: "His accounts of his various en counters with Orkney men and In dlans would have filled a moderate-sized moderate-sized octavl, and, if reduced to writing, writ-ing, would have undoubtedly staggered the credulity of any person unacquainted unac-quainted with the Indian country." Hence we conclude that quite early Peter SHeen not only had adventures but had learned not to allow a good story to suffer in the telling. Ogden is still further quoted as saying say-ing that "jn this place necessity has no law," and that "where the custom cus-tom of the country, or as lawyers I say, the lex non scripta, is our only i guide, we must in our acts of summary sum-mary legislation, sometimes perform the parts of judge, jury, sheriff, hangman, hang-man, gallows and all," which aer-tainly aer-tainly makes one's blood run cold as effectually as reading a novel about pirates on the Spanish main. About 1818 something dark and tragic- happened at Isle a la Crosse and as a result " a bill of indictment was Issued against Ogcjen for this." It is not apparent just what this was but immediately after Peter Skeeu "went west," getting himself trans ferred to the Northwest company's trading post at Fort George, now Astoria, As-toria, at the mouth of the Columbia a good 1500 miles away. He took with him an Indian wife Elliott says, "While at Isle a la Crosse Mr. Ogden took unto himself a wire as was the custom among tho fur traders, an attractive daughter of the Crep. nation, and his first son was born on January 18, 1817, and named Peter, of course. This sop was educated edu-cated in the Protestant school at Red River and entered the Hudson Bay's company's service and died In 187u while still In that service. His eldest son (nanjed Peter Skene) had died suddenly and both were burlccl the same day a,nfl in the same grave." Ogden probably followed, the usual rputo. in coming .west, tho . FlatUsacJ country Spokane House, Fort Okaua- f I gon and thenco by canoe down the Columbia. Co-lumbia. He camped at tho mouth of the Walla Walla river, but was attacked at-tacked by the Indians. Ogdon nnd his party took refuge on a small island in tho river. Hero, according to Drayton of tho Wllkos expedition, "he made a stand and completely routed the Indians." The following year tho company built a fort hore, the beginning ot the city of Walla Walla. This was largely the result of tho attack on Ogdon, but for the next two years he appears to have been employed on the lower Columbia and along the Pu-get Pu-get Sound. His second Bon, Charles, was born September 19, 1810. In July, 1820, Peter S. Ogden appears ap-pears to have been declared a partner in tho Northwest company, and a sharo of stock was transferred to him and tho next year he was at the head of the Shuswap district in British Columbia Co-lumbia and he may havo later been in tho Flathead and Spokane country. Late In 1821 came word from London Lon-don that tho owners of the Northwest and the Hudson's Bay companies had grown tired of fighting and had voted to consolidate under the name of tho latter company. Tho Northwest mon were mucli chagrined and Peter Skeno Ogden, for one, took a trip back to Canada and London to sec whoro he would stand in tho new consolidation. Judge Isaac Ogden, his father, had resigned from the bench and romovod to England. Elliott says that "among the family papers appears a letter written In a trembling hand at Taunton. Taun-ton. England, addressed to Mr. Peter Ogden, London Coffee House, Ludgate Hill, London." This letter is dated March 9, 1823, and signed by I. Ogdeh It is a formal and very affectionate farewell from the old Royalist to his youngest and most wayward son. The year following the father died and Peter Pe-ter Skene received with tho other children ono-elghth of the CBtate. The return trip was made by way of York factory on Hudson's bay. From there Ogden took charge oi the "express" to the Columbia after the annual council, leaving York, July 23, 1823. The Columbia was reached October 10, and Ogden appears ap-pears to have remained at Spokane House that winter. Spokane House Is described as a gay place. There wa6 a ball room and a race track. Ogden appears to have married hore a second wlfo, a member of the Spokane tribe. She was six years his senior and lived to be 9S years, dying in January, 1886, at Lac la Hacho, British Columbia. The matrimonial affairs of Mr. Ogden Og-den appear to be somewhat involved. He already had one wife and beside tho Spokane marriage Elliott hints at another with an Indjan princess ot tho Cowlitz tribe. Then Chittenden asserts very positively, posi-tively, "The Humboldt was long known ns Ogden river from Mr. Peter Skene Ogden, already mentioned. Og den married an Indian woman from, one of the tribes of the valley, calling her name Mary, and from this clr-cuniBtancc clr-cuniBtancc the river was also at one timo known as Mary river." Thus we have reports of four matrimonial matri-monial alliances and none of deaths, or divorces. Let us hope that everything every-thing was as it should be. April 15, 1824, Ogden left Spokane (Continued on Page 9.) Vin i i i T . . PETER SKENE OGDEN MARRIED FOUR 111 SSUAWS (Continued from Page 8.) for Fqu .George. The brigade consisted con-sisted of 7 bonts and 63 rlvcrmon besides trapped and passengers. The annual ship from London was late that year and, after a short stay at FoVt George, the parly returned lo Spokane arriving with SO evaded horses. hor-ses. Than news came that the ahlp had arrived. Ogden is back again at Fort George I returning to Spokane,- October 121. He carries with him an appointment as chief trader of the Hudson's Bay company and nu assignment to "the Snake country." . ; 1 Ogden outfitted at Flathead post, now Thompson's Falls, Montana. The journal of Alex floss says: "Saturday, Deo. 11. Finished equipping equip-ping the Snake hunters. Monday, 20th, statement of men under Mr. Og den, to go to the Snake country; 25 lodges, 2 gentlemen, 2 interpreters, 71 men and lads, 80 guns, 3G4 beaver traps, 372 horses. This Is most for-j! for-j! mjdable party that ever set out for '' the Snake.1? and Snake expedition took its departure. Each beaver trap last year in the Snake country averaged 26 beavers. Was expectod this hunt will be 14,100 boavers." ; The expedition passed through Bit- tor Root valley and past the present i , site of Missoula, Thence it found its ! way south into the Snake Yalley and ; detachments spread out probably as far south as the Bear River country Ogden's Journal for the year 1824-25 ; has not been located, but (in 1826 i ho mentions seeing an Indian he had ' met "last year on Bear's river." If Ogden was in Cache valley in !l 1825 it is quite reasonable to suppose i' that his explorations were extended : across the divide to the headwaters -; of the river since named for him and y. winch was a fine stream for beavej -and, if so, he probably visited the lake aDd the present location of Og- den City. From about that date Ills name was given to this location by the American trapper?. A recent bulletin of tho census bureau bu-reau says that Ogden discovered the Humboldt river, called by him the un known river, In 1825, We tnow that it was named Ogden's river, for him by tho trapporB, but that Fremont changed the name later to Humboldt Ogden also named the Port Neuf river alter one of h,is men and referred to it as the best beaver stream he had found. Tho St, Louis side of the meeting with Ashlelgh men Ib told variously by Beckwith, Audubon. Wyetli and by Ashley, but there is no substantial dlf fcrence in their accountn and the Van co'uver side is told by Work in an on try in his Journal dated July 26, 1825 "A little past noon an Indian ar rived from Spokane with a note from Mr. BIrnle and a packet which had recently reached that place from Mr Ogden, dated East Branch of tho Missouri, 10th of July. A series of misfortunes have attendod tho party from shortly after their departure and on the 24th of May they fell In with a party oi Americans when 23 of tho former deserted." Ogden returned from the "Snakes' by a more southerly route, arriving at Walla Walla November 9. Here the ohief factor, John McLoughlin, met him and sent him off on another ex pedition. The winter of 1S25-2G was spent in exploring the country drained by the John Day river and the Burnt river. Un the fall of182C he and his trap pers visited Harney and Malheur lakes, ascondod the Des Chutes, crossed cross-ed the mountains to the "Clamlttc." as he called it, thence south to a stream he called Sasty after the In dians found there. Hero he saw a high snow peak to the west, which he also called Mt Sasty (Shasta.) In tho spring of 1S27 be. crossed the plains of the southern Oregon to the Malheur and down to the Spake. It waB not until 1S2S, according to Elliott's account, .that he explored the Humboldt valley and from there cross ed to tho Great Salt Lake. His party had to live on horseflesh and the In dians they met had- never seen a white man and were lard to ap proach. "December 18," he writes, "our guide informed us we were near tho Utas country, not far distant from Salt Lake," and on December 26 he had his first distant view of the lake enveloped by fogs. December 28 occus this entry Ip . his journal: "Here we are at the end of Great Salt lake, having thus far explored one-half of the north side of it and can safely assert, as the Americans have of the south side, that It Is a barren country destitute of everything." every-thing." On January 5, 1S29. ho says: "It Is strange there should be beaver horc as the Americans havo been in this country four years. I cannot ascor tain if this stream flows into the Salt Lake or In Bear river." Mr. Elliott believes this refers to the Malad. Japuary 12, "crossed over the height of land and oamped on the forks of Portncuf river. Wc must cross to tho waters of Bear's river." The winter months seem to have been spent In Cache valley and, on March 29, occurs the next entry: "In sight of Salt Lake again " March 30: "Reached Foggy Encamp ment. The weather hung clear had a good view of Salt Lake and Mountain Moun-tain island from point which from Its snows must be very high. On both sides of the lake Is high land sur roundod by mountains. Beyond those mountains west though the lake hass no discharge there must be a large river in barren country." His own explanations lator proved this guess to be wrong. Thero seems to bo no proof that he visited the site of Ogden or the covo called Ogden Hole, on this trip, al though he might easily have done so in the three months apent in this country about tho north end of the lake. Ogden returned lo the Columbia and Bancroft says about this time the Hudson's Bay company sent Dgden to California, being pleased with the reports brought to Vancouver by Je dedlah S Smith. Bancroft says that Ogden was to enter California by Smith's route which would bring him back to the vicinity of Ogden City again. From a choice of following south past Utah Lake, Sevier Lake and the Rio Virgin to the Cojoradc and southern California or of goln? straight west from the south end oi the lake across Nevada to the pass where Smith crossed tho Sierras. He was having trouble with tho Modocs. in May of 1829. and returned to Fort Ne:: Perces in tho fall of 1S29 after visiting California, and returned so Bancroft says, in tho summer of 1S30 to Fort Vancouver with a fine catch of beaver. Commenting on this trip. Ogden i ii ii ii 1 1 1 'i mi i .in i in- J m m ii Baiii ii,, i v, says in a letter dated at Vancouver March 10, 1831: "I was not so successful in my last year's trapping as the year preceding although I extended my trails by fai greater distance to the Gulph of Call fornia, but found beaver very scarce and unfortunately below the main Dalles of the Columbia my own boat was engulphed in a whirlpool and J men were drowned. I had a moat narrow nar-row escape." This letter is signed Peter Skein Ogden.