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OREGON AND ELDORADO.
OREGON AND ELDORADO;
OR,
ROMANCE OF THE RIVERS.
BY
THOMAS BULFINCH,
AUTHOR OF "THE AGE OF FABLE," "THE AGE OF CHIVALRY," ETC.
BOSTON:
J. E. TILTON AND COMPANY.
1866.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866,
by THOMAS BULFINCH,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the
District of Massachusetts.
STEREOTYPED BY C. J. PETERS AND SON.
PRINTED BY GEORGE C. RAND AND AVERY.
PREFACE.
When one observes attentively the maps of South and North America, no
feature appears more striking than the provision which Nature seems to
have made, in both continents, for water-communication across the
breadth of each. In the Northern continent, this channel of
communication is formed by the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, which
stretch over an extent of three thousand miles, interrupted only by the
ridge of the Rocky Mountains. In the Southern continent, the River
Amazon, in its path from the Andes to the sea, traverses a course of
thirty-three hundred miles. In both cases, a few hundred miles of
land-carriage will complete the transit from ocean to ocean. The analogy
presented in the length and direction of these magnificent
water-pathways is preserved in their history. A series of romantic
adventures attaches to each. I indulge the hope, that young readers who
have so favorably received my former attempts to amuse and instruct
them, in my several works reviving the fabulous legends of remote ages,
will find equally attractive these true narratives of bold adventure,
whose date is comparatively recent. Moreover, their scenes are laid, in
the one instance, in our own country; and, in the other, in that great
and rising empire of Brazil to which our distinguished naturalist, Prof.
Agassiz, has gone on a pilgrimage of science. It will enable us better
to appreciate the discoveries and observations which the professor will
lay before us on his return, to know something beforehand of the history
and peculiarities of the region which is the scene of his labors; and,
on the other hand, the route across the North-American continent, to
which the first part of the volume relates, deprives increased interest,
at this time, from the fact that it nearly corresponds to the route of
the contemplated Northern Pacific Railroad.
BOSTON, June, 1866. T. B.
CONTENTS.
OREGON.
CHAPTER I.
DISCOVERY OF COLUMBIA RIVER 1
CHAPTER II.
LEWIS AND CLARKE 14
CHAPTER III.
THE SIOUX 23
CHAPTER IV.
SUMMARY OF TRAVEL TO WINTER-QUARTERS 33
CHAPTER V.
INDIAN TRIBES 45
CHAPTER VI.
THE MARCH RESUMED 57
CHAPTER VII.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUED 85
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SOURCES OF THE MISSOURI AND COLUMBIA 97
CHAPTER IX.
THE PARTY IN THE BOATS 107
CHAPTER X.
THE DESCENT OF THE COLUMBIA 120
CHAPTER XI.
CLARKE'S RIVER 131
CHAPTER XII.
KOOSKOOSKEE RIVER 147
CHAPTER XIII.
WINTER-QUARTERS 176
CHAPTER XIV.
A NEW YEAR 187
CHAPTER XV.
WINTER LIFE 197
CHAPTER XVI.
THE RETURN 210
CHAPTER XVII.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 230
CHAPTER XVIII.
CAPT. CLARKE'S ROUTE DOWN THE YELLOWSTONE 241
ELDORADO.
CHAPTER I.
THE DISCOVERY 255
CHAPTER II.
ORELLANA DESCENDS THE RIVER 265
CHAPTER III.
ORELLANA'S ADVENTURE CONTINUED 275
CHAPTER IV.
SIR WALTER RALEIGH 285
CHAPTER V.
RALEIGH'S FIRST EXPEDITION 293
CHAPTER VI.
RALEIGH'S ADVENTURES CONTINUED 307
CHAPTER VII.
RALEIGH'S SECOND EXPEDITION 316
CHAPTER VIII.
THE FRENCH PHILOSOPHERS 326
CHAPTER IX.
MADAME GODIN'S VOYAGE DOWN THE AMAZON 339
CHAPTER X.
MADAME GODIN'S VOYAGE CONTINUED 349
CHAPTER XI.
HERNDON'S EXPEDITION 361
CHAPTER XII.
HERNDON'S EXPEDITION CONTINUED 373
CHAPTER XIII.
HERNDON'S EXPEDITION CONTINUED 387
CHAPTER XIV.
HERNDON'S EXPEDITION CONCLUDED 396
CHAPTER XV.
LATEST EXPLORATIONS 404
CHAPTER XVI.
THE NATURALIST ON THE AMAZON 427
CHAPTER XVII.
ANIMATED NATURE 446
OREGON.
OREGON.
CHAPTER I.
DISCOVERY OF COLUMBIA RIVER.
A few years ago, there was still standing in Bowdoin Square, Boston,
opposite the Revere House, an ancient mansion, since removed to make
room for the granite range called the Coolidge Building. In that
mansion, then neither old nor inelegant, but, on the contrary, having
good pretensions to rank among the principal residences of the place,
was assembled, in the year 1787, a group, consisting of the master of
the mansion, Dr. Bulfinch, his only son Charles, and Joseph Barrell,
their neighbor, an eminent merchant of Boston. The conversation turned
upon the topic of the day,--the voyages and discoveries of Capt. Cook,
the account of which had lately been published. The brilliant
achievements of Capt. Cook, his admirable qualities, and his sad fate
(slain by the chance stroke of a Sandwich-Islander, in a sudden brawl
which arose between the sailors and the natives),--these formed the
current of the conversation; till at last it changed, and turned more
upon the commercial aspects of the subject. Mr. Barrell was particularly
struck with what Cook relates of the abundance of valuable furs offered
by the natives of the country in exchange for beads, knives, and other
trifling commodities valued by them. The remark of Capt. Cook respecting
the sea-otter was cited:--
"This animal abounds here: the fur is softer and finer than that of any
other we know of; and therefore the discovery of this part of the
continent, where so valuable an article of commerce may be met with,
cannot be a matter of indifference." He adds in a note, "The sea-otter
skins are sold by the Russians to the Chinese at from sixteen to twenty
pounds each."
Mr. Barrell remarked, "There is a rich harvest to be reaped there by
those who shall first go in." The idea thus suggested was followed out
in future conversations at the doctor's fireside, admitting other
congenial spirits to the discussion, and resulted in the equipping of an
expedition consisting of two vessels, the ship "Columbia" and sloop
"Washington," to make the proposed adventure. The partners in the
enterprise were Joseph Barrell, Samuel Brown, Charles Bulfinch, John
Derby, Crowell Hatch, and J. M. Pintard. So important was the expedition
deemed by the adventurers themselves, that they caused a medal to be
struck, bearing on one side a representation of the two vessels under
sail, and on the other the names of the parties to the enterprise.
Several copies of this medal were made both in bronze and silver, and
distributed to public bodies and distinguished individuals. One of these
medals lies before the writer as he pens these lines. A representation
is subjoined:--
[Illustration]
The expedition was also provided with sea-letters, issued by the Federal
Government agreeably to a resolution of Congress, and with passports
from the State of Massachusetts; and they received letters from the
Spanish minister plenipotentiary in the United States, recommending them
to the attention of the authorities of his nation on the Pacific coast.
The "Columbia" was commanded by John Kendrick, to whom was intrusted the
general control of the expedition. The master of the "Washington" was
Robert Gray.
The two vessels sailed together from Boston on the 30th of September,
1787: thence they proceeded to the Cape Verde Islands, and thence to the
Falkland Islands, in each of which groups they procured refreshments. In
January, 1788, they doubled Cape Horn; immediately after which they were
separated during a violent gale. The "Washington," continuing her course
through the Pacific, made the north-west coast in August, near the 46th
degree of latitude. Here Capt. Gray thought he perceived indications of
the mouth of a river; but he was unable to ascertain the fact, in
consequence of his vessel having grounded, and been attacked by the
savages, who killed one of his men, and wounded the mate. But she
escaped without further injury, and, on the 17th of September, reached
Nootka Sound, which had been agreed upon as the port of re-union in case
of separation. The "Columbia" did not enter the sound until some days
afterward.
The two vessels spent their winter in the sound; where the "Columbia"
also lay during the following summer, collecting furs, while Capt.
Gray, in the "Washington," explored the adjacent waters. On his return
to Nootka, it was agreed upon between the two captains that Kendrick
should take command of the sloop, and remain on the coast, while Gray,
in the "Columbia," should carry to Canton all the furs which had been
collected by both vessels. This was accordingly done; and Gray arrived
on the 6th of December at Canton, where he sold his furs, and took in a
cargo of tea, with which he entered Boston on the 10th of August, 1790,
having carried the flag of the United States for the first time round
the world.
Kendrick, immediately on parting with the "Columbia," proceeded with the
"Washington" to the Strait of Fuca, through which he sailed, in its
whole length, to its issue in the Pacific, in lat. 51. To him belongs
the credit of ascertaining that Nootka and the parts adjacent are an
island, to which the name of Vancouver's Island has since been given,
which it now retains. Vancouver was a British commander who followed in
the track of the Americans a year later. The injustice done to Kendrick
by thus robbing him of the credit of his discovery is but one of many
similar instances; the greatest of all being that by which our
continent itself bears the name, not of Columbus, but of a subsequent
navigator.
Capt. Kendrick, during the time occupied by Gray in his return voyage,
besides collecting furs, engaged in various speculations; one of which
was the collection, and transportation to China, of the odoriferous wood
called "sandal," which grows in many of the tropical islands of the
Pacific, and is in great demand throughout the Celestial Empire, for
ornamental fabrics, and also for medicinal purposes. Vancouver
pronounced this scheme chimerical; but experience has shown that it was
founded on just calculations, and the business has ever since been
prosecuted with advantage, especially by Americans.
Another of Kendrick's speculations has not hitherto produced any fruit.
In the summer of 1791, he purchased from Maquinna, Wicanish, and other
Indian chiefs, several large tracts of land near Nootka Sound, for which
he obtained deeds, duly _marked_ by those personages, and witnessed by
the officers and men of the "Washington." Attempts were afterwards made
by the owners of the vessel to sell these lands in London, but no
purchasers were found; and applications have since been addressed by the
legal representatives of the owners to the Government of the United
States for a confirmation of the title, but hitherto without success.
Capt. Kendrick lost his life by a singular accident. In exchanging
salutes with a Spanish vessel which they met at the Sandwich Islands,
the wad of the gun of the Spaniard struck Capt. Kendrick as he stood on
the deck of his vessel, conspicuous in his dress-coat and cocked hat as
commander of the expedition. It was instantly fatal.
The ship "Columbia" returned to Boston from Canton under the command of
Gray, as already stated, arriving on the 10th of August, 1790; but the
cargo of Chinese articles brought by her was insufficient to cover the
expenses of her voyage: nevertheless her owners determined to persevere
in the enterprise, and refitted the ship for a new voyage of the same
kind.
The "Columbia," under her former captain, Gray, left Boston, on her
second voyage, on the 28th of September, 1790, and, without the
occurrence of any thing worthy of note, arrived at Clyoquot, near the
entrance of Fuca's Strait, on the 5th of June, 1791. There, and in the
neighboring waters, she remained through the summer and winter
following, engaged in trading and exploring. In the spring of 1792, Gray
took his departure in the ship, on a cruise southward, along the coast,
bent on ascertaining the truth of appearances which had led him in the
former voyage to suspect the existence of a river discharging its waters
at or about the latitude of 46 degrees. During his cruise, he met the
English vessels commanded by Commodore Vancouver. "On the 29th of
April," Vancouver writes in his journal, "at four o'clock, a sail was
discovered to the westward, standing in shore. This was a very great
novelty, not having seen any vessel but our consort during the last
eight months. She soon hoisted American colors, and fired a gun to
leeward. At six, we spoke her. She proved to be the ship 'Columbia,'
commanded by Capt. Robert Gray, belonging to Boston, whence she had been
absent nineteen months. I sent two of my officers on board to acquire
such information as might be serviceable in our future operations. Capt.
Gray informed them of his having been off the mouth of a river, in the
latitude of 46 degrees 10 minutes, for nine days; but the outset or
reflux was so strong as to prevent his entering."
To this statement of Capt. Gray, Vancouver gave little credit. He
remarks, "I was thoroughly persuaded, as were also most persons of
observation on board, that we could not have passed any safe navigable
opening, harbor, or place of security for shipping, from Cape Mendocino
to Fuca's Strait."
After parting with the English ships, Gray sailed along the coast of the
continent southward; and on the 7th of May, 1792, he "saw an entrance
which had a very good appearance of a harbor." Passing through this
entrance, he found himself in a bay, "well sheltered from the sea by
long sand-bars and spits," where he remained three days trading with the
natives, and then resumed his voyage, bestowing on the place thus
discovered the name of Bulfinch's Harbor, in honor of one of the owners
of his ship. This is now known as Gray's Harbor.
At daybreak on the 11th, after leaving Bulfinch's Harbor, Gray observed
the entrance of his desired port, bearing east-south-east, distant six
leagues; and running into it with all sails set, between the breakers,
he anchored at one o'clock in a large river of fresh water, ten miles
above its mouth. At this spot he remained three days, engaged in trading
with the natives, and filling his casks with water; and then sailed up
the river about twelve miles along its northern shore, where, finding
that he could proceed no farther from having taken the wrong channel, he
again came to anchor. On the 20th, he recrossed the bar at the mouth of
the river, and regained the Pacific.
On leaving the river, Gray gave it the name of his ship, the Columbia,
which it still bears. He called the southern point of land, at the
entrance, Cape Adams; and the northern, Cape Hancock. The former of
these names retains its place in the maps, the latter does not; the
promontory being known as Cape Disappointment,--a name it received from
Lieut. Meares, an English navigator, who, like Capt. Gray, judged from
appearances that there was the outlet of a river at that point, but
failed to find it, and recorded his failure in the name he assigned to
the conspicuous headland which marked the place of his fruitless search.
NOTE. As the discovery of Columbia River was an event of
historical importance, the reader will perhaps be gratified to
see it as recorded in the words of Capt. Gray himself, copied
from his logbook as follows:--
"May 11 (1792), at eight, P.M., the entrance of Bulfinch's
Harbor bore north, distance four miles. Sent up the
main-top-gallant yard, and set all sail. At four, A.M., saw the
entrance of our desired port, bearing east-south-east, distance
six leagues; in steering sails, and hauled our wind in shore.
At eight, A.M., being a little to windward of the entrance of
the harbor, bore away, and ran in east-north-east between the
breakers, having from five to seven fathoms of water. When we
were over the bar, we found this to be a large river of fresh
water, up which we steered. Many canoes came alongside. At one,
P.M., came to, with the small bower in ten fathoms black and
white sand. The entrance between the bars bore west-south-west,
distant ten miles; the north side of the river a half-mile
distant from the ship, the south side of the same two and a
half miles distance; a village on the north side of the river,
west by north, distant three-quarters of a mile. Vast numbers
of natives came alongside. People employed in pumping the salt
water out of our water-casks, in order to fill with fresh,
while the ship floated in. So ends."
From the mouth of Columbia River, Gray sailed to Nootka Sound, where he
communicated his recent discoveries to the Spanish commandant, Quadra;
to whom he also gave charts and descriptions of Bulfinch's Harbor, and
of the mouth of the Columbia. He departed for Canton in September, and
thence sailed to the United States.
The voyages of Kendrick and Gray were not profitable to the adventurers,
yet not fruitless of benefit to their country. They opened the way to
subsequent enterprises in the same region, which were eminently
successful. And, in another point of view, these expeditions were
fraught with consequences of the utmost importance. Gray's discovery of
Columbia River was the point most relied upon by our negotiators in a
subsequent era for establishing the claim of the United States to the
part of the continent through which that river flows; and it is in a
great measure owing to that discovery that the growing State of Oregon
is now a part of the American Republic.
From the date of the discovery of Columbia River to the war of 1812, the
direct trade between the American coast and China was almost entirely in
the hands of the citizens of the United States. The British merchants
were restrained from pursuing it by the opposition of their East-India
Company; the Russians were not admitted into Chinese ports; and few
ships of any other nation were seen in that part of the ocean. The trade
was prosecuted by men whose names are still distinguished among us as
those of the master-spirits of American commerce,--the Thorndikes, the
Perkinses, Lambs, Sturgis, Cushing, and others of Boston, Astor and
others of New York. The greater number of the vessels sent from the
United States were fine ships or brigs laden with valuable cargoes of
West-India productions, British manufactured articles, and French,
Italian, and Spanish wines and spirits; and the owners were men of large
capital and high reputation in the commercial world, some of whom were
able to compete with the British companies, and even to control their
movements.
During all this period, though constant accessions were made to the
knowledge of the coast by means of commercial adventure, the interior of
the continent, from the Mississippi to the ocean, remained unknown. The
intercourse of the people of the United States with the native tribes
was restricted by several causes. One was the possession of Louisiana by
the Spaniards; another, the retention by the British of several
important posts south of the Great Lakes, within the acknowledged
territory of the Union. At length, by the treaty of 1794 between Great
Britain and the United States, those posts were given up to the
Americans; and by treaty with France, in 1803, Louisiana, which had come
into possession of that power in 1800, was ceded to the United States.
From this period, the Government and people of the United States ceased
to be indifferent to the immense and important region whose destinies
were committed to them; and the ensuing narrative will relate the first
attempt made by national authority to occupy and explore the country.