Told by the Pioneers - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
histories and descriptions, from Indian traditions and stories and ,
from accounts handed down from mouth to ear by the pioneers and
first settlers.
It might not be necessary to say to you gentlemen, that when I
speak of Dayton, ,"1aitsburg or Bolles, I am not referring to these
towns, but simply to the location where they were built many years
afterwards, and the places where the events mentioned took place
will be better understood and remembered by calling them by their
present names.
A short time ago I mentioned the fact to a prominent attorney that
before passing through Dayton, Lewis and Clark had camped at Bolles
Junction, and he immedia tely inquired, "did they name it Bolles!"
The scope of this paper will not permit me to go back to the time
when Balboa crossed the Isthmus, perhaps swimming Gatun Lake on
the way, and first beheld the mighty Pacific, and I shall commrnce
with the advent of the first white man in the Touchet vallev.
•
It might be well to say, in a general way, that the first explorers
were sent out to search for gold and treasure and to add to the possessions
and commerce of their native countries. They were followed
by others sent out to establish trading posts and secure a monopoly
of the valuable fur trade "ith the Indians. In this class were Lewis
and Clark, sent out by President Jefferson; John Jacob Astor, who
established a fort and trading post at Astoria, Oregon; Captain Bonneville,
who came in the interests of the American fur traders, and the
Hudson's Ba~r Company, operating under a charter from the British
government. As is usual in the discovery and settlement of all new
countries, the treasure seekers and traders were next followed hy representatives
of the different churches, seeking to establish missions
and extend their religion among the natives.
Parker, ,Vhitman, Spaulding and others came first, sent out by the
American Board of Missions, and were soon followed by the Jesuit
priests, who usually settled around the Hudson's Bay trading posts
and cast their influence with them. There was a great deal of jealousy
engendered and some of the early Indian wars were caused thereby.
During these times there was much contention between the American
and British traders, the British usually being successful. In 1842 it
was reported that Great Britain was about to send a large colony to
Oregon, and a t this time congress was wavering. Daniel Wehster
was in favor of trading the Oregon country for some fi~hing privileges.
This caused great excitement among the few Amencan settlers
then in the vallev, and Dr. 'Whitman made his memorable ride from
,Yhitman missi01~ to St. Louis, and then to Washington, to place the
question before President T~·ler. He aroused the people of the east
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