Two Opposites in Oregon

Two Quebec born agents of the Hudson Bay Company were pioneers in the Oregon Territory of the early 1800s.  John McLoughlin was the stereotypical dour, righteous Scotsman.  At 6 feet 4 inches tall, he was a powerful man.  McLoughlin entered the service of the North West Company (later merged with the Hudson Bay Company) in 1803 as a 19 year old clerk.  Because he was trained in medicine, he also doubled as the company physician, but John's genius was in trading furs with temperamental Indians.  His flowing white locks earned the name "white headed Eagle" and his wife was part Indian as well.

McLoughlin was given control of the western region for Hudson Bay and set up his headquarters at Fort Vancouver where he built a large farm, sawmill, flour mill, and shipyard.  He ruled this self-sufficient domain as a benevolent aristocrat, directing clerks, trappers and French Canadian travelers wanting beaver pelts.

McLoughlin treated the Indians fairly and firmly which earned him their respect and loyalty, and he maintained the peace among hostile tribes.  His goodwill policy toward American settlers in Oregon Country, whether they needed seed or livestock or protection, was not appreciated by his associates and superiors.  John was kind to missionaries, farmers, even those whose interest conflicted with his. 

He resigned from Hudson Bay in 1846, applied for American citizenship and claimed a huge tract of land on the Willamette River.  Congress disallowed his claim, however, and McLoughlin died a bitterly disappointed man in 1857.

Peter Skene Ogden was the son of Tories who had fled from the US to Canada.  He studied law until 1811 (age 17) then ran off to join the North West Company.  Ogden was short, stocky, but powerful and had a taste for violence.  He was sent to Oregon Country to escape prosecution for the murder of a Hudson Bay employee. 

In Oregon he learned Indian diplomacy.  He was in charge of trapping operations for the Snake River area and during this period explored parts of Utah, Idaho, California and Oregon.  Ogden mellowed with age and replaced McLoughlin when he resigned  in the Northwest area.  Ogden helped transfer Oregon Country from Britain to the United States. 

In 1847 Ogden used his influence to rescue survivors of the Marcus Whitman Mission massacre. He is seldom mentioned in history books but left behind a city, a valley, a mountain and a river in Utah to remember him by.

Next time ...Oregon is Paradise
____________________
Today in Pioneer History:  On December 19, 1732,  Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia first published Poor Richard’s Almanack. The book, filled with proverbs preaching industry and prudence, was published continuously for 25 years and became one of the most popular publications in colonial America, selling an average of 10,000 copies a year.