Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/417



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then I'ollowod up Clarke and finally lauded at Wailatpu, briugiug in and deliver- iug up to Dr. Whitman the wheels and running gears of the historical wagon lie had left at Fort Boise. That Clarke influenced these men to come and settle in Oregon, the author of this book has the testimony of Doughtj', IMeek and Wilkins, who were his neighbors in Washington county for years, and gave him an account of this trip.

The same j'ear that the Clarke party reached the Nez Perces country the ship Lausanne arrived in the Columbia river with the great missionary party of fifty-three persons which included seven preachers, and five teachers, farmers, mechanics, etc., sent out by the Board of Methodist Missions. Now in addi- tion to these Protestant mission laborers, the Catholic Church of Canada had sent out four priests under the control of Vicar General Blanchet; and all these preachers and teachers were here in this country to teach and convert the heathen Indians; no intention ever having been held to teach or preach to Amei'ican citizens, as none were expected to ever come here. Here was an evangelizing force of twenty preachers and priests and a dozen teachers; all intent on converting and educating the native Indians. But what was the outcome? The Methodists kept up a failing effort to teach the Indians at the Willamette Mission for a few years and until the first large immigration came from the states. Then the Indians abandoned the Willamette valley and took their children with them. The effort was continued in a desultory way at the mission at The Dalles until the Whitman jMassacre in 1847. That ended all efforts to teach or convert the Indians under the regime of the missionaries. And whatever of influence or benefit had been thus far exerted by the mission- aries over the Indians was by that appalling murder of Whitman practically dissipated forever. With the coming of the vigorous assertive immigration of 1843 the missionaries were practically rediiced, so far as influences on the colony was concerned, to the common level with all other citizens. They had lost the distinction of leadership in the little community ; but they did not lose their identity as a vital force. To Jason Lee more than to any other one per.son, was due the movement to organize the Provisional Government. He inspired the plan, Gray and GrifiEin did the proselyting to support it and called out the reserves to put the column in motion, while Meek and his moun- taineers led the assault. But not only did the missionaries inspire the organi- zation of civil government, they followed that up by laying the foundation for education. The "Oregon Institute," which developed into "The Willam- ette University," was organized by the Methodist missionaries in 1842 for the purpose of educating white children; and the first Board of Trustees were, Jason Lee, David Leslie, Gustavus Hines, J. L. Parrish, L. H. Judson, George Abernethy, Alanson Beers, Hamilton Campbell, and J. L. Babcock. For the Congregationalists, Rev. Harvey Clarke did a similar work in giving his time, labor and land to lay the foundations of the Pacific University at Forest Grove. And while McMinnville does not trace its foundation to missionaries, or to the missionai-y era, yet it can go back to AVilliam T. Newby, who came overland in 1843, and find in him the enterprise and forethought to devote his first property in Oregon to the foundation of a noble institution that rep- resents the missionary spirt and the conservative teaching of "John the Bap- lizer," greatest of the twelve disciples. And while the religious teaching of