Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/56



With the purchase of Louisiana, and the discovery of the Oregon Country, the United States of America claimed a vast territory in the west that was not occupied by white people. It was impracticable, therefore, at that time, to develop great farms, and thriving cities on the newly acquired possessions. But there was an excellent opportunity to extend the fur trade to the Oregon Country. This opportunity the Americans and the British sought to improve. Hence many incidents of historic value took place during Epoch II.

Efforts to Establish Trading Forts. The Oregon Country having been reached both by sea and by land, the settlement of the Columbia River naturally came to be a matter of public interest. The first attempt to establish a trading fort in the Oregon Country was made by the Missouri Fur Company, which founded a trading post on the Henry branch of Lewis River in 1809. It continued somewhat over a year and was abandoned because of Indian difficulties. The second attempt at establishing a trading post in