Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/57

54 the Oregon Country was a Boston venture planned by Abiel Winship, a merchant whose brother Jonathan as master of the vessel "O'Cain" had visited the Pacific Coast on a trading; expedition. It was decided by the Winship partners to form a stronger company, send a ship to the Columbia, and proceeding up the river find a suitable location for trading and cultivation, and there establish a settlement The ship chosen for the voyage was the "Albatross," which was placed under the command of Nathan Winship, a brother of the chief promoter of the enterprise. The "Albatross" sailed via the Sandwich Islands, where the Captain took on board a number of Kanakas and some supplies^ and then proceeded to the Columbia, which he entered May 26, 1810. Captain Winship went up the river forty miles to a point on the south side, where he caught sight of some oak trees, beautifully located; and he named it Oak Point. This was on the bank opposite the present village of Oak Point. He decided to build a two-story log house at that place to serve as a fort, as well as a warehouse; and it was his purpose to cultivate the land close by. The little company hewed logs and made other preparation for the structure, but the June flood threatened to overflow the locality, and the Indians grew troublesome; so the Captain "concluded not to build, but to trade with the Indians along the coast, and leave for future decision the question of building the fort." Thus were begun and thus abandoned the first two attempts to establish trading posts in the Oregon Country.

The "Tonquin" Enters the Columbia. The next attempt to establish a trading fort in Oregon was a New York venture. With the purpose of capturing the Oregon fur trade and establishing a trading fort on the Columbia, John Jacob Astor, of New York City, organized the Pacific Fur Company with the central station at Astoria. September 6, 1810, the "Tonquin" was given safe conduct from New