Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/66

Rh could be obtained in vast quantities and which commanded extravagant prices in foreign markets. The Hudson's Bay Company, becoming aware of the great value of this fur

KIND OF GUN BARTERED BY THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY TO THE INDIANS FOR FURS. (Courtesy Oregon Historical Society)

supply, employed men—mostly French Canadians, who married Indian women, lived the forest life, and earned their maintenance by securing pelts at low cost. As a result, profits were so great that the Company tenaciously held its claims in Oregon until the rich harvest of pelts was practically exhausted. During this time only a few farms, homes, school-houses, churches or other colonial enterprises were developed, as the fur trade constituted the chief interest of the Hudson's Bay Company in Oregon."

"Settlement Begun. Doctor McLoughlin encouraged a number of men who had left the Company's service to settle in Oregon, and aided them to establish farms. Travelers, explorers, and men of science were always welcome at the Vancouver fort. Even rival traders like Nathaniel Wyeth were received politely, though Dr. McLoughlin knew very well how to guard his commercial interests against their encroachments. Finally, when the missionaries began to arrive and the trains of immigrants to follow them, although McLoughlin must have foreseen the inevitable consequences to the fur business and to the British Dominion, nevertheless he sold, lent and often gave them supplies, relieved their distress and encouraged them with wise counsel. Doctor McLoughlin was often misunderstood by the pioneers and sometimes maligned, but the verdict of history will be that