Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/34

28 J. Wyeth's party, in 1832, and settled on Clatsop Plains. In his biography, published in the "Transactions of the Oregon Pioneer Association" for 1887, page 85, the name is spelled Tschlahtsoptschs. As Smith's wife was Celiast, daughter of Kobaway, the Chief of that tribe, this spelling undoubtedly gives the name as nearly correctly as it can be spelled.

Clatsop County is now bounded: on the north by the Columbia River; on the east by Columbia County; on the south by Tillamook County; and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its county seat is now, and has been always, Astoria.

Polk District was created December 22, 1845, by the Provisional Legislature. (General and Special Laws of 1843-9, page 38). It comprised all that portion of the original Yamhill District, south of the south line of the latter District, as established by the Act of December 19, 1845, t0 the California line. Before Benton County was created, December 23, 1847, the south line of Polk County had been re-established, presumably at or near its present location. After a careful search I have been unable to find any description of the latter south line, in the "Oregon Archives," in the General and Special Laws of 1843-9, or elsewhere.

This County is named for James K. Polk, then President of the United States.

Col. J. W. Nesmith, in the "Occasional Address," delivered by him, before the Oregon Pioneer Association, June 15, 1875, told of being a member of the Provisional Legislature in 1847, °f which Dr. Robert Newell was the presiding officer, called "The Speaker". Col. Nesmith said he was not then well learned in parliamentary law, but he found a copy of Jefferson's "Manual," which he had never heard of before, but he studied it and learned there was such a thing in parliamentary usage as "the previous question." The Provisional Legislature consisted of one house. It held its meetings in