Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/9

Rh begun in June, 1851. The first contract for governmental surveys in Oregon is dated May 28, 1851. Prior to that time county lines could not be established with reference to governmental surveys. Up to the year 1856, parts only of the portions of Oregon west of the Cascade Mountains had been officially surveyed. The first county, the boundaries of which had reference to official surveys, was Multnomah County, created December 22, 1854.

The number of counties has increased, from the original four districts, to thirty-four. Two of the original four, Twality and Clackamas, included all of what is now the State of Washington.

Washington Territory was created out of the northern part of Oregon by Act of Congress, approved March 2, 1853. Prior to that time a number of counties had been created in that part of Oregon by its Provisional and Territorial Legislatures. Of these counties I shall refer only to Vancouver (now Clark) County. I spent much time in an endeavor to find the Act creating Vancouver District or County, but without finding the Act or the boundaries. Neither the Journals of the Legislatures nor the published laws show any record of it. At last I applied to Mr. George H. Himes, the efficient Assistant Secretary of the Oregon Historical Society, who had been away from Portland for several weeks during my search. He found a copy of this Act in the Oregon Historical Library. I believe it to be the only copy in existence. It is contained in a manuscript book setting forth copies of laws of the Provisional Legislature approved by Governor George Abernethy in August, 1845. Each of these laws is attested by the genuine signature of J. E. Long, Secretary of the Provisional Government. These copies are apparently all the laws passed by the Provisional Legislature at its session, at Oregon City, begun June 24, 1845, which were approved by the Governor.