Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 14.djvu/51



LIEUTENANT HOWISON REPORT ON OREGON, 1846 43

the falls of the Wilhammette, and abreast of and just below these, on the east side of the river, stands Oregon city. This is considered the capital of the Territory, contains seventy-odd houses, and has a population of nearly five hundred souls. The situation of this place is very peculiar : the river here is about eighty yards wide, and at its lowest stage is twelve feet deep ; in freshets it sometimes rises thirty feet above low-water mark. The rocky rampart, over which it falls almost perpendicularly, is perhaps forty feet high; and from about its upper level, a narrow strip of level ground three hundred yards wide, (be- tween the bed of the river and a precipitous hilly ridge,) is the site of the town. This hilly range runs along down stream for nearly a mile, when it slopes off to the level of the river side plateau. The opposite side presents nearly the same features, so that the view in frorit and rear abruptly terminates in a rocky mountain side of five or six hundred feet elevation. In a summer day the sun's rays reflected from these cliffs make the temperature high, and create an unpleasant sensation of confinement, which would be insupportable but for the refresh- ing influence of the waterfall; this, divided by rocky islets, breaks into flash and foam, imparting a delicious brightness to this otherwise sombre scenery. A Methodist and a Catholic church, two flour and saw mills, a tavern, a brick storehouse and several wooden ones, an iron foundry just beginning, and many snug dwelling houses, are at this moment the chief con- stituents of the capital of Oregori. The site on the opposite side of the river, upon which some good buildings are beginning to appear, is called Multnomah. Communication is kept up be- tween these two places by two ferry boats. Dr. McLaughlin claims the square mile which includes Oregon city on one side, and an American named Moore claims an equal extent on the other side. The doctor has fixed a high price on his town lots, more than can be conveniently paid by those desirous of living in town, and persons were occasionally constructing upon his la^nd in defiance of his remonstrances and threats of the law. Our government is already, I understand, in possession of the