Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/9



The first attempt by citizens of the United States to locate on the northwest coast as permanent residents, occurred in 1811. That was the year in which the first actual American occupancy was effected within the boundaries of "Old Oregon." To be sure Lewis and Clark had wintered at the mouth of the Columbia six years before, but the object and purpose of that remarkable expedition was to explore, not to occupy, and nothing was attempted in the way of permanent occupancy. It cannot be said that any of the sea-faring traders from the eastern seaboard of the United States, that were constantly visiting the coast for so many years prior to 1811, ever established a settler or maintained a permanent trader in the land until that year. They were purely maritime merchants and they trafficked with the Indians along the coast only, and did it entirely from their ships. They sailed away over seas when each venture was completed, with no fixed or definite idea when they would return again, if at all. Perhaps some exception might be taken to this last statement, in view of the very creditable and well-nigh successful attempt of the Winships of Boston to erect in 1810, a trading station inside the mouth of the Columbia for use in connection with their ships, but that effort was abandoned before it was carried to an accom-