Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 17.djvu/26



18 O. B. SPERLIN

(then known as Bulfinch's Harbor) reported by Porter in his paper before the Oregon Pioneer Association at the celebra- tion at Astoria, in 1892, of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Discovery of the Columbia River, seems to have been a mistake due to a geographical error. The fighting, done chiefly by Gray's side, occurred a year earlier, at a place called Chickle- set village on Bulfinch's Sound, not Bulfinch's Harbor. None of Gray's men were injured. Hoskins 71 tells the story in de- tail; and if there occurred a year later a second fight at a second Chickleset village situated on Bulfinch's Harbor as the first was situated on Bulfinch's Sound, then that was a marvel of nomenclature that the Bulfinch 72 extract made in 1816 from the Second Volume of the Log Book of the Ship Columbia should likely have mentioned. But Gray did have one 78 more encounter, fatal to three of his crew, seemingly some- where on Portland Canal, in 1791. Considerable familiarity had grown up between the crew and the natives, and it is not at all certain that this was a first meeting between the races; near-by regions had been frequented by traders for four years. A small detachment from Gray's crew, consisting of Caswell the first mate, Barnes, and Folger, had gone some little distance in the jolly boat to fish. They were cruelly murdered by the Indians. Gray recovered Caswell's body, and sailed away, naming the place, as previously at Killamook Massacre Cove, and the headland Murderers' Cape.

Such is the record ; practically all receptions were hospitable except these five. These were friendly at first, before trouble arose that proved fatal. Practically all of the journalists, even four of the five adverse cases, speaks in definite terms favorable to the natives. All these seem to be cases of first contact, and must not be confused with the hostile attacks and massacres later as in the case of the Boston and the Tonquin. We need only to read a few such journals as Ingraham's, Hoskins' or "A New Vancouver Journal" to learn that the trade relations

71 Narrative: pp. 37-39. 73 Proceedings: p. 87. 73 ProciinB: p. 75.