Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 21.djvu/195



EWING YOUNG AND His ESTATE 183

The body of documentary records pertaining to Ewing Young and his estate made accessible in this number of the Quarterly bring out not merely his work in Oregon develop-' ment but also indicate the play of economic motive in first bringing into existence an actual public mind of the com- munity so that it sought expression in political organization. In the interest of gaining a view of the early conditions true to reality it would seem advisable to review these hitherto overlooked economic forces. With the aid of the items of the accounts produced here it is easy to build up a mental picture of his home on the Chehalem as a center of distribution. First, there was the drove of nearly a hundred horses and mules brought by him in the fall of 1834. These of course moved slowly in exchange because of the general interdict of Dr. McLoughlin. Then in October of 1837 his corral held more than six hundred cattle, which with their increase were to become in due time the possessions of the settlers distributed in all directions. Then the very next year we see the first saw mill in all the valley arising there and soon through the years 1838, '39 and '40 a regular procession of loads of lumber is leaving that mill destined to the different homesteads. During these years the settlers were for the first time equipped to enlarge rapidly their cultivated fields and to provide ade- quate and fitting shelter for themselves and their animals. If we direct our attention more closely to the Ewing Young establishment the items of the accounts show a service of exchange. For the beaver, wheat and other productions of the settlers, articles of supplies were provided by his depot. More than that, in the almost money-less community the functioning of a clearing house is strongly in evidence in these records. In a word, because of his untiring activity Ewing Young's establishment during these years served for the community as virtually a market place, a store, a bank and a factory as well as the largest farm. W. H. Gray says he was "a stir-