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184 F. G. YOUNG

ring, ambitious man"; 17 and Courtney M. Walker pays him the tribute of being "a very candid and scrupulously honest man; was thoroughgoing, brave and daring." 18 Is it any wonder then that with his activities he was functioning as a unifying and community making center for this outlying set- tlement ?

UNITY IN ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES IMPEL TO POLITICAL ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

Fort Vancouver necessarily continued to be the chief pri- mary source of the wide range of the manufactured supplies indispensable for civilized existence. It had the only effective line of communication with the outside world. But for an adequate supply of such fundamental needs as those of meat and milk for the table, and sawed lumber for capacious living quarters the early Oregon settler was beholden to the untiring efforts of Ewing Young. With his death in February, 1841, this personal influence towards unifying this settlement and transforming the conditions of its existence came to a close and the waning of his strength through the preceding year is painfully evident in his accounting records. The responsibility of administering the estate then devolved upon the settlers. The impulse to organization thus given was effective. Meet- ings of the nature of folkmoots were held on three successive days from the hour of his funeral. At the third, a full meet- ing of the inhabitants of the Willamette valley, at the Ameri- can Mission house "Dr. Ira L. Babcock was appointed to fill the office of Supreme Judge with probate powers." 19 To him were added requisite administrative officials. Furthermore, a committee was chosen to frame a constitution and draft a code of laws. On April 15th Mr. Babcock as Judge of Probate appointed David Leslie "administrator of the affairs of the late Ewing Young, yeoman, deceased, intestate . . ." 20 These political developments are facts familiar to all students

17 Op. cit., p. 154-

18 Op. cit., p.

10 v^p. cit., p. 50.

19 J. Henry Brown, Political History of Oregon, v. I, p. 83.

20 Ibid, p. 85.