Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 21.djvu/373



JONATHAN CARVER AND THE NAME OREGON 361

During the French and Indian War, Captain Carver must of necessity have had acquaintance if not comradeship with Major Robert Rogers," from New Hampshire, who was the daring leader of a partisan command known as the "Rogers Rangers", as well known then as the Roosevelt Rough Riders in our own times. Both officers were present at the massacre at Fort William Henry and again at the capture of Montreal. After the latter event, Major Rogers was sent by General Jeffrey Amherst to capture the French outpost at Detroit, and thus had opportunity personally to view the Western country and observe its chances for personal adventure and exploit. He afterwards retired from active service and spent a few months in London, where his previous record gave him pres- tige, and his boisterous conduct some notoriety. In October, 1765, he was appointed to the position of governor-command- ant at Mackinac and returned to America, and evidently had in mind activities outside of the usual official duties and which were attractive to his former army acquaintance, Captain Carver. At any rate both are recorded as arriving at Mackinac in August, 1766, and probably had traveled together from Niagara, and very soon Captain Carver set out for the Mis- sissippi Valley under arrangements made by Commandant Rogers. It is quite clear then why Carver said nothing about the unusual events at Mackinac during the winter of 1767-8, and makes the least possible mention of Major Rogers any- where in his book.

A belief that Captain Carver was one of the emissaries of Rogers to the Indians is based upon more than mere sus- picion. Not only does his name appear with other names in the papers in the case but his own narrative indirectly reveals the fact. Mention of particular instances is deferred. Then there is the curious incident of the deed which Carver obtained from two Sioux chiefs in May, 1767, conveying to him a tract of land more than one hundred miles square lying east and southeast from the Falls of Saint Anthony and afterwards prominently known in Wisconsin as the "Carver Grant." This

1 8 For sketches of Major Rogers, see Parkman's Conspiracy of Ponteac, vol. 2; also Collections of Historical Society of Wisconsin, vol. 18, p. 22*; also Pon- teach; or the Savages of America, by Robert Rogers (Allan Nevins, editor, Caxlon Club edition, Chicago, 1914). This contains the best biography of Major Rogers. Through the courtesy of Mr. Nevins, the present writer has received valuable references just as this manuscript is going to the printer.