Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/248



238 ROBERT MOULTON GATKE

self, wife, with five children who reside at home one over 14

3 under 14 and over 7 and one under 7 years of age.

Bro. John McKinney is appointed to labour with Bro. Helm he is a married man who leaving his family in Missouri came through in the last emigration with his son to explore the country and make arrangements to bring his family. He ex- pects to return to his family in the spring of 1849. Bro. Mc- Kinney is a local deacon of good report and it is thought will be useful on his circuit. Ylou will perceive that our work is enlarged considerably and while wars and rumors of wars are all around us we are striving to endure hardness as good soldiers of the Lord Jesus. In addition to the above we have sixteen Local preachers one of whom is a Deacon and six exhorters. If we were all holy men of God labouring as faith- fully for Christ as once we did for Satan and as industriously as our obligations to his dying love imperiously demand a flame of piety would be kindled in this valley that would burn with Millennial Glory, But it is to be feared we are not. I have some reason to suspect that the Methodism of this country is not in every respect the Methodism of the discipline. Still there are a number of faithful labourers in the country both in the Local as well as in the traveling ministry and many among our members adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

The amount of labour performed by our Missionaries may be indicated in part by a glance at the extent of our work. At the present time this is confined to the Walamet valley and extends from Vancouver on the Columbia to the extreme upper settlement here are included within this district Oregon City, Salem, Ylamhill, and the Calapooya circuits.

Oregon City has a population of nearly 1000 persons there are 185 houses, with two churches, one Methodist one Cath- olic, two flouring mills, and two saw mills ; about two miles distant there is quite a little village springing up on the Clack- amus river which empties into the Walamet just below the city. Twelve miles below is the little town of Portland just springing into existance. It is about the head of ship navi- gation. We have not been able this winter to supply this place with preaching. About 25 miles west of [Oregon] City there* are a number of beautiful prairies, Tualatine plains, in these fertile plains quite a population is collected and some

4 or 5 years ago we had regular preaching in a log building erected for the purpose but since that time occasional visits