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DOCUMENTARY

THE MISSION RECORD BOOK OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL

CHURCH, WILLAMETTE STATION, OREGON

TERRITORY, NORTH AMERICA,

COMMENCED 1834

INTRODUCTION

The important part that the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley had in early Oregon history is generally understood. It is safe to say that aside from its influence upon the religious, moral and educational life of the old Oregon country, which was considerable, the success of the United States in establishing its claim and asserting its sovereignty was in no small degree due to the mission and to the efforts that were made by Jason Lee and others connected with the mission to stir interest at Washington and to stimulate immigration to Oregon.

The Record Book of the Mission has never been pub- lished, and few students of the history of the period have had access to it. However, two of the mission- aries, Daniel Lee and J. H. Frost, published in 1844 their "Ten Years in Oregon" which was a full and in- teresting narrative, describing the founding of the Mis- sion and depicting the events of importance during the ten years of its existence. This little book lived up to its promise of giving "a tolerable idea of the toils, priva- tions and difficulties" through which the missionaries passed from the time the Mission was founded in 1834 until it was substantially given up in 1844. Besides this publication, Jason Lee left an important Journal or Diary in his own handwriting, with entries covering the orig- inal journey from Liberty, Missouri, beginning Septem- ber 20, 1834, to the establishing of the location on the Willamette in the autumn of that year, and containing