Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/231

, Umpqua and Willamette Falls. Jason Lee remained in charge of all as superintendent.

Three years after the establishment of the Willamette mission the question of sending Jason Lee east for more workers in the field and financial aid from the missionary society, was discussed. Besides Lee and his earlier assistants, there were then connected with his work Rev. David Leslie, Rev. H. K. W. Perkins, Alanson Beers, W. H. Willson, and Dr. Elijah White. These all earnestly advised Lee's return. A similar situation in some respects existed at Wamatpu in the fall of 1842, four and a half years later than Jason Lee's first return to the east. Both these mission felt the need of representing to their parent societies, by an envoy thoroughly acquainted with the situation the importance of their field of labor and its needs in 1842. The American board had determined to abandon the Waiilatpu and Clearwater missions. The M. E. society was not very warmly interested in the Oregon work. Jason Lee and Marcus Whitman had like ambitions to see the American people and government in control of this western empire, which was no-man's land for many years. The great spring of action in both instances was the duty to his mission. That Lee was awake to the political importance of his errand is proven by the fact that before he started east, in March, 1838, at a meeting of the American settlers in the mission house, Lee and Leslie and Perkins drew up a memorial to be presented to congress asking that body to "take formal and speedy possession."

The memorial is worthy of a statesman. It set out the great value of Oregon as a territory of the United States, and stated intelligently the whole situation historically and economically. This paper was signed by thirty-six residents of the Willamette valley, including all Americans and many Canadian settlers.

Lee set out on his journey in March, staying for two days at the Wascopam mission. As far as possible he went by canoe. Thus he arrived at Waiilatpu, where he remained nearly three weeks in the friendliest intimacy with Dr. Whitman and Rev. H. H. Spalding. It is not probable that there was any reserve between these men, engaged in the same work, and with the same patriotic sentiments. If we could have Dr. Whitman's word about it he would tell us now that he read every word of the memorial from the settlers of the Willamette, and knew that Jason Lee would present it to the congress of the United States, as soon as he reached Washington.

At Wallula (Fort Walla Walla of the H. B. Co.) Lee left the river, and from thence onward a thousand miles or more, horseback to the Missouri. At Fort Hall he took in charge three sons of Captain Tom McKay, who had been Lee s'guide westward from that fort in 1834. The boys were committed to him by their father to be put in school, and Lee took them to Wilbraham academy, his own alma mater. At Westport, Missouri, September 1, a messenger from Oregon overtook him with letters. They brought him the terrible news that his young wife and newborn son had passed away at the mission June 26. Her gravestone, in Lee mission cemetery at Salem, bears the legend: "Beneath this sod, the first ever broken in Oregon, for the reception of a white mother and child, lie the remains of Anna Maria Pittman, wife of Rev. Jason Lee."

Perchance her hands planted the climbing white rose that John Minto found growing luxuriantly over the walls and roof of the log house that was her home, when he purchased the mission farm in 1845. Mr. Minto has distributed this rose over the Willamette valley, nature's most favored rose garden, and he speaks lovingly of it as "the sweetest rose that grows."

By way of St. Louis Mr. Lee passed to Illinois. Again the nation awoke to the existence of the Oregon country. At Peoria he delivered an address inviting imigration to Oregon. This resulted in the formation of the first company of settlers for the Willamette, which left Illinois the following spring. He ar-