Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/328

 found by an immigrant party coming in through the Malheur country. It was reported that such a party had found a lot of yellow metal in the bed of a creek, and to try it pounded out a piece on the tire of a wagon wheel, but not knowing what it was tossed it into the wagon box where it was lost on the way to Portland. It was recalled that at the place where the gold was found, the immigrants lost a "blue bucket," and so the exciting story of the Blue Bucket mine got started, and repeated attempts to find the spot were, made, some of the parties being chased out of the country by the Suake Indians, losing all their horses and camp outfits. This mythical placer mine had held its jack-o-lantern attraction to the enthusiasts in gold mine hunting for forty years, the last reported party having gone out there hunting for the old "blue bucket" in the year 1900. But hunting the mine that was never found, led to the examination of all the eastern Oregon streams for placer gold, and the first actual find seems to have been on the John Day river in Grant county in 1861.

Portland was vitally interested in these discoveries. The gold hunting mania is never assuaged. It grows by what it feeds on, no matter whether it is delusion or gold. When once the gold fever gets a strangle hold of a man, he never gets rid of it. One discovery of gold led to another, and soon there were thousands of armed men pouring into eastern Oregon to mine for the precious metal and fight the Indians if need be. The gold fever practically settled the Indian question, and opened eastern Oregon to settlement. The demand of the miners for transportation soon placed steamboats on the upper Columbia, and gold dust poured into Portland for goods, and the city grew and prospered beyond all former experiences.

The continued influx of immigration from the east by wagon road, and of business men by ocean steamer, steadily but slowly built up the city and state; and the people, becoming restless under the changing territorial governors, clamored for a state organization and home rule. It is not a material fact for this history, but an interesting one to the people generally, that in the space of ten years, under territorial government, the Oregonians had four different governors—Joseph Lane of Indiana, appointed in 1848; John P. Gaines of Kentucky, appointed in 1850; John W. Davis of Indiana, appointed in 1853; and George Law Curry of Philadelphia, appointed in 1854.

General John P. Gaines was a man of ability, distinction, and an honorable military record, having been a soldier in the war of 1812, and winning laurels in the war against Mexico.

Governor Davis was a physician by profession, born in Pennsylvania, moving to Indiana, got into the legislature, became speaker of the house, was three times elected to congress and twice president of the national democratic convention before coming to Oregon.

Governor Curry was born in Philadelphia in 1820 of a distinguished family and emigrated to St. Louis in 1843, and to Oregon in 1846. His first connection with the government was that of secretary of the territory, and became governor in the November following the resignation of Governor Davis, and discharged the duties of the office with credit and ability until the state was admitted to the Union in 1859. Curry county was named in his honor. He died July 28, 1878, leaving four sons, three of which R. B., N. B., and William still reside in this city.

Of all the other territorial officials appointed from Washington city, three only attained prominence and distinction in the history of the state; and these three were territorial judges. Matthew P. Deady, George H. Williams and William Strong largely influenced and controlled the destinies of Oregon. Justice Deady attained a national reputation as a jurist, and was for some years the dean of the United States judiciary. And he was in more respects than length of service the greatest man on the federal bench. Although fearless and incorruptible, he loved his high office for its sacred duty of rendering justice