Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/88

56 The purchase of Louisiana and the great exploring expedition which followed the purchase is unique and unexampled in the history of mankind. After more than a century of enlightenment, consideration and development of this vast region, the momentous influences and consequences of that great transaction, are not fully comprehended to this day. Vast regions and great nations, even those with more or less of what we call civilization, have in the history of the world, passed under the dominion of overwhelming military power, and lingered in decay or gone down to oblivion. But here is an Empire of natural wealth in a vast region claimed and owned by the then foremost military power on the globe, quietly, speedily and with a friendly hand passing over to the youngest member of the family of nations, to be by it, in its inexperience in government, ruled and developed for the happiness and blessing of mankind. Not only does this ruling military power of the world, led and ruled by the most successful and brilliant soldier in the history of mankind, turn over this empire of rich territory to the keeping of the young republic of the west, but a greater power than the wealth and resources of the land goes with it—the power to rule two great oceans and dictate the peace of the world. Of the two master minds that wrought this great work, one has been denounced as an infidel, and everything that was dangerous to the well being of his fellowman; while the other condemned throughout the world as an unprincipled adventurer to whom fickle fortune gave for an hour the evanescent glory of accidental success. Shall we dare say, that these two men did not consider the welfare of their fellow-man in this great transaction? Shall we say they wrought wiser than they knew? Or shall we concede that there is a Divinity that shapes our ends?

So that in tracing the steps of this unorthodox president in the great task of acquiring almost half the territory of the United States, and setting up therein, the ways, means and influences' of education and civilization, we may form some opinion of his real character and great work. Neither President Jefferson nor anybody else outside of the native Indians knew anything about the vast region which had been acquired. Exploration of it by competent observers was necessary to find out what the wilderness was worth. Captains, Lewis and Clark, organized their party of twenty-seven men and one Indian woman in the winter of 1803, and made their start for Oregon in the following spring of 1804. There were no steamboats in those days, and the ascent of the river from St. Louis to the Mandan Indian village on the Missouri river, almost one thousand miles as the river runs, above St. Louis, paddling and poling their boats up stream occupied nearly five months time. Of course the party stopped along the river to hunt game for their subsistence. But as game was everywhere in plenty, this could not have delayed them very much, which shows what a slow toilsome undertaking these men had entered upon. And it shows the vast changes in the country in a hundred years, where now railroad trains running on both sides of the river will whisk the traveler over an equal distance in one day.

On this up-river trip the volunteer explorers from Ohio and Kentucky found many animals they had never seen before. The vast numbers of buffalo, the antelope, mule deer, coyote, and prairie dog were all new to these men, and excited the wonder of both leaders and privates. With all the Indian tribes the explorers held councils, telling them of the changes of governors and of President Jefferson who was so anxious for their welfare. The Indians professed to be pleased with this news, and as the explorers distributed gifts, purported to come from the great father at Washington, the natives agreed to everything. They always did that when there was anything to be had by being good. It is scarcely possible that the Indians at that day had any idea of a government, or the exercise of control by one man over a vast population, traveling as they did wherever they pleased.