Star of Oregon (event)
Encyclopedia
The Star of Oregon episode of American
history began in 1840 and ended in 1843. This enterprise by pioneers in the Willamette Valley
of present-day Oregon
consisted of building a ship they named Star of Oregon
and then sailing it to California
in order to bring back cattle to Oregon Country
. The group was led by Joseph Gale
and received assistance from Captain Wilkes
of the United States Navy
prior to setting sail on the open ocean. These pioneers were able to procure nearly 4,000 head of cattle, sheep, and horses combined.
had brought over 600 head of cattle to Oregon via California. Prior to this, virtually all cattle in the region were owned by the Hudson's Bay Company
(HBC).
While the events of 1837 had broken the HBC’s monopoly, much of the cattle were owned by a select few such as Ewing Young
, John McLoughlin
, and the Methodist Mission
.
The independent settlers of the Willamette Valley were left in the same situation as before, so they met and came up with a plan to alleviate their need for cattle. This group of pioneers decided to build a ship, sail it to California, trade the ship there for cattle, and then drive the cattle overland back to Oregon. In the early stages Joseph Gale
, as an experienced sailor, was asked to assist on the project and serve as captain once they got further along in the building.
. There the ship was built under the guidance of Felix Hathaway
, a ship’s carpenter. On May 19, 1841, the ship was launched into the water, but only after Hathaway left the project for the lack of pay. Construction then moved upriver to Oak Island to complete the vessel.
As the area lacked many industries at the time, supplies were difficult to acquire. This was made more difficult when the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Doctor John McLoughlin denied the shipbuilders the ability to purchase supplies from Fort Vancouver
. McLoughlin refused, claiming that he did not think the boat would be seaworthy and even if it was able to set sail that the owners may attempt piracy
with the ship. Therefore the builders covertly procured supplies elsewhere, mainly through buying from other settlers. Additionally, the Methodist Mission
’s blacksmith Josiah Lamberson Parrish
would make metal spikes needed for the ship, plus Thomas J. Hubbard
also made spikes for the ship.
As construction progressed, the builders needed more a more materials to complete the boat. Coincidentally, in the summer of 1841 Captain Wilkes
of the United States Navy
arrived on the Columbia as part of the United States Exploring Expedition
. While inland, he learned of the construction of the ship and the plans of the builders. Wilkes then impressed upon McLoughlin to change his position regarding the sale of supplies to the builders, including an offer to pay for any supplies the Americans were unable to buy. With this, McLoughlin then allowed the ship builders to buy the remaining items needed, namely canvas and rigging.
Even with a seaworthy craft, the builders also needed to get official papers to allow them to freely sail the ocean. Once again Captain Wilkes was able to provide this necessity, but not before testing Captain Gale on his sailing and navigation skills. Gale passed the test, and Wilkes presented papers to the crew along with a compass, kedge anchor, log line, two log glasses, and an American flag.
As October approached, the builders stopped for the winter. The next year, 1842, the ship was completed in August and Gale began training his crew as they sailed down the Willamette River.
They named the completed vessel Star of Oregon
, after which ship and crew set sail for California. The enterprise left the Willamette River on August 29, 1842 sailing by Fort Vancouver. As the ship progressed down the Columbia Captain Gale continued training the others on sailing. On September 12, the Star of Oregon left the Columbia and entered the open ocean. The day before Gale met with Captain John H. Couch
aboard Couch’s Chenamus when Couch offered to Gale advice and to lead the way out of the mouth.
.
Once in Yerba Buena, now San Francisco, the passenger Mr. Pfeffenhauser disembarked to continue his journey to find his relative Captain Sutter
. There the ship was sold to a Frenchman, Joseph Yves Limantour
, in a three way transaction. Limantour was in need of a new vessel since in October 1841, the merchant’s schooner Ayacucho had gone aground near Point Reyes
. However, Limantour did not have cattle, but General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
, Commander General of California, did have the cattle. Vallejo owned a substantial rancho in Sonoma
with plenty of cattle. So in the deal Vallejo received merchandise from Limantour, the Oregonians received 350 head of cattle from Vallejo, and Limantour got the ship. The vessel was then renamed the Jóven Fanita in honor of General Vallejo’s seven year old daughter, Epifania.
However, the Oregon crew did not immediately head back north, as Gale thought it best to wait the winter out and attempt to recruit more people for the overland journey. Kilbourne then dropped out and decided to stay. Meanwhile, Gale sent out several circulars to attempt to recruit more people to settle in Oregon. Once spring came and the crew gathered at Cash Creek there were now a total of 42 people ready to head north to Oregon Country
.
This party started north with 1,250 head of cattle, 600 horses and mules, and 3,000 sheep. The journey overland took 75 days, and in mid May 1843, they arrived back in the Willamette Valley
of the Oregon Country.
of Oregon a few months later as one of three members of the executive committee
at the Champoeg Meetings
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history began in 1840 and ended in 1843. This enterprise by pioneers in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
of present-day Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
consisted of building a ship they named Star of Oregon
Star of Oregon (ship)
The Star of Oregon was a schooner sailing vessel of the mid-19th century used on the west coast of North America. It was the first American sailing ship built in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. Pioneer settlers built the ship from 1840 to 1842 in order to sail it to California and exchange it...
and then sailing it to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in order to bring back cattle to Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
. The group was led by Joseph Gale
Joseph Gale
Joseph Goff Gale was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country...
and received assistance from Captain Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
prior to setting sail on the open ocean. These pioneers were able to procure nearly 4,000 head of cattle, sheep, and horses combined.
Background
In 1837 the Willamette Cattle CompanyWillamette Cattle Company
The Willamette Cattle Company was formed in 1837 by pioneers in the Willamette Valley of present day Oregon, United States. The company was formed with the express purpose of purchasing cattle in California to bring to Oregon Country...
had brought over 600 head of cattle to Oregon via California. Prior to this, virtually all cattle in the region were owned by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
(HBC).
While the events of 1837 had broken the HBC’s monopoly, much of the cattle were owned by a select few such as Ewing Young
Ewing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
, John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
, and the Methodist Mission
Oregon Mission
The Oregon Mission began as an effort by the Methodist Episcopal Church to convert the native Indians of the far west to Christianity. This mission, under the leadership of Jason Lee, largely failed in its initial goal, but played a significant role in the westward expansion of the United States...
.
The independent settlers of the Willamette Valley were left in the same situation as before, so they met and came up with a plan to alleviate their need for cattle. This group of pioneers decided to build a ship, sail it to California, trade the ship there for cattle, and then drive the cattle overland back to Oregon. In the early stages Joseph Gale
Joseph Gale
Joseph Goff Gale was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country...
, as an experienced sailor, was asked to assist on the project and serve as captain once they got further along in the building.
Ship construction
Construction of the ship began in 1840 on Swan Island in present-day Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. There the ship was built under the guidance of Felix Hathaway
Felix Hathaway
Felix Hathaway was an American carpenter and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New England, he settled in the Oregon Country where he helped construct the first American-built ship in what became the state of Oregon...
, a ship’s carpenter. On May 19, 1841, the ship was launched into the water, but only after Hathaway left the project for the lack of pay. Construction then moved upriver to Oak Island to complete the vessel.
As the area lacked many industries at the time, supplies were difficult to acquire. This was made more difficult when the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Doctor John McLoughlin denied the shipbuilders the ability to purchase supplies from Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
. McLoughlin refused, claiming that he did not think the boat would be seaworthy and even if it was able to set sail that the owners may attempt piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
with the ship. Therefore the builders covertly procured supplies elsewhere, mainly through buying from other settlers. Additionally, the Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
’s blacksmith Josiah Lamberson Parrish
Josiah Lamberson Parrish
Reverend Josiah Lamberson Parrish was an American missionary in Oregon Country and trustee of the Oregon Institute at its founding. A native of New York, he also participated in the Champoeg Meetings that led to the formation of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843...
would make metal spikes needed for the ship, plus Thomas J. Hubbard
Thomas J. Hubbard
Thomas Jefferson Hubbard was an Oregon pioneer and politician who was acquitted of murder charges in the first American murder trial in what is now the state of Oregon. At the trial the murder was determined to be justifiable homicide....
also made spikes for the ship.
As construction progressed, the builders needed more a more materials to complete the boat. Coincidentally, in the summer of 1841 Captain Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
arrived on the Columbia as part of the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
. While inland, he learned of the construction of the ship and the plans of the builders. Wilkes then impressed upon McLoughlin to change his position regarding the sale of supplies to the builders, including an offer to pay for any supplies the Americans were unable to buy. With this, McLoughlin then allowed the ship builders to buy the remaining items needed, namely canvas and rigging.
Even with a seaworthy craft, the builders also needed to get official papers to allow them to freely sail the ocean. Once again Captain Wilkes was able to provide this necessity, but not before testing Captain Gale on his sailing and navigation skills. Gale passed the test, and Wilkes presented papers to the crew along with a compass, kedge anchor, log line, two log glasses, and an American flag.
As October approached, the builders stopped for the winter. The next year, 1842, the ship was completed in August and Gale began training his crew as they sailed down the Willamette River.
They named the completed vessel Star of Oregon
Star of Oregon (ship)
The Star of Oregon was a schooner sailing vessel of the mid-19th century used on the west coast of North America. It was the first American sailing ship built in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. Pioneer settlers built the ship from 1840 to 1842 in order to sail it to California and exchange it...
, after which ship and crew set sail for California. The enterprise left the Willamette River on August 29, 1842 sailing by Fort Vancouver. As the ship progressed down the Columbia Captain Gale continued training the others on sailing. On September 12, the Star of Oregon left the Columbia and entered the open ocean. The day before Gale met with Captain John H. Couch
John H. Couch
John Heard Couch was an American sea captain and pioneer in the Oregon Country in the 19th century. Often referred to as Captain Couch, he became famous for his singular skill at navigation of the mouth of the Columbia River. He is one of the early residents and founders of Portland,...
aboard Couch’s Chenamus when Couch offered to Gale advice and to lead the way out of the mouth.
Execution
Once on the ocean, Gale stayed at the helm for approximately 36 hours straight through the fog and rain. He wanted to sail out around 35 miles from the coast and then head south, this due to the ship’s lack of charts. While sailing south the ship nearly hit rocks as they cruised too close to shore in the fog. Then on September 17, 1842, the Star of Oregon and her crew reached San Francisco Bay. They stopped at the Old Presidio and presented their papers to the Mexican officials, who then allowed them to proceed to Yerba BuenaYerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
.
Once in Yerba Buena, now San Francisco, the passenger Mr. Pfeffenhauser disembarked to continue his journey to find his relative Captain Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
. There the ship was sold to a Frenchman, Joseph Yves Limantour
Joseph Yves Limantour
Joseph Yves Limantour was a French merchant who engaged in the California sea trade during the years preceding American occupation of that Mexican province in 1846...
, in a three way transaction. Limantour was in need of a new vessel since in October 1841, the merchant’s schooner Ayacucho had gone aground near Point Reyes
Point Reyes
Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...
. However, Limantour did not have cattle, but General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...
, Commander General of California, did have the cattle. Vallejo owned a substantial rancho in Sonoma
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
with plenty of cattle. So in the deal Vallejo received merchandise from Limantour, the Oregonians received 350 head of cattle from Vallejo, and Limantour got the ship. The vessel was then renamed the Jóven Fanita in honor of General Vallejo’s seven year old daughter, Epifania.
However, the Oregon crew did not immediately head back north, as Gale thought it best to wait the winter out and attempt to recruit more people for the overland journey. Kilbourne then dropped out and decided to stay. Meanwhile, Gale sent out several circulars to attempt to recruit more people to settle in Oregon. Once spring came and the crew gathered at Cash Creek there were now a total of 42 people ready to head north to Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
.
This party started north with 1,250 head of cattle, 600 horses and mules, and 3,000 sheep. The journey overland took 75 days, and in mid May 1843, they arrived back in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
of the Oregon Country.
Legacy
The enterprise brought the first Spanish merino sheep to Oregon, and allowed for greater economic independence of the pioneers. Gale was then elected to the provisional governmentProvisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
of Oregon a few months later as one of three members of the executive committee
Executive Committee (Oregon Territory)
An Executive Committee was the title of a three-person committee which served as the executive Branch of the Provisional Government of Oregon in the disputed Oregon Country. This arrangement was announced on July 5, 1843, after three months of study by the Provisional Legislature at Champoeg...
at the Champoeg Meetings
Champoeg Meetings
The Champoeg Meetings in Oregon Country were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest by United States European-American pioneers. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government was the Hudson's Bay Company, mainly through Dr...
.
Shipbuilding
Those participating in the construction of the vessel:- Known participants: George Davis, Henry Wood, Joseph Gale, Felix Hathaway, John Canan, Pleasant ArmstrongPleasant M. ArmstrongPleasant M. Armstrong was a pioneer in Oregon Country in an area that would become the state of Oregon, United States. He helped build a ship that was sailed to California to exchange for cattle, and voted at the May 2, 1843, Champoeg Meeting....
, Ralph Kilbourne, Jacob Green
Journey
- Known participants: Joseph Gale, John Canan, Pleasant Armstrong, Ralph Kilbourne, Jacob Green.
- Passenger: Charles Pfeffenhauser