Dr. John McLoughlin, chief factor at Fort Vancouver (1824-45) and the strongest arm of the Hudson's Bay Company in a colonial Pacific Northwest, was a man easily mythologized yet poorly known. The man now called "The Father of Oregon," was cast out first by his company and later deserted by the pioneers he had unstintingly aided. Born in 1784 in a village near Quebec, John McLoughlin found himself between two worlds throughout his life. The son of an illiterate Catholic farmer and a well-born Protestant mother, he had just ...
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Dr. John McLoughlin, chief factor at Fort Vancouver (1824-45) and the strongest arm of the Hudson's Bay Company in a colonial Pacific Northwest, was a man easily mythologized yet poorly known. The man now called "The Father of Oregon," was cast out first by his company and later deserted by the pioneers he had unstintingly aided. Born in 1784 in a village near Quebec, John McLoughlin found himself between two worlds throughout his life. The son of an illiterate Catholic farmer and a well-born Protestant mother, he had just completed his training as a doctor, when an offense he gave to a British soldier made it prudent for the eighteen-year-old to leave Quebec quickly. He struck out for the fur country as a company doctor and clerk. A skilled leader, he advanced through posts in the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. He came to the Pacific Northwest in 1824 with his family, where he established the HBC headquarters at Fort Vancouver. From here he monitered HBC interests from California to Alaska. Known for his compassion and blistering temper, he kept peace, made money for the company, and defended HBC (British) interests in the region. He assisted starving, exhausted, Oregon Trail settlers, maintaining even relations with them while America and Great Britain decide the prickly question of national bounderies. In 1845, during a year of great personal tragedies, he was maneuvered out of his position by forces within the HBC through a massive business reorganization. After leaving the company, he built a home on a land claim in Oregon City, became a citizen of the United States, and ran several businesses of his own. Yet, he was painted as a "foreigner" who had profited from the destitution of the first pioneers. A law passed by Congress in 1850 confirmed all claims except McLoughlin's and he lost his estate. Prior to his death in 1857, he said, "I might better have been shot 40 years ago than to have lived here and try to build up a family and estate in this government." Dorothy Morrison's comprehensive biography takes a fresh view of this complex and passionate man whose personal story illuminates the history of the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. Over 100 illustrations and 6 maps enhance this epic story.
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Seller's Description:
As new in as new jacket. An as new, stated first edition in an as new dust jacket. Fine. xx, 641 pages: illustrations, maps. Octavo. From the private collection of noted attorney, sailor, and sometime cowboy, Joshua L. Soske Jr. "This biography of Dr. John McLoughlin (1784-1857) illuminates the enigmatic man now called the father of Oregon. As head of the Hudson Bay Company's Fort Vancouver and later as a US citizen, McLoughlin aided Oregon Trail settlers, but the British company and some settlers proved unappreciative. The book includes a rare daguerreotype of McLoughlin, maps, and other illustrations from both US and Canadian collections."-Publisher's website TOC: Prologue: The House Canada Chapter 1. Quebec 1. The Litigious Frasers, 1746-1778 2. Across the St. Lawrence, 1778-1798 3. A Very Young Doctor, 1798-1803 4. To the Fur Country, 1803 Chapter 2. Lords of the Lakes and Forests 1. The Fur Companies, 1600-1803 2. Fort Kaministiquia, 1803 3. An Apprentice Again, 1803-1808 4. Brother David, 1808-1811 5. Physician-Clerk, 1808-1814 Chapter 3. The Great Fur War 1. The Honourable Company, 1670-1812 2. Lord Selkirk's Colony, 1803-1815 3. The Battle of Seven Oaks, 1815-1816 4. The Storming of Fort William, 1815-1818 5. The End of an Era, 1819-1821 6. Coalition, 1821-1824 The Pacific Northwest Chapter 4. To the Columbia 1. John Jacob Astor's Company, 1810-1824 2. Over the Stony Mountains, 1824 3. Winter at Fort George, 1824-1825 Chapter 5. The Early Years 1. Up the River, 1825 2. The First Fort Vancouver, 1825-1828 3. The Snake Brigade, 1825-1829 4. Ships and Their Captains, 1825-1828 5. Establishing Peace, 1828-1829 Chapter 6. The Second Fort Vancouver 1. The Grand Emporium, 1825-1829 2. An Immensity of Trouble, 1829-1830 3. The Intermittent Fever, 1830-1832 4. Moving North, 1829-1834 5. My Son John, 1825-1834 Chapter 7. The End of Isolation 1. The Boston Ice Man, 1832-1836 2. The Macedonian Cry, 1834-1840 3. The Reverend Beaver, 1836-1838 4. Bonneville, Kelley, and Young, 1834-1836 5. The Willamette Cattle Company, 1836-1838 6. Sails and Steam, 1834-1838 7. Daughters and Sons, 1832-1838 Oregon Chapter 8. The Winds of Change 1. McLoughlin in England, 1838-1839 2. Reaching Out, 1839-1840 3. "The Germe of a Great State, " 1838-1840 4. The Stirring of Government, 1841 5. An American Lieutenant, 1841 6. Golden California, 1839-1841 Chapter 9. Stikine 1. Upheaval, 1841-1842 2. Oahu, 1842 3. A Rack to One's Feeling, 1842-1843 Chapter 10. The American Dream. 1. Williamette Valley, 1842 2. The Wolf Meetings, 1842-1843 3. Champoeg, 1843 4. The Provisional Government, 1843 5. The First Great Immigration, 1843 6. The Oregon City Land Claim, 1829-1844 Chapter 11. The Fall 1. On His Own, 1844-1845 2. Yerba Buena, 1841-1845 3. Joining Hands, 1845 4. The Trap, 1845 Chapter 12. The City Beside the Falls 1. Starting Over, 1846-1847 2. The Boundary Treaty, 1846-1847 3. An American Citizen, 1847-1849 4. The Companionship of Adders, 1849-1851 5. A Dieu, 1850-1857 6. Last Things.
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Fair. Condition: ACCEPTABLE-Used book in acceptable condition. Cover may include stickers/heavy wear. Heavy wear on pages, heavy highlighting/writing on pages, staining, and moisture damage (rippling/warping). All orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations-can take up to 14 business days from first scan to be delivered. The dust jacket has creased and curled corners. The dust jacket has tears.