1837 -William Slacum's spy visit
Petitions for a Priest
The French Canadians on French Prairie sent petitions to the Bishop of Juliopolis [at Red River which is now Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada]. They requested priests be sent to minister to their religious needs. The second and third of their petitions are presented below. The spelling and punctuation is not changed from the original letters.
Source: Letters to the Bishop of Juliopolis, Red River from the Willamette Settlement, March 22, 1836 and March 8, 1837. Mss 83, Catholic Church in Oregon, Oregon Historical Society, Oregon, Portland, Oregon.
1836 Petition
Willammeth March 22 1836
To the Bishop of Juliopoles
Reverend sir
We received youre kind Letter last fall wich gave us Much pleasure and ease to our minds for it has been a Long time since we have heard the Likes of it it has Gave us a new heart since we recived youre kinde instructions to us we will do oure Best indeavours to instruct oure fammilies to youre wishes still Living in hopes of some Speady releafe wich we are Looking for with eager hearts for the day to Come since we Recived youre kinde Letter we have beGun to Build and to make some preperations to Recive oure kinde father wich we hope that oure Laboure will not be in vaine for you know oure sittewations better than oure selves for Some of us stand in greate Neade of youre Assistance as quick as posible
We have nothing to Right to you about the Country but that the farms are All in a very thriving state and produces fine Crops We have sent theis few Lines to you hoping that that it will not trouble you to much for Righting so quick to you but the Country is setteling slowley and oure Children are Learning very fast wich make us very eager for youre assistance wich we hope by Gods helpe will be very sone oure prayers will be for his safe Arivele We have sent you a List of the families that Are at preasent in the settelment so no more preasant from youre humble servants
Joseph Jarvay, 7 children
Xaviar Laderout, 1 child
Eken Luceay, 6 children
Peare Belleck, 3 children
Charles Rondo, 3 children
Charles Plant, 4 children
Pear Depo, 1 child
Andrey Pecor, 4 children
Joseph Delar, 5 children
Luey Fourcy, 3 children
Lamab Erquet, 3 children
Jean Bt Perrault, 2 children
Joseph Desport, 3 children
Andrey Longten, 4 children
John Bt Desportes, 8 children
William Johnson, 2 children
Charlo Chata
William McCarty
Etienne Laferte
Louis Labonte
1837 Petition
Willammeth March the 8 1837
Revernd sir we have taken this Oppertunity to Rite to you hoping this Will meate you on youre way to oure Settlement for we are waiting with Greate Angsitty for youre Arivall wich we have beane Looking for this some time since we have had the Pleasure of Reciving youre kinde Letter Wich Gave us Greate encouragement But we finde the time very Long Reverend sir you will think us very troublesom But we hope you will excuese us for We have musch of Neede of some assistance from you for we have allmost Every Relgion butoure own Wich you know Revernd sir with oute youre Assistance wen we are surounded by every one it will be very hard for us to bring oure familyes up to oure owne Religeon Wen theire is so maney others around them We are girnging oure familyes us as well As we posible Can But not so well as We would wish We have built a bedend to receve the Gentlemean that should please to Come wich will be a hapy Day for us we still remaine youre humbe Servants
Willammeth Settlers
Pear Belleck [Pierre Beleque]
Joseph Desportes
Charlow Chayta
Andrey Long[tain]
John Bt Desportes McK[ay]
Atoain Lafourty [Etienne Laferte]
Jonva Ladroute [Xavier Laderoute]
Joseph Jarvay [Joseph Gervais]
Charls Plant
Charls Rondo
Joseph Delor
John Bt Pearone [Perrault]
Louey Labounty [Louis Labonte]
Louey Foursey [Louis Fourcier]
Peare Depo [Pierre depot]
Lamab Erquert [Amable Arcouet]
Etien Luceay [EtienneLucier]
Name
of
Settler
1838
priest
petition
Children
in
1837
Slacum's
list in
1838
When
farm
begun
Number
of
Houses
Fenced
Acres
Tilled
Acres
Wheat
Crop
(bu.)
Horses Hogs Amable Arcouet * 3 * 1833 2 80 50 600 5 31 Pierre Beleque * 3 * 1833 2 50 45 700 9 28 Charlo Chata * ? ? ? ? ? ? Joseph Delard * 5 * 1832 2 28 28 280 11 28 Pierre Depot * 1 * 1833 2 40 35 500 8 39 Joseph Desport * ? ? ? ? ? ? John Bt Desportes * 3 ? ? ? ? ? ? Louis Fourcier * 3 * 1835 1 34 34 540 9 10 Joseph Gervais * 7 * 1832 3 125 65 1000 19 55 William Johnson * 2 * 1834 2 45 25 300 2 14 Louis Labonte * ? ? ? ? ? ? Xavier Laderoute * 1 * 1834 2 36 36 350 11 35 Etienne Laferte * ? ? ? ? ? ? Andre Longtain * 4 * 1835 2 45 24 400 3 33 Etienne Lucier * 6 * 1832 4 70 45 740 21 45 William McCarty * ? ? ? ? ? ? Jean Baptiste McRoy * 1831 3 69 35 556 33 22 Jean Bt Perrault * 2 * 1832 3 80 60 500 4 20 Andre Picard * ? ? ? ? ? ? Charles Plante * 4 * 1835 2 60 60 800 12 14 Charles Rondo * 3 * 1836 1 24 24 200 9 10
Table prepared by Gerald S. Lenzen for his speech,
"The French-Canadians, Oregon's First Settlers."
The Priests Came
The priests did come. The church registers that they kept have been translated and abstracted and completely indexed.They provide much information on the French Canadians, the Native Americans, and Oregon Trail pioneers. The books are available from the St. Paul Mission Historical Society.
Visit from a Spy
On December 18, 1837, Lt. William A. Slacum of the US Navy, presented the US government with a claim for his services in obtaining information about the Oregon settlements. He based his claim on the four days in January 1837 that he spent touring French Prairie.
French Prairie is the area north of Salem, centering around St. Paul, Oregon. In 1837, the area was under joint occupancy which meant both the US and the British governments had an interest in it. Slacum could be considered a "spy" for the US.
Slacum described the land that he saw.
"For a distance of 250 miles in extent by 40 in breadth, including both sides the river, (6,500,000 acres) the land is of the most superior quality, rich alluvial deposite, yielding in several instances the first year 50 bushels of fine wheat to the acre. The general aspect of the plains is prairie, but well interspersed with woodlands, presenting the most beautiful scenery imaginable."
He concluded that the "Willhamette" was the finest grazing country in the world. In 1818, the Hudson Bay Company had one bull and two cows. In 1836, they had upwards of 1,000 head of neat cattle.
Slacum felt that a large cargo of wheat could be obtained from the Willhamette [sic] settlers and sold in the Sandwich Islands [Hawaii], the Russian settlements at Norfolk sound [Alaksa] or in Peru. However, the farmers, all retired employees of the Hudson's Bay Company, were loyal to Canada.
Slacum's report provided encouragement for settlers from the United States to migrate to Oregon.
Slacum found Ewing Young, who was not a French-Canadian, was building a distillery. Rev. Jason Lee of the Methodist Mission had established a temperance society to work on preventing Young from completing it. Young explained that he had to make and sell whisky in order to buy supplies from Fort Vancouver.
Source: Memorial of William A. Slacum Praying Compensation for his services in obtaining information in relation to the settlements on the Oregon river. December 18, 1837. (Fairfield, WA: Ye Galleon Press, 1972).
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Connie Lenzen, CG