The incipient attempts of the French Canadians in the valley of the Willamette can scarcely be called the beginning of Oregon settlement, although they did so begin and effect permanent work. The object of such a movement must be considered, no less than the result; the object, and the action taken toward its consummation. The organization of a commonwealth, or the establishing of empire, was not among the purposes of the fur company's servants; they desired simply retirement, with ease and plenty. And
benevolent action, where unlimited supplies could be produced as required; hence they here struck the first blow for the Oregon missions, and here began the arduous toil of elevating the heathen. This will do very well for Daniel, though his reasoning is not all of the soundest. White, Ten Years in Or., 125, says that 'Lee's object seemed principally to introduce a better state of things among the white settlers… He had originally been sent out to labor among the Flathead Indians, and passing through the country leaving them far to the right, went on to the Willamette, intending to spend there a winter before proceeding to his destination. He found the mild equable climate, and society, though small, of whites, more congenial to his habits than anything he could expect in the section to which he had been sent. Thinking that he discovered signs of the colony becoming an extensive and valuable field of usefulness, and that, for various reasons, the Flatheads had less claim upon missionary efforts than had been supposed, he determined to assume the responsibility and commence a mission on the Willamette.' It is but fair to state in this connection that at the time this paragraph was written and printed White and Janson Lee were not on the best of terms. Gray, Hist. Or., 157, finds a reason in the selfish report of the Hudson's Bay Company, which led them 'to believe that the Flathead tribe, who had sent their messengers for teachers, were not only a small, but a very distant tribe, and very disadvantageously situated for the establishment and support of a missionary,' and which induced them to turn their attention to the lower Columbia. This is only partially true. McLoughlin did advise the Lees to settle in the Willamette Valley, but not for the reason named. I shall have occasion to refer again to McLoughlin's views upon this subject in a subsequent chapter. The fact must be taken into account that Daniel Lee wrote after nine years of Oregon life. It is easy to see that when he talks of the wants of the whole country, present and prospective, he must have had more than two or three weeks' experience of it; and it must have been better known to him than it could have been by a voyage down the Columbia and a ride of 60 miles afterward through a wilderness. It can hardly be doubted that when Jason Lee came to see, as he did in his journey across the continent, how much less interesting a being was the real Indian than the one pictured upon the warm imagination of the missionary society, his intuitions came into play, and his fund of good sense and reason made it apparent to him that the task he had undertaken was of too large proportions for even his strength to accomplish. He was on the ground, however, on Oregon territory, and he would do the best he could to fulfil the intentions of those who had sent him, without entirely sacrificing himself and his associates. There were Indians enough, not to mention half-breeds and white men, in the Willamette Valley, who needed the teachings of the gospel; and here he would remain, within reach of civilized society and the protection of the friendly fort.
