within the boundaries of Oregon. Jefferson had remembered the conversations with Ledyard; he, too, had become an enthusiast, not alone in the trade of the Northwest, but even more in the geographical problems that were connected with it. Unable at first to interest explorers in the enterprise, he was able, when he became president, to realize a long cherished desire. It was his influence, therefore, that set in motion an expedition to explore the interior of the country. At the same time that the English were pushing to the west in the northern latitudes Lewis and Clark were commissioned to explore the Louisiana territory, and to continue their journey to the Pacific Ocean. Successful in their mission, the year 1805 found them in winter camp at Clatsop beach busily engaged in writing the notes of their expedition, which was to give to the world for the first time its knowledge of the basin of the Columbia.[1] This was another stimulus to the development of Oregon. Soon renewed efforts were made to utilize the fur trade in a manner more thorough. The profits of the maritime trade, though still great, were declining. The methods pursued were wasteful of the animal life. A better method was necessary if the fur resources were to be conserved and be the aid, which they had promised to be, in the trade with China.
In this new development of resources Boston was to give place to New York. The effort of Nathan Winship to establish a trading post within the country, some distance from the mouth of the Columbia, was unsuccessful, and John Jacob Astor was destined to lead in the further development. A German by birth, he was an American by residence and interest. A fur trader by instinct, he loved the very smell and feeling of the furs. Largely
- ↑ Journal of Lewis and Clark.
