for us to consider this claim. Still, there could be no termination of the dispute till the slow migration of our people to the Oregon country gradually established American influence here; and finally the considerable migration of 1843 gave the Americans a decided preponderance, especially in the country south of the Columbia. But the boundary question dragged along, the British claiming as far south as the Columbia and we claiming as far north as fifty-four-forty, till the final settlement in the year 1846.
The hibernation of the Lewis and Clark party at Fort Clatsop is a familiar story here, especially, since so many of the people have visited the spot and are perfectly acquainted with the surroundings. It is known, of course, that the party first encamped on the north side; but exposure to winter's winds caused them to seek a more sheltered position on the south side, to which they removed about one month after their arrival. From the journal of Captain Lewis we ascertain that rain sometimes fell here, even before there was an official Weather Bureau to guage it. The country round and about is very fully and accurately described in the journal. It is hoped that the site of Fort Clatsop may be acquired for the State. Officials of the State Historical Society have visited it, and some negotiation has been had concerning it. The spot where salt was made by evaporation of sea water for use during the winter and for the return journey has been identified and inclosed. It is in Seaside Grove, between the Necanicum and the ocean, and since identification the "salt cairn" is seen by everyone who visits Clatsop Beach.
Hitherto the journal of Lewis and Clark with its descriptions of the country as it was then, of the Indians and their mode of life, has been too little studied by our people. It should be in all our libraries; knowledge of it is indispensable to any fair comprehension of the basis of our history. It should be studied as the "Anabasis" of the Western World. We are coming to the first centennial of this expedition and intend to celebrate it; but we shall not know much about it, unless we study the journal of Lewis and Clark. Oregon is
