THE PETER SKENE OGDEN JOURNALS
Editorial Notes by T. C. Elliott
Readers of the Oregon Historical Quarterly for December, 1909, in which the first of this series of Journals was published, will recall that Mr. Ogden reached Ft. Vancouver from his second expedition to the Snake Country on the 17th of July, 1826; that he had returned by way of the Willamette, having crossed Central Oregon from East to West and the Cascade Range of mountains by one of the middle passes, probably that at the head of the Santiam river. Having had but twelve days' vacation at Ft. Nez Ferces the previous year Mr. Ogden had earned his two months of rest during this summer of 1826; and also probably enjoyed this his first visit to the new (and original) Ft. Vancouver which Dr. McLoughlin had built since the winter of 1824-5, the location of which was upon the high ground back of and about one-fourth mile East of the second stockade and buildings which were begun in 1828. His personal acquaintance with Dr. McLoughlin, who was eleven years his senior in years and with whom he was intimately associated all the remainder of his life, up to this time had been very slight.
We now find Mr. Ogden at The Dalles on September 19th, 1826, ready to start upon his third expedition of trapping and exploration, the indomitable Thos. McKay with him of course, and a party of thirty-five men which was a little later increased to forty-three, and the necessary horses over one hundred in number. The native families of these men and probably some native trappers also seem not to have been included in this enumeration.
Mr. Finan (also and more properly spelled Finnan) McDonald of the previous year's party has meantime departed with his family for the Red River country, as we learn from
