his undoing.
JOSEPH R. WILSON. DR. JOHN MCLOUGHLIN.
Dr. John McLoughlin, his title having been for years used as though a part of his name, is the most conspicuous man of Oregon's true pioneer period. He was born in Parish le Riviere du Loup, Canada. His paternal grandfather, born in Parish Desertagney, Ireland, immigrated to Canada, married there, and his son John was the father of Dr. John McLoughlin. The maiden name of the mother of Dr. John McLoughlin was Angelique Eraser, born in parish of Beaumont, Canada. Her father was Malcolm Fraser, a Scotch highlander, a member of the well known Scotch family, or clan of that name. A relative of hers was General Fraser, one of Burgoyne's principal officers, who was killed in the battle of Saratoga, October 7, 1777. Her father, as a lieutenant in the regular British army, took part in the capture of Quebec, under General Wolfe. At the time of his retirement from the army and settlement in Canada, he was a captain in the Eighty-fourth regiment of the British regular army. He was the first seigneur of Mt. Murray, Canada.
Dr. John McLoughlin's father was accidentally drowned in the St. Law- rence river, while the former was a child. He and his brother David were brought up in the home of their maternal grandfather. He was educated in Canada and Scotland and became a physician while still very young and did not long practice his profession. He joined the Northwest Company and his ability soon made him prominent. When the Northwest Company and the Hudson's Bay Company coalesced, in 1821, he was in charge of Fort William, situated on Lake Superior, the chief depot and factory of the Northwest Com- pany. Although he strenuously opposed the coalition of the two companies his ability was such that he was soon after appointed chief factor of all the Hud- son's Bay Company's business west of the Rocky mountains. In 1824 he ar- rived at Fort George (Astoria) near the mouth of the Columbia river, which was then the chief post of the company, west of the Rocky mountains. The next year he established the headquarters of the company at Fort Vancouver, now in the state of Washington. About the year 1830 he erected a new Fort Vancouver, about one mile distant from its first location. Here is now located the United State's military post known as Vancouver barracks. Dr. McLough- lin soon established a farm of about 3,cxx) acres near Fort Vancouver, on which were grown quantities of grain, principally wheat. He gradually developed a large herd of cattle. He constructed saw mills and flour mills near the fort and yearly shipped lumber to the Hawaiian islands and flour to Sitka. He es- tablished and maintained a number of trading forts and posts and made the part of the Hudson's Bay Company's business under his control the most profit- able of all its business in North America.
When he first came to Oregon the number of Indians in the country in which he had command is estimated at about one hundred thousand. At that time it was not safe for white men to travel except in large parties and heavily armed. In a few years there was practically no danger and small parties traveled safely in all parts of the country west of the Rocky mountains. This was due almost wholly to Dr. McLoughlin's personal qualities and his superb command and influence over men of all kinds. He was the autocrat of the country, yet ever tempered austerity with kindness, justice, and mercy. His subordinates and the Indians soon came to know that he was a man of his word whether it was for reward or punishment. He had no police or armed men, except the regular trade officers of the company and its employes and ser- vants. No one ever understood how to manage Indians better than he. Physic- ally he was a man of large frame and was fully six feet four inches in height. While comparatively a young man his hair became white. Usually his hair was worn long, reaching nearly to his shoulders. His mental qualities matched his magnificent physical proportions. He was fearless, just, and honorable. No
