THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
Oregon Historical Society.
[The Quarterly disavows responsibility for the positions taken by contributors to its pages.]
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY FREDERICK V. HOLMAN, AS PRESIDENT OF THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AT ITS ANNUAL MEETING HELD AT PORTLAND, OREGON, DECEMBER 19, 1908.
The Discovery and Exploration of the Fraser River.
The dedication of a monument to Simon Fraser at New Westminster, British Columbia, on the thirtieth of September, 1908, in honor of his exploration of the Fraser River, in 1808, recalls a most daring achievement. It is an historic event of great interest and of importance in the history of British Columbia and of the original Oregon Country. The Fraser and the Columbia are the only rivers which break through that great range of mountains which starts near the Gulf of California, and is known in that State as the Sierra Nevada, and continues through Oregon and Washington as the Cascade Mountains. This range of mountains finally disappears in British Columbia.
Four Important Historical Events.
In historical importance this exploration by Simon Fraser should be considered as one of four notable events in con-
