12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



C,'hani|)(»cy was on the vit;lil liaiik (if the Willamette, at the northern 

 end of French I'rairie, the origin of which name was explained by 

 Bancroft/' who wrote (pp. 70-73) : 



As their terms of contract expired, the Hudson's Bay Company began to 

 retire its servants, giving them choice lands not too far removed from its 

 benign rule. This was the origin of the French Canadian settlements in the 

 beautiful Valley Willamette . . . French Prairie, the tract where the servants 

 of the fur company began tiieir planting in the Willamette Valley, extended 

 from the great westward bend of that river south to Lac La Biche about 

 twenty-five miles . . . The landing at the crossing of the Willamette on the 

 east side was known as Campement du Sable, being a sandy blufif and an 

 encampment at the point of arrival or departure for French Prairie. Two 

 miles above this point was Champoeg, the first settlement. 



The falls of the Willamette, when snrrounded by the primeval 

 forest and in its natural condition, was a place of great beauty. And 

 as it was here that many Indians from the scattered villages would 

 come to get their supply of salmon, it was likewise a place of great 

 importance to the native inhabitants of the valley. But about the 

 year 1840 a settlement was begun at the falls, Oregon City, and soon 

 all was changed, although the few remaining Indians continued to 

 take salmon at the falls, as others had done through generations. 



Two sketches by Gibbs, reproduced in plate 9, show the falls, and 

 Oregon City as it appeared in June 185 1. An Indian is portrayed 

 spearing fish from a canoe, another is seen standing on a fishing 

 stage, in the right center of the sketch, using a net at the foot of the 

 falls. Fish are also shown leaping from the water. The upper di"aw- 

 ing is a view of Oregon City with the falls just beyond. 



Oregon City was visited by Major Cross on October 5, 1849, 

 after the completion of the trip from Fort Leavenworth " and was 

 described in these words (pp. 227-228) : 



The city of Oregon is not a very prepossessing place in its appearance, for, 

 like all new places in the western country, the stumps and half-burnt trees lie 

 about in every direction. It is immediately at the Willamette Falls, hemmed 

 in by the river in front, and a ledge of rocks immediately in rear and very 

 close to the city. 



Leaving Oregon City, Gibbs evidently continued down the Wil- 

 lamette and next visited Fort Vancouver, which had been erected 

 during the years 1824-1825. Sketches of the fort, and one of 

 Columbia Barracks a short distance away, are shown in plates 10, 11. 



^"Bancroft, Hubert Howe, The works of . . . vol. 29, History of Oregon, 

 vol. I. San Francisco, 1886. 



"Op. cit. In 31st Congr., 2d Sess., Senate Fx. Doc. No. i, pt. 2, Washington, 

 1850. 



