Champoeg Meetings
Encyclopedia
The Champoeg Meetings in Oregon Country
were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest
by United States
European-American pioneers
. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government
was the Hudson's Bay Company
, mainly through Dr. John McLoughlin
at Fort Vancouver
in present day Vancouver, Washington
.
There were a series of meetings over three years held at Champoeg
on the French Prairie
along the Willamette River
in present day Marion County, Oregon
, beginning in 1841.
A small but growing number of pioneers were settling in the Willamette Valley where no Euro-American government was in place. With the death of prominent settler Ewing Young
in 1841, a group of settlers began to advocate for a settler run government in the region. These meetings at Champoeg culminated in a vote on May 2, 1843, with a vote of 52-50 in favor of forming what became the Provisional Government of Oregon
. Although primarily supported by the American
pioneers in the region, several French-Canadian settlers did vote in favor of forming the government. A state park and marker at the site of the May 2 vote commemorate the proceedings, as well as a large mural behind the desk of the Oregon Speaker of the House in the Oregon House of Representatives
chamber at the Oregon State Capitol
in Salem.
. Following behind these men were the trading posts set up by people such as John Jacob Astor
and those created by the Hudson's Bay Company, the primary forts being Fort Astoria
at the mouth of the Columbia River
and Fort Vancouver
near the confluence of the Willamette
and Columbia Rivers. At this time the region was claimed by a variety of European powers such as Spain, Russia, and Great Britain, along with the United States. In 1818, the United States and Britain signed a treaty
that called for the two countries to peaceably co-exist in the region, but not exclude other claims. Through a series of other treaties the number of countries claiming the Oregon Country was reduced to just two, the United States and Britain.
Britain and the U.S. continued the "joint occupation" as economic activity in the region continued to expand. In the 1830s missionaries
such as Jason Lee, Spaulding
, Marcus
and Narcissa Whitman
would also travel overland to Oregon Country and establish missions among the Native Americans. As time passed many of these trappers and missionaries settled the land and developed farms and other instruments of economy. Then in the 1840s more and more settlers arrived via the Oregon Trail
that the early missionaries and trappers helped to pioneer. Finally, enough Americans, Canadians and Europeans were living in this land, that by Western standards was considered ungoverned, that a critical mass was reached and the settlers began to develop plans for a government.
The majority of the meetings were held at the French-Canadian enclave of Champoeg
on the banks of the Willamette River. This part of the Willamette Valley
was and still is known as French Prairie
due to the early settlers speaking French as their first language. Some of the meetings were held at the Oregon Institute
(predecessor to Willamette University
) further south of Champoeg in present day Salem
and downriver in Oregon City
.
The Champoeg name itself has an unknown origin. Some theories are that it was the Native American's name for the spot along the Willamette River, originally Champooik. Other theories are that it is of French origin, or a French variation on the Native American term. The name would also be used as the name of one of the early districts of the government, later becoming Marion County, Oregon
.
. Young had accumulated much wealth as a successful rancher following the Willamette Cattle Company
events of 1837 when he and a group of other settlers herded over 600 head of cattle from California to Oregon.
This made him very wealthy and intertwined him economically with many of the other pioneers in the valley.
Young had died without a will or heir, thus necessitating a need for a probate court. The first meeting was on February 7, 1841, before Young died, followed by an additional meeting on February 17, 1841. Jason Lee
served as chairman for these meetings. The first meeting was a general meeting about the formation of some governing body, to which the need became more acute after Ewing Young's death.
of the U.S. government and Dr. McLoughlin
of the Hudson’s Bay Company concerning forming a government, the group was advised to wait on a government from the United States Congress
. Thus plans for provisional government fell through, and the October meeting was never held. However, the pioneers did decide to elect a few people to provide for a limited court system to deal mainly with the Ewing Young estate.
Doctor Ira Babcock
of the Methodist Mission
was elected as supreme judge with probate powers. Babcock was to use the laws of New York to probate any estates. Other positions created and filled by the group included: George Le Breton as Clerk of the Courts and Public Recorder; William Johnson as High Sheriff; William McCarty, Pierre Belleque
, and Havier Laderant as constables. The original government plans were considered top heavy and included a governor, an attorney general, justices of the peace
, road commissioners, and even two people to serve as overseers of the indigent.
Those who participated in these early meetings included François Norbert Blanchet, William J. Bailey, Mr. Charlevon, David Donpierre, Gustavus Hines
, William Johnson, Jason Lee
, Étienne Lucier
, Robert Moore
, Josiah Lamberson Parrish
, Sidney Smith, and David Leslie
.
at the Oregon Lyceum
pioneers debated the aspects of forming a government or forming an independent country. Those favoring an independent nation were led by the British faction and Dr. McLoughlin, while George Abernethy
led those opposed to a new country. Ultimately those favoring waiting for the United States to take ownership of the region won out in the debates. On September 22, 1842, Dr. Elijah White
organized and spoke at a meeting at Champoeg. His purpose was to inform the settlers that he had been commissioned by the United States War Department as a sub-Indian Agent. Additionally, he implied that the pioneers could select him as a magistrate for the region. However, White was not popular among the settlers and this led to additional discussions about forming a government.
On February 1, 1843, residents of the Willamette Valley met at the Oregon Institute
in present day Salem, Oregon
, to discuss the issue of predatory animals attacking livestock and create a system of bounties on those wild animals in the First Wolf Meeting. The Second Wolf Meeting took place on March 6, 1843, and set in motion the organizing of a provisional government. At this meeting bounties were set up to deal with the predatory animals that were attacking livestock. The last organizational meeting started May 2, 1843, where the pioneers voted on whether to create a provisional government. A mural of the 1843 meeting is on the wall in the House of Representatives in the Oregon State Capitol
Building in Salem, Oregon
.
Those voting for the creation of the provisional government:
Those voting against the creation of the provisional government:
After this vote, the people elected members for a legislative committee to draft a working government. The members selected were: Hill, Shortess, Newell, Beers, Hubbard, Gray, Moore, O’Neil, and Doughty.
Other offices elected on May 2:
The entire territory was then divided into four administrative districts: Tuality, Yam Hill, Clackamas, and Champoick. Tuality (also Twality, and later Washington County
) was the area north of the Yamhill Valley (all the way to present day Alaska
) and west of the Willamette River to the Pacific Ocean. Yam Hill (also Yamhill) was then south of Tuality all the way to the California
border and also west of the Willamette to the ocean. Clackamas (also Klackamas) was north of the Champoick district with a northern boundary of 54’40” and was then east of the Willamette to the Rocky Mountains. Champoick was the remainder of the area, south of Clackamas to California and east of the Willamette to the Rockies.
Adopted the original Organic Laws of Oregon
on July 5, 1843, that was modeled after the Ordinance of 1787 and Iowa
's Organic Law, laying out the framework for a working government with the three traditional branches of government. Designed to operate until another country extended its laws over the region, with the implication being that it would be the United States. This document was the de facto
first Oregon constitution.
with Joseph Gale
, David Hill
, and Alanson Beers
elected as the committee members to serve in place of a governor.
operated as a fully functioning government that taxed, built roads, authorized ferries, passed laws, and even waged war against some Native American tribes in the Cayuse War
following the Whitman Massacre
. Oregon's pioneers considered this government framework that was installed by the adopted Organic Laws of Oregon
to be their first constitution, although in 1844 the legislative committee specifically ruled the organic laws statutory
rather than constitutional
. Over the next few years the boundary dispute
with Great Britain
was settled in 1846, which reduced the area claimed as governed by the provisional government to that territory south of the 49th degree of latitude. Then a new territorial government was formed after 1848 when Oregon was added as an official United States territory
. The presidentially appointed governor of the Oregon Territory, Joseph Lane
, arrived March 3, 1849, and he officially ended the provisional government by declaring U.S. laws and government as in effect over the territory. Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state on February 14, 1859.
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
by United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
European-American pioneers
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
was the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, mainly through Dr. John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
at Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
in present day Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
.
There were a series of meetings over three years held at Champoeg
Champoeg, Oregon
Champoeg is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the Willamette Valley in the early 1840s. It is positioned halfway between Oregon City and Salem and the site of the first provisional government of the Oregon Country...
on the French Prairie
French Prairie
French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem...
along the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in present day Marion County, Oregon
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
, beginning in 1841.
A small but growing number of pioneers were settling in the Willamette Valley where no Euro-American government was in place. With the death of prominent settler Ewing Young
Ewing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
in 1841, a group of settlers began to advocate for a settler run government in the region. These meetings at Champoeg culminated in a vote on May 2, 1843, with a vote of 52-50 in favor of forming what became the Provisional Government of Oregon
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
. Although primarily supported by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pioneers in the region, several French-Canadian settlers did vote in favor of forming the government. A state park and marker at the site of the May 2 vote commemorate the proceedings, as well as a large mural behind the desk of the Oregon Speaker of the House in the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
chamber at the Oregon State Capitol
Oregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
in Salem.
Background
After Lewis & Clark’s journey through the region, leaving in 1806, others of European descent explored more and more of the land west of the Rockies. These first explorers were mainly mountain men engaged in the fur tradeFur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. Following behind these men were the trading posts set up by people such as John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
and those created by the Hudson's Bay Company, the primary forts being Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
at the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
and Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
near the confluence of the Willamette
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
and Columbia Rivers. At this time the region was claimed by a variety of European powers such as Spain, Russia, and Great Britain, along with the United States. In 1818, the United States and Britain signed a treaty
Treaty of 1818
The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, was a...
that called for the two countries to peaceably co-exist in the region, but not exclude other claims. Through a series of other treaties the number of countries claiming the Oregon Country was reduced to just two, the United States and Britain.
Britain and the U.S. continued the "joint occupation" as economic activity in the region continued to expand. In the 1830s missionaries
Oregon missionaries
The Oregon missionaries were collectively the religious-minded pioneers who settled in the Oregon Country of North America starting in the 1830s with the intent of converting local Native Americans to Christianity...
such as Jason Lee, Spaulding
Henry H. Spalding
Henry Harmon Spalding , and his wife Eliza Hart Spalding were prominent Presbyterian missionaries and educators working primarily with the Nez Perce in the U.S. Pacific Northwest...
, Marcus
Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman was an American physician and Oregon missionary in the Oregon Country. Along with his wife Narcissa Whitman he started a mission in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836, which would later become a stop along the Oregon Trail...
and Narcissa Whitman
Narcissa Whitman
Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was an American missionary in the Oregon Country of what would become the state of Washington. Along with Eliza Hart Spalding , she was the first European-American woman to cross the Rocky Mountains in 1836 on her way to found the Protestant Whitman Mission with husband Dr...
would also travel overland to Oregon Country and establish missions among the Native Americans. As time passed many of these trappers and missionaries settled the land and developed farms and other instruments of economy. Then in the 1840s more and more settlers arrived via the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
that the early missionaries and trappers helped to pioneer. Finally, enough Americans, Canadians and Europeans were living in this land, that by Western standards was considered ungoverned, that a critical mass was reached and the settlers began to develop plans for a government.
Location
Champoeg, Oregon
Champoeg is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the Willamette Valley in the early 1840s. It is positioned halfway between Oregon City and Salem and the site of the first provisional government of the Oregon Country...
on the banks of the Willamette River. This part of the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
was and still is known as French Prairie
French Prairie
French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem...
due to the early settlers speaking French as their first language. Some of the meetings were held at the Oregon Institute
Oregon Institute
The Oregon Institute was a school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European-Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mission, it was located in what is now Salem, Oregon, United...
(predecessor to Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
) further south of Champoeg in present day Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
and downriver in Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
.
The Champoeg name itself has an unknown origin. Some theories are that it was the Native American's name for the spot along the Willamette River, originally Champooik. Other theories are that it is of French origin, or a French variation on the Native American term. The name would also be used as the name of one of the early districts of the government, later becoming Marion County, Oregon
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
.
1841
In 1841 the early settlers found themselves in need of a government after the death of pioneer Ewing YoungEwing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
. Young had accumulated much wealth as a successful rancher following the Willamette Cattle Company
Willamette Cattle Company
The Willamette Cattle Company was formed in 1837 by pioneers in the Willamette Valley of present day Oregon, United States. The company was formed with the express purpose of purchasing cattle in California to bring to Oregon Country...
events of 1837 when he and a group of other settlers herded over 600 head of cattle from California to Oregon.
This made him very wealthy and intertwined him economically with many of the other pioneers in the valley.
Young had died without a will or heir, thus necessitating a need for a probate court. The first meeting was on February 7, 1841, before Young died, followed by an additional meeting on February 17, 1841. Jason Lee
Jason Lee (missionary)
Jason Lee , an American missionary and pioneer, was born on a farm near Stanstead, Quebec. He was the first of the Oregon missionaries and helped establish the early foundation of a provisional government in the Oregon Country....
served as chairman for these meetings. The first meeting was a general meeting about the formation of some governing body, to which the need became more acute after Ewing Young's death.
Decisions
The group decided on subsequent meetings to be held on August 1, 1841, and on the first Tuesday in October. The first of the two meetings was held, but after consulting with Commodore WilkesCharles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
of the U.S. government and Dr. McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
of the Hudson’s Bay Company concerning forming a government, the group was advised to wait on a government from the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Thus plans for provisional government fell through, and the October meeting was never held. However, the pioneers did decide to elect a few people to provide for a limited court system to deal mainly with the Ewing Young estate.
Doctor Ira Babcock
Ira Babcock
Doctor Ira Leonard Babcock was an American pioneer and doctor in the Oregon Country. A native of New York, he was selected as the supreme judge with probate powers in 1841 in what would become the state of Oregon...
of the Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
was elected as supreme judge with probate powers. Babcock was to use the laws of New York to probate any estates. Other positions created and filled by the group included: George Le Breton as Clerk of the Courts and Public Recorder; William Johnson as High Sheriff; William McCarty, Pierre Belleque
Pierre Belleque
Pierre Belleque was a French Canadian fur trader in the British claimed Columbia District, which was also known as the Oregon Country and also claimed by the United States. He settled on the French Prairie in what is now the state of Oregon where in 1843 he participated in the Champoeg Meetings...
, and Havier Laderant as constables. The original government plans were considered top heavy and included a governor, an attorney general, justices of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, road commissioners, and even two people to serve as overseers of the indigent.
Those who participated in these early meetings included François Norbert Blanchet, William J. Bailey, Mr. Charlevon, David Donpierre, Gustavus Hines
Gustavus Hines
Reverend Gustavus Hines was an American missionary in Oregon Country. Working for the Methodist Mission in what became the state of Oregon, the New York native became involved in early attempts to form a government at the Champoeg Meetings in 1841...
, William Johnson, Jason Lee
Jason Lee (missionary)
Jason Lee , an American missionary and pioneer, was born on a farm near Stanstead, Quebec. He was the first of the Oregon missionaries and helped establish the early foundation of a provisional government in the Oregon Country....
, Étienne Lucier
Étienne Lucier
Étienne Lucier was a fur trader in what is now the Pacific Northwest. At the time it was called the Oregon Country and claimed by the United States and called the Columbia District as claimed by Great Britain. He was one of two French Canadians to vote for the creation of a government for that...
, Robert Moore
Robert Moore (Oregon pioneer)
Robert Moore was an American politician and pioneer in the Oregon Country. A Pennsylvania native and veteran of the War of 1812, he also participated in the early movements to form a government in Oregon Country and founded Linn City, Oregon...
, Josiah Lamberson Parrish
Josiah Lamberson Parrish
Reverend Josiah Lamberson Parrish was an American missionary in Oregon Country and trustee of the Oregon Institute at its founding. A native of New York, he also participated in the Champoeg Meetings that led to the formation of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843...
, Sidney Smith, and David Leslie
David Leslie (Oregon politician)
Reverend David Leslie was an American missionary and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New Hampshire, he joined Jason Lee as a missionary at the Methodist Mission in the Oregon Country in 1836. In that region he participated in the early movement to start a government and his...
.
1842
In Oregon CityOregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
at the Oregon Lyceum
Oregon Lyceum
The Oregon Lyceum or Pioneer Lyceum and Literary Club was founded in Oregon City, Oregon Country around 1840. The forum was a prominent fixture for the leading pioneer settlers during its brief existence...
pioneers debated the aspects of forming a government or forming an independent country. Those favoring an independent nation were led by the British faction and Dr. McLoughlin, while George Abernethy
George Abernethy
George Abernethy was an American pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government in what would become the state of Oregon in the United States...
led those opposed to a new country. Ultimately those favoring waiting for the United States to take ownership of the region won out in the debates. On September 22, 1842, Dr. Elijah White
Elijah White
Dr. Elijah White was a missionary and agent for the United States government in Oregon Country during the mid-19th century. A trained physician from New York State, he first traveled to Oregon as part of the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley...
organized and spoke at a meeting at Champoeg. His purpose was to inform the settlers that he had been commissioned by the United States War Department as a sub-Indian Agent. Additionally, he implied that the pioneers could select him as a magistrate for the region. However, White was not popular among the settlers and this led to additional discussions about forming a government.
1843
Oregon Institute
The Oregon Institute was a school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European-Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mission, it was located in what is now Salem, Oregon, United...
in present day Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, to discuss the issue of predatory animals attacking livestock and create a system of bounties on those wild animals in the First Wolf Meeting. The Second Wolf Meeting took place on March 6, 1843, and set in motion the organizing of a provisional government. At this meeting bounties were set up to deal with the predatory animals that were attacking livestock. The last organizational meeting started May 2, 1843, where the pioneers voted on whether to create a provisional government. A mural of the 1843 meeting is on the wall in the House of Representatives in the Oregon State Capitol
Oregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
Building in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
.
Decisions
The settlers gathered voted on May 2 to create a provisional government with various powers to regulate the populace of the Oregon Country. The vote is recorded as 52 to 50 in favor of the creation of the government, but there is some controversy as to the accuracy of the count and who actually voted in favor of adoption (no controversy on a majority vote). The 52-50 vote account originally appeared in Joseph Meek's biography. The only surviving contemporary record simply notes "A great majority of those present" voted to form a government. The list below was created several decades after the vote, and after many of the participants were deceased.Those voting for the creation of the provisional government:
- Pleasant M. ArmstrongPleasant M. ArmstrongPleasant M. Armstrong was a pioneer in Oregon Country in an area that would become the state of Oregon, United States. He helped build a ship that was sailed to California to exchange for cattle, and voted at the May 2, 1843, Champoeg Meeting....
- Ira BabcockIra BabcockDoctor Ira Leonard Babcock was an American pioneer and doctor in the Oregon Country. A native of New York, he was selected as the supreme judge with probate powers in 1841 in what would become the state of Oregon...
- Dr. William J. Bailey
- Alanson BeersAlanson BeersAlanson Beers was an American pioneer and politician in the early days of the settlement of the Oregon Country. A blacksmith by trade, he was a reinforcement for the Methodist Mission in what would become the state of Oregon...
- J.C. Bridges
- Hugh Burns
- Charles Campo
- William Cannon
- Harvey L. ClarkHarvey L. ClarkHarvey L. Clark was an educator, missionary, and settler of what became Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. A native of Vermont, he moved to Oregon Country where he participated at the Champoeg Meetings and helped to found Tualatin Academy that later became Pacific University...
- Medorem CrawfordMedorem CrawfordMedorem Crawford was an American soldier and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of the state of New York, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1842 where he participated in the Champoeg Meetings and served in the resulting Provisional Government of Oregon as a legislator...
- Amos Cook
- Allen J. Davie
- William M. Doughty
- George W. EbbertGeorge W. EbbertGeorge Wood “Squire” Ebbert was a mountain man and early settler in the Oregon Country. Born in Kentucky, he settled on the Tualatin Plains in what would become Oregon and participated in the Champoeg Meetings that created a government prior to the formation of the Oregon Territory...
- Francis FletcherFrancis FletcherFrancis Fletcher was a prominent pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon and a member of the Peoria Party.Born in Allerston, Yorkshire, England, he immigrated with his parents, William and Mary Fletcher and four brothers, to Nassagaweya Township, Ontario, Canada in 1825...
- George Gay
- Joseph GaleJoseph GaleJoseph Goff Gale was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country...
- William H. GrayWilliam H. Gray (Oregon politician)William Henry Gray was a pioneer of the Oregon Country in the present-day U.S. state of Oregon. He was an active participant in the efforts to organize a government in the region....
- John Smith GriffinJohn Smith GriffinJohn Smith Griffin was an American missionary in Oregon Country who participated at the Champoeg Meetings that created the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843...
- Webley John HauxhurstWebley John HauxhurstWebley John Hauxhurst, Jr. was a pioneer in Oregon Country. He helped build the first grist mill in Oregon, participated in the Willamette Cattle Company, and was a participant at the Champoeg meeting where he voted for the creation of a provisional government.-Early life:Hauxhurst was born in...
- David HillDavid Hill (Oregon politician)David Hill , was an American pioneer and settler of what became Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. He served in the Provisional Government of Oregon in both the executive and legislative branches, and later as a legislator in the first Oregon Territorial Legislature...
- Joseph Holman
- John Howard
- Gustavus HinesGustavus HinesReverend Gustavus Hines was an American missionary in Oregon Country. Working for the Methodist Mission in what became the state of Oregon, the New York native became involved in early attempts to form a government at the Champoeg Meetings in 1841...
- Thomas J. HubbardThomas J. HubbardThomas Jefferson Hubbard was an Oregon pioneer and politician who was acquitted of murder charges in the first American murder trial in what is now the state of Oregon. At the trial the murder was determined to be justifiable homicide....
- William Johnson
- Lewis H. Judson
- George W. Le Breton
- David LeslieDavid Leslie (Oregon politician)Reverend David Leslie was an American missionary and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New Hampshire, he joined Jason Lee as a missionary at the Methodist Mission in the Oregon Country in 1836. In that region he participated in the early movement to start a government and his...
- Reuben Lewis
- Étienne LucierÉtienne LucierÉtienne Lucier was a fur trader in what is now the Pacific Northwest. At the time it was called the Oregon Country and claimed by the United States and called the Columbia District as claimed by Great Britain. He was one of two French Canadians to vote for the creation of a government for that...
- François X. MatthieuFrançois X. MatthieuFrançois X. Matthieu was a French Canadian settler of the Oregon Country who was one of the people involved in forming the provisional government of what would become the U.S. state of Oregon...
- Joseph MeekJoseph MeekJoseph Lafayette "Joe" Meek was a trapper, law enforcement official, and politician in the Oregon Country and later Oregon Territory of the United States. A pioneer involved in the fur trade before settling in the Tualatin Valley, Meek would play a prominent role at the Champoeg Meetings of 1843...
- William McCarty
- Charles McKay
- Robert MooreRobert Moore (Oregon pioneer)Robert Moore was an American politician and pioneer in the Oregon Country. A Pennsylvania native and veteran of the War of 1812, he also participated in the early movements to form a government in Oregon Country and founded Linn City, Oregon...
- John L. Morrison
- Robert NewellRobert Newell (Oregon politician)Robert "Doc" Newell , was an American politician and fur trapper in the Oregon Country. He was a frontier doctor in what would become the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Ohio, he served in the Provisional Government of Oregon and later was a member of the Oregon State Legislature...
- James A. O'NeilJames A. O'NeilJames A. O’Neil was an American businessman and politician in the Oregon Country and later Oregon Territory. A New York native, he took part in the Champoeg Meetings and helped form the Provisional Government of Oregon...
- Josiah Lamberson ParrishJosiah Lamberson ParrishReverend Josiah Lamberson Parrish was an American missionary in Oregon Country and trustee of the Oregon Institute at its founding. A native of New York, he also participated in the Champoeg Meetings that led to the formation of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843...
- John Edmunds Pickernell
- James R. Robb
- Osborne RussellOsborne RussellOsborne Russell was a mountain man and politician who helped form the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Maine....
- Robert Shortess
- Alvin T. SmithAlvin T. SmithAlvin Thompson Smith was an American missionary and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Connecticut, he lived in Illinois before moving to the Oregon Country to preach to the Native Americans in the Tualatin Valley...
- Sidney Smith
- Solomon H. Smith
- Calvin Tibbetts
- David Weston
- Caleb Wilkins
- Albert E. WilsonAlbert E. WilsonAlbert E. Wilson was an American pioneer and merchant in Oregon Country. Raised in the United States, he moved to what would become the U.S. state of Oregon where he operated stores, was involved in politics, and was elected as the first judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon.-Early...
- William H. WillsonWilliam H. WillsonWilliam Holden Willson was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon and the founder of its capital city, Salem. A native of New Hampshire, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings...
Those voting against the creation of the provisional government:
- Alexis Aubichon
- Jean B. Aubichon
- Louis Ausant
- Cyfois Bargeau
- Pierre BellequePierre BellequePierre Belleque was a French Canadian fur trader in the British claimed Columbia District, which was also known as the Oregon Country and also claimed by the United States. He settled on the French Prairie in what is now the state of Oregon where in 1843 he participated in the Champoeg Meetings...
- Pascal Biscornais
- Louis Boivers
- Antoine Bonenfant
- Alexis Briscbois
- Oliver Briscbois
- Joseph Brunelle
- Andre Chalifoux
- Adolph Chamberlain
- Joseph Cornoyer
- Joseph Delard
- Pierre Depot
- Joseph Despart
- David Donpierre
- Andre Dubois
- Jean B. Ducharme
- Antoine Felice
- Louis Forcier
- Luc Gagnon
- Pierre Gauthier
- Joseph GervaisJoseph GervaisJoseph Gervais was a pioneer settler and trapper in the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company . He is the namesake for the town of Gervais, Oregon....
- Jean Gingras
- Étienne Gregoire
- Andre La Chapelle
- Louis La Bonte
- Xavier Laderout
- Michel LaframboiseMichel LaframboiseMichel Laframboise was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country that settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and...
- Jean B. Lalcoure
- Augustin Lambert
- Alexis La Prate
- Andre Longtain
- Moyse Lore
- Joseph Matte
- Fabien Maloin
- David Mongrain
- Pierre Papin
- Pierre Pariseau
- Augustin Remon
- Thomas Roi
- Charles Rondeau
- Andre Sanders
- Gideon Senecalle
- Jacques Servant
- Louis B. Van Dalle
After this vote, the people elected members for a legislative committee to draft a working government. The members selected were: Hill, Shortess, Newell, Beers, Hubbard, Gray, Moore, O’Neil, and Doughty.
Other offices elected on May 2:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Supreme Judge | Albert E. Wilson Albert E. Wilson Albert E. Wilson was an American pioneer and merchant in Oregon Country. Raised in the United States, he moved to what would become the U.S. state of Oregon where he operated stores, was involved in politics, and was elected as the first judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon.-Early... |
| Court Clerk & Recorder | George W. LeBreton |
| Sheriff | Joseph L. Meek |
| Treasurer | William H. Willson William H. Willson William Holden Willson was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon and the founder of its capital city, Salem. A native of New Hampshire, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings... |
The entire territory was then divided into four administrative districts: Tuality, Yam Hill, Clackamas, and Champoick. Tuality (also Twality, and later Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
) was the area north of the Yamhill Valley (all the way to present day Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
) and west of the Willamette River to the Pacific Ocean. Yam Hill (also Yamhill) was then south of Tuality all the way to the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
border and also west of the Willamette to the ocean. Clackamas (also Klackamas) was north of the Champoick district with a northern boundary of 54’40” and was then east of the Willamette to the Rocky Mountains. Champoick was the remainder of the area, south of Clackamas to California and east of the Willamette to the Rockies.
Organic Laws of Oregon
The Organic Laws of Oregon were two sets of laws passed in the 1840s that established a structure for government in the Oregon Country in the northwest corner of North America. These laws were created by a legislative committee formed after the Champoeg Meetings...
on July 5, 1843, that was modeled after the Ordinance of 1787 and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
's Organic Law, laying out the framework for a working government with the three traditional branches of government. Designed to operate until another country extended its laws over the region, with the implication being that it would be the United States. This document was the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
first Oregon constitution.
Elections
Created the First Executive CommitteeExecutive Committee (Oregon Territory)
An Executive Committee was the title of a three-person committee which served as the executive Branch of the Provisional Government of Oregon in the disputed Oregon Country. This arrangement was announced on July 5, 1843, after three months of study by the Provisional Legislature at Champoeg...
with Joseph Gale
Joseph Gale
Joseph Goff Gale was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country...
, David Hill
David Hill (Oregon politician)
David Hill , was an American pioneer and settler of what became Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. He served in the Provisional Government of Oregon in both the executive and legislative branches, and later as a legislator in the first Oregon Territorial Legislature...
, and Alanson Beers
Alanson Beers
Alanson Beers was an American pioneer and politician in the early days of the settlement of the Oregon Country. A blacksmith by trade, he was a reinforcement for the Methodist Mission in what would become the state of Oregon...
elected as the committee members to serve in place of a governor.
Subsequent History
The Provisional Government of OregonProvisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
operated as a fully functioning government that taxed, built roads, authorized ferries, passed laws, and even waged war against some Native American tribes in the Cayuse War
Cayuse War
The Cayuse War was an armed conflict that took place in the Northwestern United States from 1847 to 1855 between the Cayuse people of the region and the United States Government and local Euro-American settlers...
following the Whitman Massacre
Whitman massacre
The Whitman massacre was the murder in the Oregon Country on November 29, 1847 of U.S. missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa Whitman, along with eleven others. They were killed by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians. The incident began the Cayuse War...
. Oregon's pioneers considered this government framework that was installed by the adopted Organic Laws of Oregon
Organic Laws of Oregon
The Organic Laws of Oregon were two sets of laws passed in the 1840s that established a structure for government in the Oregon Country in the northwest corner of North America. These laws were created by a legislative committee formed after the Champoeg Meetings...
to be their first constitution, although in 1844 the legislative committee specifically ruled the organic laws statutory
Statutory law
Statutory law or statute law is written law set down by a legislature or by a legislator .Statutes may originate with national, state legislatures or local municipalities...
rather than constitutional
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
. Over the next few years the boundary dispute
Oregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute, or the Oregon Question, arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century. Both the United Kingdom and the United States had territorial and commercial aspirations in the region...
with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
was settled in 1846, which reduced the area claimed as governed by the provisional government to that territory south of the 49th degree of latitude. Then a new territorial government was formed after 1848 when Oregon was added as an official United States territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. The presidentially appointed governor of the Oregon Territory, Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane was an American general during the Mexican-American War and a United States Senator from Oregon.-Early life:...
, arrived March 3, 1849, and he officially ended the provisional government by declaring U.S. laws and government as in effect over the territory. Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state on February 14, 1859.
See also
- List of Governors of Oregon
- William GilpinWilliam Gilpin (governor)William Gilpin was a 19th century U.S. explorer, politician, land speculator, and futurist writer about the American West. He served as military officer in the United States Army during several wars, accompanied John C. Frémont on his second expedition through the West, and was instrumental in the...
- Thomas J. FarnhamThomas J. FarnhamThomas Jefferson Farnham was an explorer and author of the American West in the first half of the 19th Century. His travels included interaction with missionary Jason Lee, and he later led a wagon train on the Oregon Trail...
External links
- Oregon Bluebook: Notable Oregonians
- Oregon Bluebook: History of Oregon
- Oregon Historical Society: Biographies of Oregonians
- Oregon Historical Society: A Pacific Republic, an article from Boston arguing that Oregon and California were destined to be an independent republic.
- Oregon Historical Society: Minutes from the Public Meeting at Champoeg, 1843