Hall J. Kelley
Encyclopedia
Hall Jackson Kelley was an American
settler and writer known for his strong advocacy for settlement by the United States of the Oregon Country
in the 1820s and 1830s. A native of Maine
, he was a school teacher and longtime resident of Massachusetts
before journeying to what later became the Oregon Territory
.
, on February 24, 1790. He left school and began teaching in Hallowell, Maine
, at the age of 16. He graduated from Middlebury
in Vermont
in 1814 with a A.M. degree, and then graduated from Harvard College
in 1820. Kelley also worked as school principal in Boston
from 1818-1823. He later worked as a railroad surveyor in Maine
. He also helped design a project for a canal
(unbuilt) from Boston to the Connecticut River
, as well a railroad between Veracruz, Veracruz
, and Mexico City
.
As early as 1815, Kelley became interested in U.S. settlement of the area west of the Rocky Mountains
after reading about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and the expedition by Wilson Price Hunt. Towards these efforts he attempted to organize a group travel overland to that region in 1828, but the expedition was unable to equip itself. He followed that effort with a failed attempt to colonize the Puget Sound
area with an ocean based expedition. Also in 1828, he persuaded the Massachusetts Legislature
to charter a society to promote U.S. settlement along the Columbia River
. At the time, the Oregon Country was under joint administration of the U.S. and Great Britain pursuant to the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. Effectively the area was under control of the Hudson's Bay Company
, which actively discouraged U.S. settlement.
He undertook writings designed to encourage U.S. settlers to move into Oregon Country. This included a memorial to the United States Congress
on February 11, 1828, that laid out plans for a city where the Columbia River meets the Willamette River
(present day Portland, Oregon
) and to name Mount Jefferson
and Mount Adams
. In 1830, he published a Geographical Memoir of Oregon, which contained the first map of that territory that ever was compiled, as well as settlement guide for prospective emigrants. Kelley's writings were influential in inspiring Benjamin Bonneville
to undertake his 1832 expedition to the West. He also espoused a theory as to the origin of the name Oregon
, claiming it came from the Orjon River in Chinese Tartary
.
, assembling a party of several hundred men. Delays forced the last-minute abandonment of the plan, however, and Wyeth went West without Kelley. In 1833, Kelley set out with a smaller party for the West, traveling first to New Orleans, where his party disbanded at great personal expense to Kelley. Hoping to salvage his expedition, he sailed south to Veracruz, and after many hardships he assembled a party of U.S. citizens in Mexico who had settled in Monterey
. The party crossed Mexico
to California
, where Kelley, along with Joseph Gale
, joined the party trader
Ewing Young
who was moving into the Oregon Country backed by the missionary
Jason Lee
.
Kelley traveled northward by horse train with the Young party in 1834. On the trip north, Kelley fell ill with malaria
among the Coquille (tribe)
tribe in the Umpqua River
valley near present-day Roseburg, Oregon
. He was rescued by a Michel LaFramboise
, a Hudson's Bay Company employee at Fort Umpqua
near present-day Tyee. Kelley wrote of the experience:
Kelley and the party arrived at the Columbia River on October 27, 1834. In Oregon, Kelley and his party found themselves unwelcome by John McLoughlin
, district chief of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver
. By the time he arrived in the northwest, Kelley had fallen ill and become discouraged with the expedition. After recovering from his illness, McLoughlin gave Kelley passage to Hawaii
in 1835, and from there he sailed home to Boston.
Kelley continued to write newspaper articles and memoirs based on his trip encouraging settlement of Oregon. On February 16, 1839, parts of memoirs of his Oregon trip were presented to the United States Congress
in a report on the region. Kelley's report was bound with finely engraved map, showing the "Territory of Oregon" that was "compiled in United States Bureau of Topographical Engineers from the latest authorities under the direction of Col. J. J. Abert by Washi. Hood, 1838." He also petitioned the body in 1851 in a failed attempt to be reimbursed for his expenses on the trip.
. In 1868, he wrote A History of the Settlement of Oregon and of the Interior of Upper California, and of Persecutions and Afflictions of Forty Years' Continuance endured by the Author. Hall Jackson Kelley died in Massachusetts on January 20, 1874, at the age of 83, and was buried in Palmer
.
Kelley Point and Kelley Point Park
, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in Portland, Oregon, are named for him. During the early 1830s Kelley led a campaign to rename the Cascade Range
to the "Presidents Range", with each major peak named after a former President of the United States
. Kelley intended Mount Hood
to be named "Mount Adams" in honor of John Adams
. A mapmaker mistakenly placed the Mount Adams name north of Mount Hood by about 40 miles (64 km), east of Mt. St. Helens
. By coincidence, a mountain existed at that location with no official name and became known as Mount Adams
, despite the failure of Kelley's plan to rename the entire range.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
settler and writer known for his strong advocacy for settlement by the United States of the Oregon Country
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...
in the 1820s and 1830s. A native of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, he was a school teacher and longtime resident of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
before journeying to what later became the Oregon 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...
.
Early years
Hall Kelley was born in Orono, MaineOrono, Maine
Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It was first settled in 1774 and named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation. It is home to The University of Maine. The population was 10,362 at the 2010 census.- Geography :...
, on February 24, 1790. He left school and began teaching in Hallowell, Maine
Hallowell, Maine
Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census.-History:The city is named for Benjamin Hallowell, a Boston merchant and one of the Kennebec Proprietors, holders of land originally granted to the Plymouth Company by the British monarchy in...
, at the age of 16. He graduated from Middlebury
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in 1814 with a A.M. degree, and then graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1820. Kelley also worked as school principal in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
from 1818-1823. He later worked as a railroad surveyor in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. He also helped design a project for a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
(unbuilt) from Boston to the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
, as well a railroad between Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
, and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
As early as 1815, Kelley became interested in U.S. settlement of the area west of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
after reading about the Lewis & Clark Expedition and the expedition by Wilson Price Hunt. Towards these efforts he attempted to organize a group travel overland to that region in 1828, but the expedition was unable to equip itself. He followed that effort with a failed attempt to colonize the Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
area with an ocean based expedition. Also in 1828, he persuaded the Massachusetts Legislature
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
to charter a society to promote U.S. settlement along 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...
. At the time, the Oregon Country was under joint administration of the U.S. and Great Britain pursuant to the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. Effectively the area was under control of 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...
, which actively discouraged U.S. settlement.
He undertook writings designed to encourage U.S. settlers to move into Oregon Country. This included a memorial to 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....
on February 11, 1828, that laid out plans for a city where the Columbia River meets 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...
(present day Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
) and to name Mount Jefferson
Mount Jefferson (Oregon)
Mount Jefferson is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, part of the Cascade Range, and is the second highest mountain in Oregon. Situated in the far northeastern corner of Linn County on the Jefferson County line, about east of Corvallis, Mount Jefferson is in a rugged wilderness and is...
and Mount Adams
Mount Adams (Washington)
Mount Adams is a potentially activestratovolcano in the Cascade Range and the second-highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington.Adams is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, and is one of the arc's largest volcanoes,...
. In 1830, he published a Geographical Memoir of Oregon, which contained the first map of that territory that ever was compiled, as well as settlement guide for prospective emigrants. Kelley's writings were influential in inspiring Benjamin Bonneville
Benjamin Bonneville
Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville was a French-born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West...
to undertake his 1832 expedition to the West. He also espoused a theory as to the origin of the name Oregon
Oregon (toponym)
The origin of the name of the U.S. state of Oregon is unknown, and a subject of some dispute.- Historical usage of the name :The earliest known use of the name "Oregon" was in a 1765 petition by Major Robert Rogers to the Kingdom of Great Britain. The petition referred to Ouragon and asked for...
, claiming it came from the Orjon River in Chinese Tartary
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
.
Expedition to Oregon
In 1831 he sought to undertake an expedition to the west with Nathaniel Jarvis WyethNathaniel Jarvis Wyeth
Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth was an American inventor, ice harvester, and explorer and trader in the far west.-Early life:Wyeth was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Jacob and Elizabeth Wyeth...
, assembling a party of several hundred men. Delays forced the last-minute abandonment of the plan, however, and Wyeth went West without Kelley. In 1833, Kelley set out with a smaller party for the West, traveling first to New Orleans, where his party disbanded at great personal expense to Kelley. Hoping to salvage his expedition, he sailed south to Veracruz, and after many hardships he assembled a party of U.S. citizens in Mexico who had settled in Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
. The party crossed Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to 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...
, where Kelley, along 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...
, joined the party trader
Fur 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...
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...
who was moving into the Oregon Country backed by the missionary
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...
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....
.
Kelley traveled northward by horse train with the Young party in 1834. On the trip north, Kelley fell ill with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
among the Coquille (tribe)
Coquille (tribe)
The Coquille are a Native American tribe centered in southwest Oregon in the United States, where the Coos River flows into Coos Bay.-Name:The name of the Coquille is derived from the French, literally translated as "shell"...
tribe in the Umpqua River
Umpqua River
The Umpqua River on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately long. One of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west of the Cascade Range and south of the Willamette Valley,...
valley near present-day Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. He was rescued by a Michel LaFramboise
Michel Laframboise
Michel 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...
, a Hudson's Bay Company employee at Fort Umpqua
Fort Umpqua
Fort Umpqua was a trading post built by the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District , in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was first established in 1832 and moved and rebuilt in 1836....
near present-day Tyee. Kelley wrote of the experience:
- "Captain (LaFramboise) engaged an Indian chief to take me in a canoeCanoeA canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
, forty or fifty miles down the Umpqua. At first the chief declined, saying, that the upper part of the river was not navigable. Finally, in view of a bountiful reward, he consented to try... At the landing, the faithful Indian received of my property, a fine horse, saddle and bridle, a salmonSalmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
knife and a scarlet velvet sash, and was satisfied."
Kelley and the party arrived at the Columbia River on October 27, 1834. In Oregon, Kelley and his party found themselves unwelcome by 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...
, district chief of the Hudson's Bay Company 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...
. By the time he arrived in the northwest, Kelley had fallen ill and become discouraged with the expedition. After recovering from his illness, McLoughlin gave Kelley passage to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in 1835, and from there he sailed home to Boston.
Kelley continued to write newspaper articles and memoirs based on his trip encouraging settlement of Oregon. On February 16, 1839, parts of memoirs of his Oregon trip were presented to 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....
in a report on the region. Kelley's report was bound with finely engraved map, showing the "Territory of Oregon" that was "compiled in United States Bureau of Topographical Engineers from the latest authorities under the direction of Col. J. J. Abert by Washi. Hood, 1838." He also petitioned the body in 1851 in a failed attempt to be reimbursed for his expenses on the trip.
Later years
He spent his later years in Three Rivers, MassachusettsThree Rivers, Massachusetts
Three Rivers is a village and former census-designated place in the town of Palmer in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. In 1868, he wrote A History of the Settlement of Oregon and of the Interior of Upper California, and of Persecutions and Afflictions of Forty Years' Continuance endured by the Author. Hall Jackson Kelley died in Massachusetts on January 20, 1874, at the age of 83, and was buried in Palmer
Palmer, Massachusetts
The Town of Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,140 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Kelley Point and Kelley Point Park
Kelley Point Park
Kelley Point Park is a city park in north Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Bounded by the Columbia Slough on the south, the Willamette River on the west, and the Columbia River on the north, the park forms the tip of the peninsula at the confluence of the rivers...
, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in Portland, Oregon, are named for him. During the early 1830s Kelley led a campaign to rename the Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
to the "Presidents Range", with each major peak named after a former President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Kelley intended Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
to be named "Mount Adams" in honor of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
. A mapmaker mistakenly placed the Mount Adams name north of Mount Hood by about 40 miles (64 km), east of Mt. St. Helens
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is south of Seattle, Washington and northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a...
. By coincidence, a mountain existed at that location with no official name and became known as Mount Adams
Mount Adams (Washington)
Mount Adams is a potentially activestratovolcano in the Cascade Range and the second-highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington.Adams is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, and is one of the arc's largest volcanoes,...
, despite the failure of Kelley's plan to rename the entire range.