Michel Laframboise
Encyclopedia
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 ferry operator. In 1843 he participated in the Champoeg Meetings
, which though he voted against the measure to form a provisional government, the measure passed and led to the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon
.
, Canada along the Saint Lawrence River
. His parents were Michel Laframboise and Josephe Monjau, with Jean Baptiste adopting his father’s first name. He was hired by John Jacob Astor
’s Pacific Fur Company
in 1810 and sailed from New York City
aboard the Tonquin
.
in 1811 where they established Fort Astoria
. He had been hired as a voyageur, but with the sale of the post to the North West Company
(NWC) he became an interpreter for that company in 1813. In 1821, the NWC was merged into the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and he stayed on as an interpreter and as a postmaster in their Columbia District
. During his time with these fur trading companies Laframboise was a part of and lead many expeditions to the south to Mexican owned California
. One of these trading parties came in 1828 when he served as interpreter for Alexander Roderick McLeod
into the Umpqua River Valley
of southern Oregon and on into California. Another came in 1832 when he helped establish Fort Umpqua
along with McLeod.
Working for the HBC out of Fort Vancouver
, he received permission to settle some land on the French Prairie
in 1831. However, Laframboise stayed with the company and helped restore the health of Hall J. Kelley
when he arrived at the fort in 1834 with Ewing Young
. Young’s party had been attacked on their way through Southern Oregon
in the Rogue River Valley
by the Rogue River Indians. These Native Americans were retaliating against whites after an expedition led by Laframboise killed eleven Natives earlier that year. These series of killings lasted for decades and eventually led to the Rogue River Wars
in the 1850s. Meanwhile, Laframboise continued to lead expeditions south, occasionally independent of the HBC.
in the Willamette Valley
of present day Oregon around 1841. That year he also worked as Charles Wilkes
guide in the Oregon Country
when Wilkes was leading the United States Exploring Expedition
. Laframboise then built a home and barn on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) along the Willamette River
just north of Champoeg
. There he also had a mill and 200 horses.
Laframboise took part in the Champoeg Meetings
in 1843 where he voted against forming a government. However, the majority of settlers voted in favor of creating a government, creating the Provisional Government of Oregon
. By 1852 he had settled a Donation Land Claim north of his original property and was operating a ferry across the Willamette River to Champoeg, connecting to the Champoeg-Salem Road. He had a stroke in the early 1860s and then sold of his assets. Michel Laframboise died on January 25, 1865, at the age of 71.
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...
that settled 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...
in the modern U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
, the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and ferry operator. In 1843 he participated in the Champoeg Meetings
Champoeg Meetings
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...
, which though he voted against the measure to form a provisional government, the measure passed and led to the creation of 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...
.
Early life
Jean Baptiste Eugene Laframboise was born on May 11, 1793, in Varennes, QuebecVarennes, Quebec
Varennes is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Lajemmerais. The city is approximately 15 miles from Downtown Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 20,950...
, Canada along the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. His parents were Michel Laframboise and Josephe Monjau, with Jean Baptiste adopting his father’s first name. He was hired by 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...
’s Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
in 1810 and sailed from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
aboard the Tonquin
Tonquin
The Tonquin was an American merchant ship involved with the Maritime Fur Trade of the early 19th Century. The ship was used by John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company to establish fur trading outposts on the Northwest Coast of North America, including Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River...
.
Fur trader
Laframboise and the rest of the crew and passengers arrived at the mouth of the Columbia RiverColumbia 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...
in 1811 where they established 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...
. He had been hired as a voyageur, but with the sale of the post to the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
(NWC) he became an interpreter for that company in 1813. In 1821, the NWC was merged into the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and he stayed on as an interpreter and as a postmaster in their Columbia District
Columbia District
The Columbia District was a fur trading district in the Pacific Northwest region of British North America in the 19th century. It was explored by the North West Company between 1793 and 1811, and established as an operating fur district around 1810...
. During his time with these fur trading companies Laframboise was a part of and lead many expeditions to the south to Mexican owned 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...
. One of these trading parties came in 1828 when he served as interpreter for Alexander Roderick McLeod
Alexander Roderick McLeod
Alexander Roderick McLeod was a fur trader and explorer who began his career with the North West Company in 1802.McLeod became a chief trader with the Hudson's Bay Company after they joined with the NWC in 1821...
into the Umpqua River Valley
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,...
of southern Oregon and on into California. Another came in 1832 when he helped establish 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....
along with McLeod.
Working for the HBC out of 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...
, he received permission to settle some land 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...
in 1831. However, Laframboise stayed with the company and helped restore the health of Hall J. Kelley
Hall J. Kelley
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...
when he arrived at the fort in 1834 with 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...
. Young’s party had been attacked on their way through Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
in the Rogue River Valley
Rogue River (Oregon)
The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...
by the Rogue River Indians. These Native Americans were retaliating against whites after an expedition led by Laframboise killed eleven Natives earlier that year. These series of killings lasted for decades and eventually led to the Rogue River Wars
Rogue River Wars
The Rogue River Wars was an armed conflict between the US Army, local militias and volunteers, and the Native American tribes commonly grouped under the designation of Rogue River Indians, in the Rogue River Valley area of what today is southern Oregon in 1855–56...
in the 1850s. Meanwhile, Laframboise continued to lead expeditions south, occasionally independent of the HBC.
French Prairie
In 1839, he married Emile Picard, a Native American from the Umpqua region. The couple had several children before and after the marriage, settling on the French PrairieFrench 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...
in 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...
of present day Oregon around 1841. That year he also worked as Charles Wilkes
Charles 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...
guide in 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...
when Wilkes was leading the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
. Laframboise then built a home and barn on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) 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...
just north of 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...
. There he also had a mill and 200 horses.
Laframboise took part in the Champoeg Meetings
Champoeg Meetings
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...
in 1843 where he voted against forming a government. However, the majority of settlers voted in favor of creating a government, creating 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...
. By 1852 he had settled a Donation Land Claim north of his original property and was operating a ferry across the Willamette River to Champoeg, connecting to the Champoeg-Salem Road. He had a stroke in the early 1860s and then sold of his assets. Michel Laframboise died on January 25, 1865, at the age of 71.
Further reading
- Hafen, LeRoy R. 1893. The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West. Glendale, Calif.: The Arthur H. Clark Co., 1968. pp. 145-170.
External links
- French Camp historical marker
- John Sutter. - Albert L. Hurtado