Peoria Party
Encyclopedia
The Peoria Party was a group of men from Peoria
in the U.S. state
of Illinois
, who set out on May 1, 1839 with the intention to colonize the Oregon Country
on behalf of the United States
and drive out the English
fur trading
companies operating there. The men of the Peoria Party were among the first pioneer
s to blaze the Oregon Trail
.
had visited Peoria on a national speaking tour about the Oregon country and moving westward. He recruited sixteen men at the start, but would pick up three more volunteers on the trail - bringing their largest number to nineteen. They organized themselves in military fashion, adopting the name "Oregon Dragoons" and elected Thomas J. Farnham
as their captain. They carried with them a large flag, a gift from Mrs. Farnham, emblazoned with their motto, "Oregon or the grave."
The expedition ran into many obstacles and hardships. Rain fell continuously and the going was very rough over unforgiving land. Food rationing became necessary and each man was limited to a daily food allotment of one-quarter cup of flour, mixed with water, and fried in bacon fat. Some members of the group quit and headed back to Peoria. The men began to argue and bicker over leadership, which culminated in a near fatal accident a month later causing the eventual dissolution of the Peoria Party. Sidney Smith, a member of the party, was also accidentally shot and severely wounded during another heated argument.
On July 5, 1839 the remaining members of the Peoria Party reached Bent’s Fort, a trading post on the South Fork of the Platte River
. Farnham was deposed as leader and the group split up officially. Nine of the original nineteen eventually made it to Oregon
- the rest of the group either returned to Peoria or headed in other directions.
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, who set out on May 1, 1839 with the intention to colonize 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...
on behalf of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and drive out the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
fur trading
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...
companies operating there. The men of the Peoria Party were among the first pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
s to blaze 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...
.
Overview
The fall before the Peoria Party began the long journey to Oregon, Rev. Jason LeeJason 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....
had visited Peoria on a national speaking tour about the Oregon country and moving westward. He recruited sixteen men at the start, but would pick up three more volunteers on the trail - bringing their largest number to nineteen. They organized themselves in military fashion, adopting the name "Oregon Dragoons" and elected Thomas J. Farnham
Thomas J. Farnham
Thomas 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...
as their captain. They carried with them a large flag, a gift from Mrs. Farnham, emblazoned with their motto, "Oregon or the grave."
The expedition ran into many obstacles and hardships. Rain fell continuously and the going was very rough over unforgiving land. Food rationing became necessary and each man was limited to a daily food allotment of one-quarter cup of flour, mixed with water, and fried in bacon fat. Some members of the group quit and headed back to Peoria. The men began to argue and bicker over leadership, which culminated in a near fatal accident a month later causing the eventual dissolution of the Peoria Party. Sidney Smith, a member of the party, was also accidentally shot and severely wounded during another heated argument.
On July 5, 1839 the remaining members of the Peoria Party reached Bent’s Fort, a trading post on the South Fork of the Platte River
Platte River
The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...
. Farnham was deposed as leader and the group split up officially. Nine of the original nineteen eventually made it to 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...
- the rest of the group either returned to Peoria or headed in other directions.
Members of the Oregon Dragoons
- Thomas Jefferson Farnham, age 35. A Peoria lawyer who organized and was elected captain of the Peoria Party. He was deposed as leader during the trip and arrived in Oregon in the fall of 1839. He stayed only a few weeks and returned to the United States with a petition signed by sixty Oregonians asking the U.S. Government to take possession of the territory. His account of the adventure, Travels in the Great Western Prairies, was published in both the U.S. and Britain and did much to create interest in immigration to Oregon. Farnham was born in Vermont in 1804 and died in San Francisco September 13, 1848.
- Amos Cook, age 23. After the group dissolved he wintered at Brown’s Hole with his friends and companions Francis Fletcher, Joseph Holman, and Ralph Kilbourne all of whom completed the journey together. They arrived at Fort Vancouver on June 1, 1840, thirteen months after leaving Peoria. Cook took a Donation Land Claim in Yamhill County and voted to form a provisional government at Champoeg on May 2, 1843. Cook was born January 8, 1816 in Maine. He was the last surviving member of the Peoria Party when he died at his home near Dayton, Oregon on February 3, 1895.
- 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...
, age 25. He arrived at Fort Vancouver accompanied by Amos Cook, Joseph Holman, and Ralph Kilbourne. He took a Donation Land Claim in Yamhill County next to his life-long friend Amos Cook. He voted for the Provisional Government at Champoeg and was an original trustee of Willamette University. Fletcher was born in Yorkshire, England on March 1, 1814 and died at his home near Dayton on October 7, 1871. He is the great great grandfather of the author.
- Joseph Holman, age 24. He was a cooper by trade and made saddles and gunstocks while wintering at Brown’s Hole, which he traded for a horse and supplies. His constant companions on the journey were Amos Cook, Francis Fletcher, and Ralph Kilbourne. Holman settled in Marion County and voted for the Provisional Government at Champoeg. He was an original trustee of Willamette University. Holman was born August 20, 1815 in Devonshire, England and died at his home near Salem, Oregon on June 25, 1880.
- Ralph L. Kilbourne, age 29. He was a Peoria restaurant keeper who made the entire journey with Amos Cook, Francis Fletcher, and Joseph Holman. In Oregon he helped build the clipper shipBaltimore ClipperBaltimore Clipper is the colloquial name for fast sailing ships built on the south-eastern seaboard of the United States of America, especially at the port of Baltimore, Maryland...
Star of OregonStar of Oregon (ship)The Star of Oregon was a schooner sailing vessel of the mid-19th century used on the west coast of North America. It was the first American sailing ship built in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. Pioneer settlers built the ship from 1840 to 1842 in order to sail it to California and exchange it...
with which he sailed to California in 1841 and settled. Kilbourne was born in Pennsylvania in June 1810 and died in Rutherford, California September 25, 1879.
- Robert Shortess, age 42. A former schoolteacher who joined the Peoria Party in Independence. He replaced Farnham as captain but chose to go it alone rather than spend the winter at Brown’s Hole with his remaining men. He arrived in Oregon in 1840 and became radically anti-British. He voted for the Provisional Government at Champoeg. He finally settled in Clatsop County where he was elected judge and held several other political posts. Born in Pennsylvania in 1797, Shortess died at his home in Astoria, Oregon May 4, 1878.
- Sidney Smith, age 30. Although Smith was severely wounded by an accidental gunshot he was the first member of the Peoria Party to make it to Oregon, arriving on September 3, 1839. He became a wealthy rancher and made $3,000 in the California gold fieldsCalifornia Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. He voted for the Provisional Government at Champoeg. Smith was born in Amsterdam, New York on October 2, 1809. He died on September 18, 1880 at his home in Lafayette.
- 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...
, age 58. He was the oldest member of the group and was a veteran of the War of 1812 where he served as a major in the Pennsylvania militia. He spent the winter at Fort St. Vrain and came through to Oregon in 1840. Moore voted for the Provisional Government at Champoeg. Born October 2, 1781 he settled near Oregon City where he died September 2, 1857.
- William Blair, age about 50. Joined the party at the Arkansas River and chose to stay with Farnham when Farnham was expelled from the group. Born in Kentucky, Blair made it through to Oregon in 1839 but later moved to California.
- Chauncey Wood. Originally from New York, he was elected lieutenant of the Oregon Dragoons in Independence. He left the party at Bent’s Fort after it was split between Farnham and Shortess. He headed for New Mexico accompanied by John Pritchel.
- John Pritchel, age about 35. A tailor originally from England, Pritchel headed for New Mexico with Chauncey Wood.
- Obadiah A. Oakley, age 32. He was voted out of the group along with Farnham and Smith. He joined Paul Richardson’s company of trappers and traders at Brown’s Hole. Oakley was born June 15, 1807 in New York and died May 31, 1850 in California.
- Joseph Wood. A native of England, Wood also joined Richardson’s company at Brown’s Hole.
- Quinn Jordan. Also an Englishman by birth, he too joined Richardson’s company.
- Charles Yates, age about 30. Another Englishman, he quit the group at Fort St. Vrain and headed for New Mexico.
- James Trask, age about 25. Originally from New York, Trask quit and returned to Peoria.
- Owen Garrett. Quit less than a month into the trip and returned to Peoria.
- Thomas Pickett. Quit less than a month into the trip and returned to Peoria.
- John Moore. Quit less than a month into the trip and returned to Peoria. He was one of seven English-born members of the Oregon Dragoons.