Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/353

EARLY DAYS ON THE WILLAMETTE 311 In 1816-17-18 the Indians were very troublesome and several battles with them occurred along the Willamette. Alexander Ross in "The Fur Hunters of the Far West," states that in 1816, "by the disasters of this trip every avenue was for the present shut up against our hunters in the Wallamitte" In time Peter Skene Ogden arrived on the Willamette and was one of the principal factors in pacifying the Indians. In 1821 the N. W. Co. merged with the Hudson's Bay Co., and the headquarters of the fur trade was later moved to Fort Vancouver. NOTE—In locating these, the first two posts built by the whites, the writer made several trips through this section in verifying the locations. On the 27th of May, 1924, went to Newberg, and interviewed Mr. Frank A. Morris, City Recorder, who located there when there was only one house in the place. After a long conversation and inspection of maps and records, we came to the conclusion that the place Alexander Henry and party decided on for the trading post was the site of the present saw mill on the Rogers D. L. C, just south of the west end of the bridge over the Willamette. The small creek mentioned by Henry is locally called Hess Creek, but shows on the U. S . G . S. map as Hess Branch. The old Indian trail followed this creek down to its junction with the WiHamette. Upon the advice of Mr. Morris, I drove across the river to a place about two and one-half miles north of Newberg, on the road to Champoeg. Here I called upon Mr. Frank Osborne, who has lived in this immediate vicinity since 1861. Mr. Osborne stated that in 1875, he assisted Mr. J. G . Eberhard in burning what was then left of the old post. What did not burn was thrown into the well which had been dug by the builders of the post Only the corners of the log house were then remaining and these logs were burned in order to clear the place for cultivation. The well was gradually filled up and at the present time only a depression about eight feet in diameter and three feet deep remains. Mr. Osborn states that a great many arrowheads and pieces of pottery have been ploughed up in mis field. He further said that the old Indian trail from the river to the old St Paul Mission passed within a few hundred feet of the old post, and that several years ago while ploughing, he turned up an old brass pistol, which he later gave to William Pratt of Oregon City. When he ploughed up this pistol it was as bright as if it had been polished, and he thought at first that he had found a piece of gold. This land on which the old post was located, was bought in the early days by J. G . Eberhard of one Despard, a Frenchman, who lived on it with his squaw. This whole prairie, with the ridge running from east to west, is still subject to overflow from exceptionally high water. It was overflowed in* 1861 and again in 1890. FRED S. PERRINE .