Thomas Lowe, Winter 1846
A Sailing ship in a bottle, from early 1900’s
Over the winter of 1845-46, Fort Vancouver went through a number of changes, and Thomas Lowe recorded them all. In this chapter of Thomas Lowe’s stories, we will begin with the last day of 1845, when Lowe writes: “St. Andrews Day. I have today attained the age of 21 years. Read Prayers in the Hall in the absence of Mr. [James] Douglas, who generally officiates. Walked down to the dairy at the Lower Plain with some of the Officers of the Modeste. David and Mr. Roberts dined on board. Fine day.”
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The Modeste is, of course, the HMS Modeste, which arrived back in the Columbia River on her second visit to Fort Vancouver on November 30, 1845. Her instructions had been to only enter the river if her visit was deemed important. But James Douglas met the ship on his return from Fort Victoria, when the Modeste was anchored at Dungeness. He boarded the ship and convinced the Captain that, yes, her presence was required in the river.
Douglas returned to Fort Vancouver from Fort Victoria on December 27, 1845, after sending the Cowlitz off. The other Chief Factor, Peter Skene Ogden, had left Fort Vancouver for the Willamette on December 18, but returned to headquarters on December 31. So all three Chief Factors were at Fort Vancouver for the New Year, 1846: that is, John McLoughlin, James Douglas, and Peter Skene Ogden. The three Chief Factors may have celebrated a rather uncomfortable New Year in the Big House — by this time everyone knew what was going to happen. But the clerks did not stint on their celebrations: On New Years Eve [1845] there was “Singing, dancing, and all kinds of fun carried on to a late or rather early hour in Bachelor’s Hall, ushering in the New Year. Several of the Junior Officers from the Modeste and a number of the other visitors were with us.”
The parties continued in the New Year [1846], and on Saturday, January 3, the men at Fort Vancouver heard that “Dr. White and his party of 7 men who were returning to the States have been murdered by the Sioux.” Perhaps this was just a rumour, as Dr. Elijah White, Indian Agent, missionary, and medical man, died in 1879 at San Francisco. Is there another Dr. White, by any chance??
On Sunday, January 4, 1846, Lowe “resumed work today… In the evening Captain [Thomas] Baillie gave a Ball in is own House ashore, at which we had the most of the ladies of the Establishment and several of the Officers of the Modeste. We kept it up until a late hour, after which there was a nice Supper, Songs, and a little more dancing.” Then the next day, “Dr. McLoughlin started for the Wallamette Falls in the Forenoon, where he is to remain for some time.” McLoughlin was moving to his property at Willamette Falls.
On that same day, Patrick McKenzie turned up at Fort Vancouver. I’m following him around the territory: he has an interesting story to tell. In fact, see this: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/two-stories/
Interestingly, I find mention of “Mr. Gibbons, the Master of the Modeste who has been down surveying the entrance of the River.” Another interesting point: “Drake [an officer on the Modeste] accompanied by Mr. [James] Sangster went off in the forenoon to sound the mouth of the Willamette as it is feared that if the ice comes down the River, the Modeste will have to take refuge there.” There are a lot of things to consider when a ship as large as the Modeste spends the winter-to-spring season in the river.
Next, on January 15: “Mr. and Mrs. Ermatinger arrived from the Wallamette Falls in order to take up Mrs. McLoughlin and all her household, as Dr. McLoughlin has got a house ready for them there. Mr. Gibbon returned from his trip down the River,” where he was surveying. There is good reason for this survey: the Modeste has to leave the river now that she’s in it. As you know, the last time she crossed the bar, she broke her rudder and damaged her keel, both of which were properly repaired at Fort Simpson before she left for the South Pacific.
And the Vancouver is still in Baker’s Bay. Bruce Watson says she arrived at Fort Victoria on February 18, 1845, and sailed from Fort Victoria on December 12, 1846. I had believed it was the Vancouver who left Fort Victoria in December 1845, but in his journal Thomas Lowe said it was the Cowlitz. And of course, he is right — I got my years confused.
On January 19, “Two of the Modeste officers, Mr. Pearce and Mr. Montgomerie, went off on a tour to the Cowelitz and Nisqually on a three weeks leave.” So the RN officers got leave, but the HBC men never had holidays. More officers are at the Williamette, and “Mr. Dundas went off in the pinnace to the Wallamette Falls in order to bring down the party of Modeste Officers who are there.” On the 26th, Mr. Pelly arrived from Fort Colvile “by land for Goods; as they are entirely out of everything necessary for the trade at the post.” This is supposedly Augustus Pelly, who retired in the fall of 1845 and sailed home by ship, but rejoined the Company and became Chief Trader — according to Bruce Watson. It’s now 1846, so I don’t think this is the same person, but I see no one else it can be. On February 2, Mr. Pelly left Fort Vancouver with two boats for Fort Colvile. “Mr. Pelly only takes the Boats to Walla Walla and proceeds from thence to Covile with laden horses.” It must have been a wet journey, because it rained hard the next evening.
On February 4, the weather cleared up, and “a party of sailors from the Modeste came up in the afternoon and sang several songs before the Big House, for which they received what they wished — a dram or two — the consequence was that most of them got rather crapulous, and were rather noisy and Quarrelsome in the Fort,” Lowe said. And the poor Cadboro, a tiny ship, was in the river. According to Lowe, she “was pursued by three whale ships at sea in quest of deserters, and that she lost one of her boats in a gale of wind.” On February 12, “Mr. [Alexander] Lattie started this forenoon with his wife and family in a Batteau for Fort George, to take charge of that Post in the place of Mr. [James] Birnie, who wishes to retire and settle in the Country.”
James Birnie did settle at Cathlamet in summer, 1846, and established his store there. But in the meantime, he is enjoying himself a little. On St. Valentine’s Day, “Mr. Birnie arrived from Fort George, and two men from the Umpqua bringing the accounts of these two posts. Mr. Birnie passed the Cadboro in Tongue Point Channel on her way up; and has brought her packet. Mr. Ogden purchased the claim at Cape Disappointment from Wheeler and McDaniel (the two actual owners of the property) for 1000 dollars, and Mr. McDonald was despatched on the afternoon to Oregon City to have it recorded by Dr. Long.” Ogden had already purchased this property from someone who had no right to sell it: now he purchased it from the men who were the legal owners. And yet, in 1852 the property was still occupied by Americans. In March 1852, Chief Factor John Ballenden wrote that: “I have visited some of the Posts in the lower part of the Columbia River & I must confess I can see no reason why the Posts of Chinook Point & Cape Disappointment are kept up.” The HBC building at Cape Disappointment, which had been claimed by Peter Skene Ogden in 1846, still stood on land claimed by an American citizen.
So what happened? The question is not answered in my Cape Disappointment blogpost https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/cape-disappointment/ Now do you see how these blogposts take me so much time to write? I probably have the answer somewhere, but I have a ton of binders and files of information, and I am not going to dig around and answer this question right now. However, I know this problematic question is here. I will double-check sometime in the future to make sure I know the answer.
So, continuing with Thomas Lowe’s Fort Vancouver journal for winter to spring, 1846: On February 16, Henry James Warre and Mervin Vavasour went down to Fort George to survey Cape Disappointment. Angus McDonald arrived at Fort Vancouver in a canoe, coming in from the Snake Country. He informed the gentlemen that William McBean was not yet at Fort Nez Perces, but that Archibald McKinlay, who was, was almost blind “having been complaining of his eyes for the last 2 or 3 months.” The next day, James Birnie headed downriver for Fort George, and the Cadboro reached Fort Vancouver, taking up her anchorage opposite the hospital. She would begin discharging her cargo the next morning. In the evening, five men arrived from Fort Nisqually with the accounts from Victoria, Fort Langley, the Steamer Beaver, and Fort Nisqually. On the coast, the year ended in December, I believe, and so the accounts would be prepared and sent out to the annual meeting of the Governor and Committee in the York Factory Express, which departed Fort Vancouver on March 20. In later years at least there was still plenty of work the accountant at Fort Vancouver had to do, as all of these accounts were a part of Fort Vancouver’s books.
And this is a fun way to end this post: On February 20, 1846, “This forenoon Captain [Thomas] Baillie and Lieutenant Rodney [of the Modeste] started in a light boat with Mr. [Angus] McDonald for Walla Walla, manned with Canadians dressed out for the occasion with feathers, white trousers, and everything in high style. They pulled round the Modeste singing a Canadian song, and the Cadboro, Fort, and Modeste fired each a salute of 7 guns, and wound the whole up with three hearty cheers, the crew of the Modeste manning the rigging and hurraying at the full pitch of their voices. The Captain and Mr. Rodney have gone up to visit the Upper country, and are expected back in the course of 25 days. The Cadboro having arrived too late last night to salute, deferred it until the departure of the Boat, and the Modeste took advantage of the chance of returning her salute to pay respect to her Captain and 1st Lieutenant.”
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