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Hudson's Bay Company - Economics
The Hudson's Bay Company, a British owned fur company, was the oldest and most prominent fur company in North America. It was established in 1670 when the King of England granted the company a fur trade monopoly for all the lands drained by rivers flowing into the Hudson Bay. -
Totem Poes - Art/Architecture
Totem Poles are large carvings made from trees. Since the Indians had no written language, these carvings allowed them to record stories, legends and myths trhough images. Unfortunately, wood rots, so it is unknown when the first totem pole was created. We do know, however, that they were made throughout the 1700s and into the 1800s and are still made today, although more for decoration and not as much as a source of record keeping. -
Teepees - Art/Architecture
Unlike the white settlers, many Native American tribes were nomadic. Therefore, they needed homes designed to set up and break down quickly. Teepees, which resemble a tent more than a traditional home, were made of cone-shaped wooden frames covered with buffolo hide. Althought no one is certain what year the first teepee was created, we know they were used ithroughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. -
Plank Houses - Art/Architecture
Plank Houses could be up to seventy feet long and usually housed an entire extended family or even several families. They were made by Native American tribes living on the coast where there was an abundance of trees for lumber. No one is sure when the first plank house was made, but they were used throughout the 1700s. -
Fur Trade (1780-1840) - Environment
Sometimes called "soft gold", the fur trade was the first large scale corporate enterprise in the Pacific Northwest. Trappers and traders were drawn to this area to make large profits and companies were established. Unfortunately, overtrapping was a result. -
North West Trading Company - Economics
The Northwest Trading Company (also called the "Nor'westers) did not recognize the monopoly claimed by the Hudson's Bay Company. This forced the Hudson's Bay Company to establish ports further inland. Perseverance was their motto. -
"Voyages from Montreal" - Science/Technology
"Voyages from Montreal" was the title of journals written by Alexander Mackenzie. These journals contained valuable information about the overland trip west and spurred Thomas Jefferson to expidite Lewis and Clark's trips in 1804 to learn more aobut the Pacific Northwest. -
Corp of Discovery - Science/Technology
Lewis and Clark reached the Oregon Coast. They were the first U.S. citizens to make maps and provide detailed information of the area. -
American and Pacific Fur Companies - Economics
These companies were established by John Jacob Astor in 1808 and 1810 respectively. They traded with China and built various forts in the Pacific Northwest including Fort Okanogan and Fort Spokane. -
The South Pass - Science/Technology
First discovered in 1813, then rediscovered by the mountain man Jedediah Smith in 1824, The South Pass made travel to Oregon much more accessable making way for the Great Migration in the mid - 1800s. -
The Treaty of Ghent - Government
This treaty ended the war of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. All conqured lands were returned and plans were made to settle the boundaries between the United States and Great Britain. -
Whitman and Spalding - Religion
With the intent to Christianize the Indians, the Whitmans and the Spaldings were the first families to to travel over the Oregon Trail. Their two-wheeled cart was the first wheeled vehicle on the trail and made it as far west as Fort Boise. -
Manifest Destiny - Government
Influential citizens asserted that it wa the nation's "God-given right" to expand thoroughtout the continent. Thiis sentiment prevailed through the mid-1840's and was revitalized in 1890 but died out in the 20th century. -
The Whitman Massacre - Religion
A small group of Cayuse Indians attacked the Whitman Mission killing Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa and nine other men. This attack was a pivotal event in Northwest history and lead to a war of retaliation against the Cayuse. -
Donation Land Claim Act - Government
This act donated 320 acres of land to any unmarried white male citizen 18 years or older. If the man was married, his wife also received 320 acres. -
The Mormons - Religion
Thirteen colonists from the Church of Latter Day Saints founded Franklin, Idaho's first town. Mormon settlements continued to develop throughout the Pacific Northwest and eventually, except for Utah, Idaho was inhabited with the laragest percentage of mormons than any other state or territory. -
Mining - Environment
With the discovery of gold and other precious metals in the Pacific Northwest, the rush to "get-rich-quick" was on. Mining companies were established and hydraulic mining was implemented. This method of mining, however, dumped huge amounts of debris into nearby rivers clogging them with debris. This caused extensive flooding and erosion issues -
Farming - Environment
Policies such as the Donation Land Claim Act which gave large quantities of land to settlers, lured farmers to the pacific northwest, not taking into consideration that this land was already inhabited by Native Americans. The landscape was changed forever.
