CHAPTER XVII
The first American settlers in Oregon found the country in a state of nature, unmarred and unimproved by the hand of man. The Indians had subsisted here for a long and unknown period on what they found ready to take with their hands, or such crude contrivances of primitive art as would catch fish or ensnare wild animals. Their development had not passed beyond the age of stone mortars with stone pestles for grinding mills of the seed crops of native plants and nuts, and the simple bow and arrow of all ages of barbarism to bring down the wild goose or the unsuspecting deer. Nature furnished not only generous supplies of food, but also the skins and rich furs of wild animals for clothing. What more could be desired? Nothing! And the Indian had no incentive or reason to disturb this order of Providence. And nature was not disturbed, and everywhere herds of elk, deer and antelope, the aristocrats of the wild game world, roved and pastured practically undisturbed by the desires of men. There were here throughout Oregon when the first Christian missionaiy came, an abundance of wild game, elk, deer, antelope, bears, wolves, foxes, beaver, marten, otter, wild goats, wild sheep, muskrats, wild geese, swans, cranes, ducks, pheasants, grouse, quail and smaller birds and animals. And upon this natural provision of nature, and such edible plants, roots and seeds as naturally grew here without cultivation, a population of wild Indians, variously estimated at from twenty to forty thousand lived in all the comfort their imperfect development could comprehend. Various estimates have been made of this native population; but the one given by Lieut. Wilkes, prepared with care to find out the facts, is probably as near correct as any ever made. It is copied here not only to show the number of the Indians, but also to give the names and divisions of them in the year 1842, as near as could be gathered by a competent and painstaking public official:
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Vancouver and Washington Islands
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5,000 |
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From the parallel of 50° to 54° 40' north
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
2,000 |
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Penn's Cove, Whidbey's Island, and mainland opposite (Seat-chat)
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|
650 |
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Hood's Canal (Squamish and Toando)
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500 |
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At and about Okanogan
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300 |
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About Colville, Spokane, etc
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450 |
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Willamette Falls and Valley
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
275 |
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Pillar Rock, Oak Point, and Col. R
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
|
300 |
475
