Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/284

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262 T. C. Elliott. done so as a cost of $1000.00, and had filed on the land in his own name, and from a further note by Lieut. Warre at Red River the following June, it is learned that Gov. Simp- son allowed the item as one to be repaid to Mr. Ogden by the H. B. Co. But we very much doubt whether Mr. Ogden ever again saw the color of the $200 paid to James Sanler. Later, in their claims against the United States Govern- ment, the Hudson's Bay Company included Cape Disappoint- ment at a value of $14600. From 1845 to the °f his death Mr. Ogden made Fort Vancouver his headquarters, and with the retirement of Dr.Mc- Loughlin became the ranking Chief Factor on the Columbia. He shared the management with James Douglas until 1849 when that gentleman removed to Victoria, after which he was the only Chief Factor on the Columbia until 1852 when Mr. Dugald MacTavish was transferred from the Islands to assist him. There is just a suggestion here and there of slight differences with James Douglas; at any rate the dignified and reserved Mr. Douglas looked especially after the affairs at Vancouver, while Mr. Ogden preferred the field duties and is often reported as "leaving for the interior." The trip up the Columbia seemed an every day occurrence to him and he was the best known white man to all the Indians west of the Rocky mountains. They knew him as "The Old Whitehead", and he was accustomed to give small presents to the older In- dians here and there in remembrance of some service per- formed in previous years. His canoemen and the servants knew him among themselves as "M'sieu Pete." In June, 1846, the National boundary was fixed at the forty- ninth parallel, and then began to arise important and perplex- ing questions regarding the properties of the H. B. Company within United States territory, their "possessory rights," as the treaty indefinitely recited. There were questions relat- ing to squatters on the lands claimed by the H. B. Company and there were unreasonable constructions of law by local customs officials in regard to the carrying of freight by the