The Winship's had vessels in the Pacific trade, particularly between Hawaii and Canton. (Parrish, 169). Charles Winship arrived in the Columbia River as early as 1800 with the Boston brig "Betsy" under his command (Lockley, 103).
"In the early part of 1809, in the counting room of Abiel Winship, one of the solid [business] men of Boston, was projected the first attempt to establish a settlement on the Columbia. Partners in the project were Abiel Winship, Jonathan Winship, who commanded the "O'Cain" in the Pacific trade, Nathan Winship, and Benjamin P. Homer, one or two others having smaller interests. Particulars were discussed and determined. The old weather beaten, but still staunch ship, 'Albatross,' was chosen for the adventure, with Nathan Winship as captain, and William Smith as chief mate. Everything necessary for building, planting and trading was included in the outfit, the prominent idea being permanent settlement. With a crew of twenty two men the vessel was to proceed around Cape Horn to the Columbia, and ascend that stream some thirty miles, when the captain was to select a site for settlement. It must be remembered that at this time the lower Columbia had been explored by no white man save the party of Lewis and Clark, Gray, and Broughton. The land was to be purchased from the natives, and a large two story log house, or fortress, was to be erected, with loopholes for cannon and musketry, and all the conveniences for defense. On the second floor were to be the placed all the arms and ammunition, and to this part of the building no native was ever to be admitted. Entrance to the upper story should be by a single trap door, and the ladder should be always drawn up after ascending. Land was to be cleared and cultivated under protection of the guns, and not less than half the men were to be always on guard." -- H. H. Bancroft. (Horner, )
In July, 1809, the 'Albatross' set sail via the Sandwich Islands, where the captain took on board some hogs and goats, also twenty-five Kanakas, and then proceeded to the Columbia, which he entered May 26, 1810 (Horner, ).
The first anchorage was near the Chinook village, under the protection of the cape, after which slow progress was made upstream due to the necessity for soundings in the strange [uncharted] waters (Parrish, 169).
Captain Winship went up the river forty miles to a point on the south side, where he caught sight of some oak trees, beautifully located; and he named it Oak Point. This was on the [south] bank opposite the present village of that name. He decided to build a two story log house at that place to serve as a fort, as well as a warehouse; and it was his purpose to cultivate the land close by. (Horner,)
William Gale's Journal (Parrish, 169)
The journal of William A. Gale, Captain Winship's assistant, recounts that on June 5 they carried a hawser from the bow and made fast to trees on the shore. While part of the crew were unbending the sails the remainder of the crew and all the Sandwich islanders debarked and began falling trees for the house.
Next day, while the cutting of logs continued, land was cleared and soil broken for a garden. The axes rang along the riverside and Captain Winship went about superintending the work.
On June 6 and 7 all hands were employed on shore. The ship's tailor was busy making clothes for those who were to remain at the fort.
Heavy rains fell on the eighth, and the next morning the river had risen so rapidly that the point of land was covered with from one to two feet of water. Eighteen inches of water covered the section where the fort stood, already raised to a height of ten feet.
Captain Winship had failed to notice the high water marks, and he must have been chagrined at the flood. The garden, already seeded, was completely inundated.
On the ninth, Mr. Smith, the first mate, who had gone in the whaleboat to search out a new site, returned with word that a quarter of a mile downstream, on the same bank, there was a nice bit of higher ground. So Captain Winship ordered the logs taken down and floated to the place selected.
While this work was going on the Indians grew troublesome. There had been numbers of the redmen every day paddling up in their canoes with salmon and furs for barter, but now large numbers of warriors from the Chinook and Chehalis tribes arrived, all well armed, some with bows and arrows, some with muskets secured from the trading ships.
These visitors insisted at first that they merely were bent upon warfare with adjoining Indians who had killed one of their chiefs. They said a battle was planned on the morrow.
In the morning, however, the Indians gathered where the shore gang was at work and Captain Winship became suspicious. He ordered part of the gang on board and set the others to working within easy running distance of the ship, under cover of the guns.
The Chinooks then took the initiative in telling the white men that they were much displeased with the plan to build the fort so far up the river. They believed it should be located at the mouth. The up- river site would interfere with the profitable trade of the Chinooks, who always had acted as the intermediaries between the trading ships and the inland tribes.
Shore gangs continued at work on June 11, but the Indians were observed to be sending their women and children out of harms' way. When this became apparent the shore gang hastened aboard and ship dropped down the river opposite the new site.
The natives meantime, to show their distaste for what was going on, dodged in and out among the trees, firing off muskets. One warrior aimed his gun at Captain Winship, who was seated on the taffrail, but did not fire. When the longboat was sent ashore with men to clear the brush, the Indians showed such a bold front that the boat put about. Then three chiefs came alongside in a canoe, and in answer to all questions they insisted that the white men return down river.
Next day the decision was reached to abandon the enterprise. Mr. Gale wrote in his journal: "We have taken off the hogs and the goats, which were put on shore for the use of the settlement, and thus we have to abandon the business, after having, with great difficulty and labor, got about 45 miles above Cape Disappointment, and with great trouble began to clear the land and build a house a second time, after cutting timber enough to finish nearly one half and having two of our hands disabled at the work ... What can be more disagreeable than to sit at table with a number of these rascally chiefs, who, while they supply their greedy mouths from your food with one hand, their bloods boil within them to cut your throat with the other?"
The Winship's probably would have attempted a settlement the following spring, but at the time the more pretentious Astor expedition arrived, and the Winship's concentrated on their traffic with the orient, which was carried on with marked success.
Horner, John B. Oregon History and Early Literature Portland, OR; The J. K. Gill Company 1931
Lockley, Fred History of the Columbia River Valley from The Dalles to the Sea Chicago; The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company 1928
Parrish, Philip H. Before the Covered Wagon Portland, OR; Binfords and Mort 1931
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