Mythology – a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something; one of the definitions of the word. Synonyms include “legend”, “tradition”, “lore”, “legend”, “knowledge”, “wisdom”, “folktale” and “anecdote” among other words. These words go a long way in describing the events at Champoeg, Oregon on 2 May 1843 and how those events lie remembered in our minds today.
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The United States and United Kingdom came to an agreement in 1818 in which they would share sovereign rule over the Oregon Country. Oregon’s borders came into reasonable shape in the next couple of years with an agreement between Russia and the US followed by one between Russia and England demarcating the northern border to be at the point of 54°40’ latitude.
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A long time in planning, preparing and recruiting, the United States Exploratory Expedition finally sailed out from Hampton Roads, Virginia, 18 August 1838, under the command of Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes en route for Madeira. The six-ship squadron would spend the next four years at sea moving around the world, exploring, charting and discovering. During their voyages which took them to six of the seven continents – they only missed Europe. In 1841, the ships visited the Oregon Country. An adjunct to their scientific missions was to visit Oregon to report on specific conditions there as American interest in those lands were on the upswing. Only one official American probe ventured into the Oregon Country previously.
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