Lansford Hastings’s Original Call for Legislation in Oregon

As the Oregon Legislature gets into gear, a parade of legislative concepts has been proffered around. Lots of folks start saying, like birds chirping in unison: “There ought to be a law!”

While this has been going on, I got to reading a great novel about the Oregon Trail, Julie McDonald Zander’s The Reluctant Pioneer, when it mentioned a contemporary book carried in the main characters’ covered wagon, Lansford Hastings’s The Emigrant’s Guide to Oregon & California. I paused reading Zander’s novel and began reading this 1845 travel guide for braving the Oregon Trail.

Hastings has this wonderful passage questioning the value of the trip until we get some law and order.

Having left the land of our nativity, having torn ourselves from our relatives and friends, having passed through innumerable dangers, both seen and unseen; having been for the last four long months surrounded only by hordes of barbarous Indians, herds of wild beasts of prey, and danger and death in all their various and varied forms, we had now, arrived at our place of destination; and were about to locate in the wild forests of Oregon. Here we were, cut off almost entirely, from all communication with our connections and friends; in a wild uncultivated region; more than two thousand miles from the land that gave us birth; with no promise of support or protection from our government; exposed to the inclemencies of a dreary rainy season, of about five months, of almost incessant rain, hail, sleet and snow; without houses, without a sufficiency of clothing, or provision; entirely destitute of the means of agriculture; and surrounded with innumerable savages, with whose disposition as to peace or war, we were entirely unacquainted. Under these circumstances, we were very naturally led to inquire, how long this state of things was destined to exist. If this country is such as it has been represented, if it is so fertile and productive; if it is so eminently calculated to promote the prosperity and happiness of man, will not our government, soon extend her jurisdiction and laws over it, so as to insure our future protection; to encourage emigration and to promote enterprise? An affirmative answer to this question, was all our hope, all our consolation, for otherwise, as circumstances and things were, we could see nothing to warrant this tremendous leap into these dark and wild regions, of the “western world.” The country did not appear to us, to be in reality, that delightful region which we had thus long and laboriously sought. Dismay and dissatisfaction appeared to be visibly impressed upon every countenance, and deep discontent pervaded every breast.

Well, be careful for what you wish for. We got that government, and then some. Now the covered wagons of the 21st century are heading in the opposite direction.

Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there.