Sheri King: Looking back in history at Oregon's first Fourths
On July 4th of 1846, Oregon was not yet even an incorporated territory of the U.S., much less a state. But that didn’t keep Oregon’s earliest American pioneers from celebrating their country’s birthday on the Pacific shores.
Thanks to early newspaper journalists, we’ve been given front-row seats to Oregon’s first Independence Day events. Our state’s first newspaper - the Oregon Spectator, established in 1846 - described in great detail two of them, one taking place in Oregon City, the other right here in our own neighborhood, at the site of what is today Champoeg State Park.
Like all new Oregonians, the pioneers at Champoeg were still trying to adjust to Oregon weather — notably its unpredictable nature, even in the middle of summer. The “heavy fall of rain” that day led to a ladies’ contingent to cancel its plans to march in the parade.
Without the refuge of pavement, a rainy day quickly became an extremely muddy day. But the rain didn’t keep people from flocking to the Champoeg event.
The Oregon Rangers militia officially kicked off the festivities by marching to a point where a “large number of the Oregon fair” were seated, the Spectator reported. Next, it said, the “chaplain” offered a prayer, a town leader read the Declaration of Independence and an oration was recited for the purpose of educating the “descendants of the heroic men who lighted the beacon of liberty.”
The orator closed his speech, “And now, fellow citizens, prone as Americans are to differ in opinion, I know you will all unite with me in saying: ‘That start-spangled banner, O long may it wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.’”
The following year, the Spectator also included a brief mention of Portland’s celebration, saying: “There was a large assemblage of people from various parts of the territory, who had suspended their daily avocations to keep the ‘Sabbath of the Nation.’ A salute of 30 guns was fired at 12 o’clock, after which an excellent oration was delivered to a crowded audience.”
In the spring of 1848, a small group of men gathered in a rustic log schoolhouse near present-day Lafayette to plan what is possibly the first documented July 4th event in Yamhill County. Come July, they and their comrades gathered at Yam Hill Falls, just past Lafayette’s old Yamhill River steamboat landing.
According to reports in the Spectator and Oregon Free Press, Alonzo Skinner, Oregon Country’s first circuit judge, delivered a patriotic speech to mark the occasion. He was a circuit rider, so most likely showed up on horseback.
Since Lafayette was the county seat during this pioneer era, it was usually the host for local holiday gatherings.
On July 4th of 1850, a parade got underway at Lafayette’s town square. Afterward, the Declaration of Independence was read, speeches and toasts were given, patriotic songs were sung and a group prayer was offered, journalists reported.
In 1852, journalists returned to Champoeg and chronicled a series of toasts. The opening toast was recorded: “The day we celebrate, The Glorious Fourth. When free men shall cease to celebrate this day, then may the sun go down forever. 1 gun, 3 cheers.” Reports described another toast, raised to the new land, this way: “Oregon Territory. Like Heaven, hard to reach. 1 gun, 6 cheers.”
In 1854, a flag could not be found locally, so the women of Lafayette pooled their scarce resources to make one. After speeches and a presentation of Old Glory, all were invited to a public dinner.
Catharine Amanda Coburn, a pioneer of Lafayette and writer for The Oregonian, founded just four years earlier, in 1850, described the setting with these words:
“Rude, improvised tables were set in the grove; cherished linens from grandmothers’ looms, that had been brought by ox team express across the plains, covered the unsightly boards; sprigs of fir and cedar, bouquets of hollyhocks and pinks, with now and then a bunch of sweet ‘mission roses,’ garnished them; and over all, the new old flag floated.”
A few years later, Lafayette’s gathering boasted a crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 people. According to a period news report, there were “no less than” three ice cream stands dishing up cold treats, as the pioneers danced and lit fireworks. The journalist also found it worth mentioning “a swing in constant motion.”
Some of these recorded activities are familiar to Americans. Others may sound slightly peculiar to modern ears.
Maybe the most striking part of these 19th century celebrations of America’s birthday, though, is simply how unpolluted they were by commercialism and superficial hype.
There were no Fourth of July sales. No cheap, plastic Dollar Store decorations. No flags made in the factory of a foreign nation.
Without the outer packaging of consumerism, these humble beginnings in the middle of a vast and untamed wilderness reflect a glimpse of patriotism in its purest form.
After a 2,170-mile trip over the Oregon Trail, these pioneers took nothing for granted. Many had buried loved ones along the journey. The ones who made it owned very few material possessions. Some were barefoot by the time they arrived.
Yet in the middle of these harsh conditions, they focused on what they had - a shared love for the homeland they had left behind. And since the Oregon Treaty with Great Britain had been signed in 1846, they were hopeful the United States would one day welcome Oregon into the fold.
On Valentine’s Day, 1859, their dream was realized when Cupid aimed his arrow out west and Oregon became the 33rd state of America.
As we Oregonians reflect on and celebrate 250 years of national independence this year, we can also be grateful for our pioneer ancestors. They traveled from sea to shining sea — by foot — to get here. And they planted not just crops, but also the early seeds of American ideals in this beautiful part of the country we call home.
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