Description

Methodist Episcopal minister, Reverend David E. Blaine, writes to his family to describe life in Oregon and Washington Territories. Having recently moved to Portland from Seattle to escape the dangers of the Yakima War, Blaine explains that their mail is slow in being rerouted from Seattle to Portland due to Native American raiders who attack settlers and travelers moving between Olympia and the Columbia River. He writes that some of the volunteers fighting them have been able to drive back the Native Americans but throughout the summer, they have the advantage of splitting into smaller bands that cannot be directly attacked by the military. Blaine then reflects on the trouble the war has caused Washington and Oregon Territories, preventing industry and agriculture from progressing. He notes that few farms exist in King County that have been left unburned. In other counties in Washington Territory, many homes have been destroyed by fire, forcing residents to live in...

Record Contributed By

University of Washington

Record Harvested From

University of Washington