File:Oregon and California in 1848 (1849) (14773193221).jpg

Identifier: oregoncaliforn0102thoruoft (find matches)
Title: Oregon and California in 1848
Year: 1849 (1840s)
Authors: Thornton, Jessy Quinn, 1810-1888
Subjects: Oregon -- Description and travel California -- Description and travel California -- Gold discoveries
Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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anches. The fort has somewhat the appearance of a militaryconstruction, and presented a rather imposing front.It is built upon a rising ground, twenty-five feet abovethe water; and its lofty whitewashed, and picketedwalls, when so seen as to take in the bastions, lookquite formidable. The great entrance fronts towardthe river; and being about fifteen feet long, floored,and covered by the square tower which defends it,affords a pleasant place to sit and enjoy the exhilaratingbreezes for which the surrounding country is famous.The fort is of a quadrangular form, having walls fifteenfeet high, built, according to the Mexican usage, ofadobies, or large sun-dried bricks, and surmounted bya wooden palisade. The four walls are defended bybastions, diagonally opposite to each other, and con-siderably raised. There is a small entrance in thewall, immediately opposite the main one, serving as asort of postern-gate. The houses are generally onestory high, and so built against the wall, that each
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: ;f Oregon and California. 113 apartment with its single door and window faces infront; so that the whole forms an open court, nearlyone hundred and thirty feet square. I was received by Mr. Bodeau, the gentleman incharge of the post, with much kindness ; and he readilysupplied me with moccasins, dried bison flesh, andseasoned timber to be used for false spokes to mywagon-wheels as might be found necessary. He in-formed me that the object of the establishment is forthe purchase of furs and buffalo robes from the neigh-boring Indian tribes, who receive in exchange tobacco,blankets, whisky, powder, lead, calico, vermilion, look-ing-glasses, rings, ribbons, glass-beads, and cheap or-naments. The introduction of ardent spirits into the traffic isdefended on the ground that, in the present state ofthings, the itinerant or peddling trader, who is calledby the French trappers, coureur des bois, having nopermanent and fixed interest in the country, uses it inhis traffic with the natives, and

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