Oregon 1849

The New Northwestern United States

Ingalls Report on Establishing a Depot at Ft. Vancouver

Interactive Map of Oregon Country (Shockwave)

150 Years at Vancouver Barracks The Arrival of the Army Columbian Newspaper

The Oregon Trail Map from Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon Trail Chronology from PBS  Includes events and discoveries.

What would become Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in the US and British Columbia in Canada were part of a huge area called "Oregon Country".  The U.S. and Great Britain divided this along the 49th parallel in 1846 and in 1848 the Oregon Territory was created.

Captain Rufus Ingalls arrived in Oregon on May 25, 1849.   As Quartermaster he was charged with all the supplies, accommodations, and the animals for the army.  This was a monumental task considering a large portion of the residents were seeking gold in California, and desertions from the Army were a constant problem.

So he had the enlisted men cut trees and raft logs to the mill for the buildings that were needed for winter. He also had to unload and store supplies (from a ship that was sent to a place with no facilites).  Reload the ship with lumber for California  Find forage for the horses, rent buildings (39 total), and transport supplies to Fort Hall in present day Idaho. 

Ingalls' report dated October 17, 1849 lists an unbelievable flurry of activity from the time of his arrival in early summer.  Much of it was aimed at accommodation of troops, 'public' animals, and storage of two years supplies for all the northwestern territory of the U.S.  He also was expected to report on the military and civil resources of the territory.  The report is detailed and interesting.   Click here for the report.

Rufus Ingalls Home Page

Updated March 13, 2001 © L.R. Davis