With the same soaring genius thy Lewis ascends,
And, seizing the car of the sun,
O'er the sky-propping hills and high waters he bends,
And gives the proud earth a new zone.
Potowmak, Ohio, Missouri had felt
Half her globe in their cincture comprest;
His long curving course has completed the belt,
And tamed the last tide of the west.
Then hear the loud voice of the nation proclaim,
And all ages resound the decree:
Let our occident stream bear the young hero's name,
Who taught him his path to the sea.
These four brother floods, like a garland of flowers,
Shall entwine all our states in a band
Conform and confederate their wide-spreading powers,
And their wealth and their wisdom expand.
From Darien to Davis one garden shall bloom,
Where war's weary banners are furl'd,
And the far scenting breezes that waft its perfume,
Shall settle the storms of the world.
Then hear the loud voice of the nation proclaim
And all ages resound the decree:
Let our occident stream bear the young hero's name,
Who taught him his path to the sea.
Joel Barlow.
For many years, the East showed little interest in this far western land—it was too indistinct, too distant. The British Hudson Bay Company had its eye on the country, and in October, 1842, prepared to bring in a large body of immigrants to occupy it. Dr. Marcus Whitman, of the American Board of Missions, learned of this design, and started to ride across the country to Washington, D. C., in order to lay the plot before the United States government. After enduring almost incredible fatigue and hardship, he reached Washington March 3, 1843. The tidings he brought spurred the government to retain this great territory.
WHITMAN'S RIDE FOR OREGON
[October, 1842-March 3, 1843]