Farnham's Travels in the Great Western Prairies, etc., part 2, October 21-December 4, 1839: and De Smet's Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846

In Short

This volume collects two significant primary accounts of the American West: a portion of Thomas Jefferson Farnham’s 1839 travels through the Oregon Country and the 1845–1846 missionary journals of Pierre-Jean de Smet. Together, they document the transition of the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountain territories from indigenous homelands into a landscape of burgeoning agricultural settlements, fur-trading outposts, and Christian missions. The work endures as a vital historical record, capturing the logistics of early overland travel and the complex, often fraught, interactions between European explorers, settlers, and the various indigenous nations of the region.

The Story

The narrative arc begins with the observations of Thomas Jefferson Farnham, who, in late 1839, explores the burgeoning settlements of the Willamette Valley and the Columbia River region. Farnham moves through a landscape that is simultaneously wild and increasingly organized by the commercial influence of the Hudson’s Bay Company. He details the arrival of missionaries—notably the Methodists—and the development of early farms, mills, and cabins. His account highlights the physical realities of the territory, from the treacherous, wind-lashed mouth of the Columbia River to the practical, if isolated, existence of settlers living among the indigenous populations. He views the region through the eyes of an observer charting the potential for future American occupation, noting the fertility of the soil and the relative ease with which the country might be integrated into a broader network of trade and transportation.

The focus then shifts to the extensive, meditative, and physically grueling travels of Father Pierre-Jean de Smet, whose 1845–1846 missions take the reader deep into the Rocky Mountains and the interior of the Pacific Northwest. De Smet’s journey is less about settlement and more about the spiritual and social mapping of the tribes he encounters, such as the Flatheads and the Assiniboins. His narrative describes the immense challenges of navigating impenetrable forests and jagged, snow-capped mountain passes. He documents the seasonal cycles of indigenous life, particularly the intensive salmon fisheries at the Dalles and the laborious preparation of food like the camas root. As he travels, he establishes missions and academies, often laboring alongside priests and religious sisters in environments where extreme climate, limited resources, and the constant threat of inter-tribal violence—particularly from marauding Blackfoot parties—shape every day.

The culmination of these journeys is a portrait of a frontier in rapid flux. De Smet’s later entries detail his long return trip toward Missouri, offering a retrospective view of the string of trading posts, forts, and fledgling towns that now spanned the continent. He concludes with reflections on the spiritual state of the tribes, passing along their own legends and traditions, which he interprets through a lens of missionary zeal. The journey ends in St. Louis, framing the entire western experience as a bridge between the wild interior and the reach of civilization. The accounts leave the reader with a stark sense of the isolation and the sheer distance that characterized travel at the time, as well as the profound cultural collisions that defined the era, where the "masquerade" of indigenous dress mixed with imported European goods served as a visible metaphor for a world fundamentally and irrevocably changing.

How It Unfolds

The observation of settlements Farnham visits the Willamette Valley, describing the early, pragmatic efforts of missionaries and farmers to establish permanent agriculture. He documents the presence of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Vancouver, which serves as the administrative and economic hub for the entire region.

The descent to the coast Navigating the Columbia River, the author experiences the volatile power of the Pacific tide, narrowly avoiding a shipwreck near the mouth of the river. He explores the historic site of Astoria, reflecting on the intersection of maritime exploration and the land-based fur trade.

The missionary’s inland journey De Smet travels through the rugged terrain of the Cœur d'Alenes and the Rocky Mountains, crossing dangerous rivers repeatedly to reach the Flathead mission. He describes the dense, silent forests and the extreme physical labor required to sustain a mission in such remote wilderness.

The cultural encounters The narrative examines the seasonal rhythms of the tribes, focusing on the abundance of the salmon run and the complex, sometimes shocking methods of food preparation. De Smet describes the social dynamics of the camps, including the "masquerade" of indigenous people wearing a bizarre, functional mix of native and European clothing.

The final journey home De Smet makes his way back toward Missouri, passing through a series of fortified trading posts that mark the path of commerce across the plains. He records the oral traditions of the Potawotomie and reflects on the necessity of bringing his faith to the tribes he has encountered.

The People

Thomas Jefferson Farnham serves as the pragmatic, observant traveler, interested primarily in the geography, resources, and potential for American settlement in the Oregon Country. He is a man of the transition period, measuring the value of land and the utility of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s infrastructure. In contrast, Father Pierre-Jean de Smet acts as the tireless missionary, driven by a profound religious conviction that seeks to "plant the crop of peace" among the indigenous tribes. He is characterized by his endurance in the face of near-death experiences, his deep curiosity about indigenous customs, and his unwavering belief in his spiritual mission.

The indigenous leaders, such as the Flathead chief Victor, provide a counterpoint to these figures. They are seen navigating the shifting reality of their world—balancing their traditional hunting and gathering practices with the growing influence of traders and priests. The "good old women" and the unnamed tribal members De Smet encounters are portrayed as both subjects of his missionary concern and individuals living in a harsh, unforgiving environment. By the end of the narrative, De Smet remains the central, unifying voice, though he is clearly worn by his labors, while the indigenous people he describes are left facing an uncertain future as their ancestral lands become increasingly integrated into a global trade network.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the immense and overwhelming nature of the mountain landscape, the author captures the atmosphere of the deep, old-growth forests:

"The majestic cedars that shade the gorge at this point are truly prodigious, most of them measure from twenty to thirty feet in circumference, with a proportionate height, and so numerous, that as the rays of the sun cannot penetrate the dense mass, perpetual night may be said, without exaggeration, to reign here."

Observing the stark contrast between the traditional lives of the Indians and the encroaching influence of European goods, the author notes the oddity of their appearance:

"A stout, swarthy Indian, steps proudly by you, apparently conscious of the dignity conferred on him by his new acquisitions—a roundabout much too small for him, a pair of tights with straps, with an intervening space showing the absence of linen, form his body dress, while an old fashioned lady’s night-cap with large frills, and if he be rich enough, a sailor’s glazed cap carefully balanced above it, constitute his head dress."

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an exploration of the "middle ground" of the American West, where the interests of corporate fur traders, determined religious missionaries, and indigenous nations collided. The text grapples with the question of how a vast, rugged wilderness is transformed into a territory of commerce and belief. It asks how disparate cultures survive in an environment that demands constant labor and adaptation. There is an underlying tension between the desire to "domesticate" the land—through farming, road building, and the settlement of villages—and the reality of the untamed, dangerous geography. The book also implicitly poses questions about the price of progress and the erosion of traditional ways of life as they are steadily replaced by the habits, tools, and spiritual structures of the outside world.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the raw, unpolished history of the American frontier will find this book deeply compelling. It does not offer a sanitized version of the past; instead, it presents the visceral realities of travel in the 1840s, from the biting irritation of swarms of mosquitoes to the genuine horror of witnessing the results of inter-tribal violence. The language is formal and occasionally period-specific, reflecting the attitudes and biases of nineteenth-century European and American observers toward the indigenous populations they encountered. Those looking for a sense of what it felt like to be on the ground—to watch the sun set over the Rocky Mountains or to stand on the deck of a ship during a storm at the mouth of the Columbia—will find these accounts remarkably vivid.

The book is challenging in its length and its detailed, sometimes repetitive, documentation of mission life and trading post logistics. However, the reward is an intimate look at a foundational moment in North American history. It remains a poignant, if at times difficult, reflection on the endurance of the human spirit in a harsh environment. What stays with the reader is the sheer scale of the landscape and the determined, often weary, voices of men who believed they were witnessing the dawn of a new, transformative era.