Oregon Lyceum
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Lyceum or Pioneer Lyceum and Literary Club was founded in Oregon City
, Oregon Country
around 1840. The forum was a prominent fixture for the leading pioneer
settlers during its brief existence. It would begin publishing the first American newspaper west of the Rocky Mountains
in 1846 and had several names during its existence.
, began publishing in 1846.
The Lyceum’s first meeting was held at the home of Sidney Moss who had purchased his land in Oregon City from Dr. John McLoughlin
of the Hudson's Bay Company
(HBC). Frederick Prigg was another member of the Lyceum that assisted in building the organization. So was Portland co-founder Francis Pettygrove
.
In addition to debates on government and the creation of a press, the group discussed literary items, scientific pursuits, and other local issues. Literary works of the group were published in the Spectator. The group as also known as The Willamette Falls Debating Society or The Falls Association.
Other notable members during its existence include: Henry A. G. Lee
, William H. Gray
, Lansford W. Hastings, Elisha Applegate, Jesse Applegate
, Asa Lovejoy
, Sidney W. Moss, Robert Newell
, James W. Nesmith
, William C. Dement, Medorem Crawford
, Hiram Straight
, William Cushing, Philip Foster
, Theophilus Magruder, Daniel Waldo
, Peter G. Stewart
, Isaac W. Smith
, Joseph Watt, Frank Ermatinger, Albert E. Wilson
, Jacob Hoover, John Minto
, Barton Lee, and John P. Brooks.
could claim the Oregon Country under the terms of the Treaty of 1818
signed at the conclusion of the War of 1812
. During these debates in Oregon City the European settlers argued about whether an independent country should be formed, or if a provisional government
should be formed.
Those lyceum members advocating an independent country were mainly British
, including Dr. McLoughlin and his HBC employees, although many former fur trappers (predominately French-Canadian
Roman Catholics ) and the region's Jesuit missionaries sided with McLoughlin on this issue. Both groups viewed the formation of an independent country as preventing the territory from eventually becoming a part of the United States
. McLoughlin’s attorney L. W. Hastings, introduced a resolution on his behalf to the Lyceum as follows:
The resolution was adopted but at that same meeting George Abernethy
of the Methodist Mission
introduced a competing issue following the vote to be discussed the next week. This new resolution was in essence in favor of waiting for the United States to annex the territory instead:
After debate of the issues, (which by now, according to later observers, included the option of no provisional government if an independent nation was not formed) the resolution in favor of a four year delay passed and ultimately the side favoring America prevailed.
in the United States died out around the turn of the Twentieth Century.
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
, Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
around 1840. The forum was a prominent fixture for the leading pioneer
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
settlers during its brief existence. It would begin publishing the first American newspaper west of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in 1846 and had several names during its existence.
Founding
One source lists the founding of the institution as 1844, but this is unlikely as there are many references to debates regarding forming a government in 1842. The forum was likely started at that time with the goal of producing a newspaper in the region. That paper, the Oregon SpectatorOregon Spectator
The Oregon Spectator, was a newspaper published from 1846 to 1855 in Oregon City of what was first the Oregon Country and later the Oregon Territory of the United States. The Spectator was the first American newspaper to be published west of the Rocky Mountains and was the main paper of the region...
, began publishing in 1846.
The Lyceum’s first meeting was held at the home of Sidney Moss who had purchased his land in Oregon City from Dr. John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
(HBC). Frederick Prigg was another member of the Lyceum that assisted in building the organization. So was Portland co-founder Francis Pettygrove
Francis Pettygrove
Francis William Pettygrove , commonly known as William Pettygrove, was a pioneer and one of the founders of the cities of Portland, Oregon, and Port Townsend, Washington. Born in Maine, he re-located to the Oregon Country in 1843 to establish a store in Oregon City...
.
In addition to debates on government and the creation of a press, the group discussed literary items, scientific pursuits, and other local issues. Literary works of the group were published in the Spectator. The group as also known as The Willamette Falls Debating Society or The Falls Association.
Other notable members during its existence include: Henry A. G. Lee
Henry A. G. Lee
Henry A. G. Lee was a soldier and politician in Oregon Country in the 1840s. A member of Virginia’s Lee family, he was part of the Fremont Expedition and commanded troops during the Cayuse War in what became the Oregon Territory...
, William H. Gray
William H. Gray (Oregon politician)
William Henry Gray was a pioneer of the Oregon Country in the present-day U.S. state of Oregon. He was an active participant in the efforts to organize a government in the region....
, Lansford W. Hastings, Elisha Applegate, Jesse Applegate
Jesse Applegate
Jesse Applegate was an American pioneer who led a large group of settlers along the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country. He took part in the early government of Oregon, and helped establish the Applegate Trail as an alternative route to the Oregon Trail.-Early life:Jesse Applegate was born in Henry...
, Asa Lovejoy
Asa Lovejoy
Asa Lawrence Lovejoy was an American pioneer and politician in the region that would become the U.S. state of Oregon. He is best remembered as a founder of the city of Portland, Oregon...
, Sidney W. Moss, Robert Newell
Robert Newell (Oregon politician)
Robert "Doc" Newell , was an American politician and fur trapper in the Oregon Country. He was a frontier doctor in what would become the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Ohio, he served in the Provisional Government of Oregon and later was a member of the Oregon State Legislature...
, James W. Nesmith
James W. Nesmith
James Willis Nesmith was an American politician and lawyer from Oregon. Born in Canada to American parents, he grew up in New Hampshire and Maine...
, William C. Dement, Medorem Crawford
Medorem Crawford
Medorem Crawford was an American soldier and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of the state of New York, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1842 where he participated in the Champoeg Meetings and served in the resulting Provisional Government of Oregon as a legislator...
, Hiram Straight
Hiram Straight
Hiram Aldrich Straight was an American farmer and legislator in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New York state, he would live in Iowa before traveling the Oregon Trail to what was then the Oregon Country...
, William Cushing, Philip Foster
Philip Foster
Philip Foster was one of the first settlers in Oregon, United States. The farmstead he established in Eagle Creek in 1847 became the first outpost of civilization after 2,000 miles of travel for pioneers heading west along the Oregon Trail. Approximately 10,000 emigrants are believed to have...
, Theophilus Magruder, Daniel Waldo
Daniel Waldo (Oregon pioneer)
Daniel Waldo was an American legislator in the Provisional Government of Oregon, the namesake for the Waldo Hills near Salem, Oregon, and the father of two prominent Oregon politicians. He was also a member of the Oregon Rangers militia and fought in the Cayuse War.-Early life:Waldo was born in...
, Peter G. Stewart
Peter G. Stewart
Peter Grant Stewart was a jeweler and pioneer of the Oregon Country in what later became the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. A native of New York state, he traveled the Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley and settled first in Oregon City and later in what became Washington...
, Isaac W. Smith
Isaac W. Smith (surveyor)
Isaac Williams Smith was an American soldier, surveyor and engineer.-Early life:Smith was born in 1826 in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, the son of Episcopalian preacher Reverend George A...
, Joseph Watt, Frank Ermatinger, Albert E. Wilson
Albert E. Wilson
Albert E. Wilson was an American pioneer and merchant in Oregon Country. Raised in the United States, he moved to what would become the U.S. state of Oregon where he operated stores, was involved in politics, and was elected as the first judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon.-Early...
, Jacob Hoover, John Minto
John Minto (Oregon pioneer)
-External links:* from salemhistory.net...
, Barton Lee, and John P. Brooks.
Government debate
Beginning in the fall and winter of 1840-1841 the members of the Lyceum debated the future of the region. At the time neither the United States nor Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
could claim the Oregon Country under the terms of the Treaty of 1818
Treaty of 1818
The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, was a...
signed at the conclusion of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. During these debates in Oregon City the European settlers argued about whether an independent country should be formed, or if a provisional government
Provisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
should be formed.
Those lyceum members advocating an independent country were mainly British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
, including Dr. McLoughlin and his HBC employees, although many former fur trappers (predominately French-Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
Roman Catholics ) and the region's Jesuit missionaries sided with McLoughlin on this issue. Both groups viewed the formation of an independent country as preventing the territory from eventually becoming a part of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. McLoughlin’s attorney L. W. Hastings, introduced a resolution on his behalf to the Lyceum as follows:
Resolved, That it is expedient for the settlers of the coast to organize an independent government.
The resolution was adopted but at that same meeting George Abernethy
George Abernethy
George Abernethy was an American pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government in what would become the state of Oregon in the United States...
of the Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
introduced a competing issue following the vote to be discussed the next week. This new resolution was in essence in favor of waiting for the United States to annex the territory instead:
Resolved, That if the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
extends its jurisdiction over this country during the next four years it will not be expedient to form an independent government.
After debate of the issues, (which by now, according to later observers, included the option of no provisional government if an independent nation was not formed) the resolution in favor of a four year delay passed and ultimately the side favoring America prevailed.
Later years
It is not known when the Oregon Lyceum disbanded, but the Lyceum movementLyceum movement
The lyceum movement in the United States was a trend in architecture inspired by Aristotle's Lyceum in ancient Greece....
in the United States died out around the turn of the Twentieth Century.