Provisional Government of Oregon

A series of frontiersmen and pioneer colonists assemblies were held over several years across the recently settled Willamette Valley, of the Oregon Country, with many on the French Prairie at Champoeg. On February 9, 1841, the death of prominent early settler Ewing Young (1799–1841), who left no last will and testament nor had any heirs in Oregon Country region, left the future of his property uncertain. On February 17, missionary Jason Lee (1803–1845), chaired the first meeting organised to discuss the matter. He proposed the creation of an authority over the pioneers centered on a governor. Some French-Canadian settlers blocked the measure and instead a probate judge and a few other positions were appointed. The proposal for forming a provisional government was tabled and voted on twice. Two months later, on July 5, 1843, the Organic Laws of Oregon, modeled after the 1838 Iowa Territory's Organic Law and the previous old Ordinance of 1787 (adopted 56 years before by the former Confederation Congress (1781–1789), under the earlier governing document of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union drawn up 1776–1780, and adopted 1781, for establishing the old Northwest Territory (1787–1803) north of the Ohio River and around the Great Lakes), were adopted by the new American and former French-Canadian colonists of the Willamette Valley, establishing the Provisional Government of Oregon. (Johnson would go on to serve as Recorder for the provisional government for a few months in 1844.) ==Structure==

The Organic Laws were drafted by a legislative committee on May 16, 1843 and June 28, 1843, before being adopted on July 5. Although not a formal constitution, the document outlined the laws of the government. Executive branch , Governor from 1845 to 1849 With the first set of laws, the people created a three-person Executive Committee to act as an executive. The Second Executive Committee was elected on May 14, 1844, and served until June 12, 1845. They met at different times each year, and in 1848 they did not meet; too many members had left for the California gold fields. The legislature enacted various laws, sent memorials to Congress, incorporated towns and organizations, and granted divorces and licenses to run ferries. The Supreme Judge was elected by the people, but the legislature could select someone as presiding judge as a replacement if needed. This Supreme Court had original and appellate jurisdiction over legal matters, whereas the lower probate court and justice courts that were also created could only hear original jurisdictional matters when the amount in controversy was less than $50 and did not involve land disputes. The entire Oregon Country was decreed to be covered by four administrative divisions. In June 1844 the Columbia River was declared as the northern border of the Provisional Government, but by December the most expansive American claim in the Oregon boundary dispute of Parallel 54°40′ north was adopted. On December 22, 1845 districts were renamed to counties. Additional districts were created over time from the original four, including the Clatsop, Vancouver, Linn, Clark, Polk, Benton counties. Other Other government positions included Recorder, Treasurer, Attorney, and Sheriff. The recorder position would later become the position of Secretary of State. ==Laws==

With the formation of the Provisional Government, a committee of nine individuals were elected to frame the laws of the government. Scholars and historians have appraised the First Organic Laws as being "very crude and unsatisfactory", not allowing for an effective government body to function. Over the course of nearly six years under the provisional government, the settlers passed numerous laws. One law allowed people to claim if they improved the land, which would be solidified later by Congress' adoption of the Donation Land Claim Act. Despite facing legal discrimination that denied them suffrage and threatened violence, black pioneers remained in Oregon. While the USS Shark was in the region in 1846, its commanding officer estimated there were around 30 black settlers. In 1844, the legislature passed a law banning the sale of ardent spirits, out of concern that the Native Americans would become hostile if intoxicated. ==Finances==

Prior to the creation of the Provisional Government, the economic activities by in the Oregon European descendants Country were focused on the fur trade. A system called "wheat credit" was established in the 1830s for French-Canadian settlers on the French Prairie. The farmers would take their harvests to a granary in Champoeg, where a receipt for its market value was given, Another item used for transactions by French-Canadian and later American pioneers were beaver skins. The first Organic Laws only authorised voluntary donations, a measure deemed a "utopian scheme", and provided scant funds. A tax on real estate and personal property was created in 1844, One pioneer recalled the lack of currency, receiving at most 25¢ in transactions between 1844 and 1848. To overcome the lack of circulating coins, Abernethy gathered scraps of flint left over from arrowhead production by local indigenous. After attaching scraps of paper to them, the amount owed by Abernethy was written on one and given to customers, transferable for other supplies at his store. A traveler who visited Oregon before the arrival of American merchants reported that HBC stores sold goods at rates lower than in the United States. As merchants from the United States became established in the region, they chaffed under the economic hegemony of the HBC. The vendors pressed for the HBC to charge more for sales to pioneers, which the company did for two years, only for American customers. The small American merchant class and officers of the HBC loaned settlers more credit than most could refund. Fears of creditors demanding restitution from the farmers lead to wheat receipts and scrips issued by the government declared valid currency in 1845. The law decreeing wheat as currency was ridiculed for not establishing financial standards for the merchants, who were de facto bankers. Between 1847 and 1848 the local market for wheat became flooded from overproduction, causing a decline in its value. The start of the Gold Rush caused an immense rise in demand for various products in Californian markets. Economic transactions with the pioneer settlements of Oregon increased greatly, with the number of visiting vessels in 1849 was triple that of the previous eight years. though production began on March 10, a week after the dissolution of the Provisional Government. ==Settlement with the Hudson's Bay Company==

The mounting debts of the government, though it could "scarcely hope" to force the HBC company posts to adhere to its authority, made establishing an agreement with the HBC a priority. At the same time a member of the legislature, David Hill, tabled a bill on August 15 that would deny any HBC employees citizenship or suffrage. Mervin Vavasour was in the Oregon Country gathering intelligence about the defensive capabilities of the HBC posts and voiced the minority view that the compact was to the benefit of "peace and prosperity of the community at large". ==Militia==

The organic laws laid out plans for a militia of a battalion of mounted riflemen commanded by an officer with the rank of major, with annual inspections. Under the first Organic Laws, power to call out the militia was vested in the Executive Committee, though any officer of the militia could also call them out in times of insurrection or invasion. An additional force of 500 men was to meet in Oregon City by December 25. However, the Cayuse party was imprisoned and transported to Oregon City. When the group was asked why they offered themselves to the militia, Tiloukaikt stated "Did not your missionaries teach us that Christ died to save his people? So die we to save our people." At a military court Tiloukait and the four other Cayuses, Tomahas, Klokamas, Isaiachalkis, and Kimasumpkinhese, were found guilty and hanged on June 3, 1850, at Oregon City. ==Subsequent history==

Signed on June 15, 1846, the Oregon Treaty ended the dispute between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States, by dividing the Oregon Country at the 49th parallel. Established on February 14, 1859, the State of Oregon was composed of roughly the western half of the territory, the remaining eastern section being added to the Washington Territory. File:Flag of Oregon.svg|alt=Flag of Oregon|Oregon File:Flag of Washington.svg|alt=Flag of Washington state|Washington File:Flag of Idaho.svg|alt=Flag of Idaho|Idaho File:Flag of Montana.svg|alt=Flag of Montana|Montana File:Flag of Wyoming.svg|alt=Flag of Wyoming|Wyoming ==See also==