Outpost: John McLoughlin & the Far Northwest Review

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(More customer reviews)In my former hometown of Oregon City, John McLoughlin is an unavoidable figure. He virtually founded the city, is buried there, his home is a landmark, streets, schools and businesses are named for him. There every school child knows about Fort Vancouver and the Hudson Bay Company. In the rest of the world I fear he is an obscure personage. Ms. Morrison has done extensive, (colossal?), research on McLoughlin and this is the most comprehensive biography of the man we are ever likely to see.
The book is also an excellent resource for information on the HBC and the lengths to which the company went to attempt to keep the country North of the Columbia River in the British Empire. McLoughlin is a towering figure in the history of the United States and deserves more fame and renown. His likeness even stands in Statuary Hall in the United States capitol. Unfortunately despite Morrison's best efforts he is likely to remain obscure outside of the Pacific Northwest. The story of McLoughlin and his Empire is all here...if you care.

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Dr. John McLoughlin, chief factor at Fort Vancouver (1824-45) and the strongest arm of the Hudson's Bay Company in a colonial Pacific Northwest, was a man easily mythologized yet poorly known. The man now called 'The Father of Oregon' was cast out first by his company and later deserted by the pioneers he had unstintingly aided. Born near Quebec in 1784, John McLoughlin found himself between two worlds throughout his life. After training as a doctor, McLoughlin struck out for the fur country as a company doctor and clerk. He came to the Pacific Northwest in 1824 with his family, where he established the Hudson's Bay Company headquarters at Fort Vancouver.Known for his compassion and blistering temper, he kept peace, made money for the company, and defended British interests in the region. He assisted starving, exhausted Oregon Trail settlers, maintaining relations with them while America and Great Britain decided the prickly question of national boundaries. In 1845, during a year of great personal tragedies, he was maneuvered out of his position by forces within the company.Dorothy Morrison's comprehensive biography takes a fresh view of this complex and passionate man whose personal story illuminates the history of the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. Over 100 illustrations and six maps enhance this epic story.

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