Hall Jackson Kelley – Promoting the Oregon Trail
Hall Jackson Kelley, a name perhaps less familiar than those of Lewis and Clark or Jedediah Smith, played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative and encouraging the westward expansion that defined the American 19th century. This New England educator and writer became a tireless advocate for the settlement of the Oregon Country, a vast and largely unexplored territory that beckoned with the promise of fertile lands and untold opportunities. His efforts, though often fraught with personal hardship and frustration, helped pave the way for the thousands who would eventually traverse the Oregon Trail, transforming the landscape and destiny of the Pacific Northwest.
Born on February 24, 1790, in Northwood, New Hampshire, Hall Jackson Kelley’s early life provided little indication of the grand ambitions that would later consume him. His father, Benjamin Kelley, was a physician, and the family later moved to Gilmanton, New Hampshire, where young Hall attended an academy. Even as a teenager, Kelley displayed a keen intellect and a thirst for knowledge. At the young age of 16, he embarked on a career in education, teaching in Hallowell, Maine. He furthered his studies at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in 1814, demonstrating a commitment to learning that would underpin his later advocacy.
His personal life took a significant turn in 1815 when he married Mary Baldwin, the daughter of a minister. Sadly, their union was short-lived, as Mary passed away just a year later. Kelley remarried in April 1822 to Mary Perry. He continued his career in education, serving as a school principal in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1818 to 1823. During his time in Boston, he also attended Harvard College in 1820, further solidifying his intellectual foundation. It was during this period that the seeds of his fascination with the American West began to sprout.
The allure of the West, fueled by accounts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Wilson Price Hunt Expedition, captivated Kelley’s imagination. He saw in the vast, untapped potential of the Oregon Country a chance to build a new society, a land of opportunity for those seeking a fresh start. In 1828, Hall Jackson Kelley began to translate his interest into action. He attempted to organize a group expedition to Oregon, but his efforts were thwarted by a lack of funding. Undeterred, he turned his attention to the political arena, lobbying the United States Legislature to support the "American Society for Encouraging the Settlement of the Oregon Territory."
Kelley’s vision extended beyond mere settlement. In a memorial presented to Congress in February 1828, he laid out ambitious plans for the establishment of a city at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers – the site of present-day Portland, Oregon. He also proposed naming mountains in the Cascade Range after U.S. presidents, a symbolic act of claiming the territory for the nation. This memorial reveals the scope of Hall Jackson Kelley’s ambition and his belief in the future of American expansion.
At the time, the Oregon Country was under the joint administration of the United States and Britain, as stipulated by the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. However, the British Hudson’s Bay Company effectively controlled the region, actively discouraging American settlement to protect its lucrative fur trading operations. Despite this opposition, Kelley persisted, convinced that American settlers could thrive in Oregon and ultimately secure the territory for the United States. The challenges presented by the Hudson’s Bay Company only seemed to strengthen Hall Jackson Kelley’s resolve.
In 1829, despite the Hudson’s Bay Company’s discouragement, Congress incorporated the American Society for Encouraging the Settlement of the Oregon Territory, a testament to Kelley’s persuasive efforts. This marked a significant step forward in his campaign to promote westward expansion. Kelley continued to write extensively, publishing numerous articles designed to entice U.S. settlers to migrate to the Oregon Country. His writings painted a vivid picture of the region’s natural beauty, its abundant resources, and the opportunities that awaited those willing to brave the journey.
One of Hall Jackson Kelley’s most significant contributions was the publication of Geographical Memoir of Oregon in 1830. This comprehensive work included the first map of the Oregon Territory ever compiled, providing prospective emigrants with a valuable tool for navigating the unfamiliar landscape. The memoir also served as a settlement guide, offering practical advice on everything from choosing a suitable location to establishing a successful farm. This publication solidified Hall Jackson Kelley’s role as a key figure in the movement to settle Oregon.
In 1831, Kelley sought to join forces with Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth, a Boston businessman, to organize an expedition to the West. They initially planned to send out a large party of several hundred people, but the plan ultimately fell apart at the last minute. The following year, Wyeth proceeded west without Kelley, securing investors in Boston to finance his venture. That same year, Kelley’s writings inspired Benjamin Bonneville, a U.S. Army officer, to undertake his own expedition to the West in 1832. While Kelley’s own journey was delayed, his influence on others continued to propel the westward movement.
Finally, in 1833, Kelley embarked on his long-awaited journey to the West with a small party. They traveled first to New Orleans, Louisiana, where, to Kelley’s dismay, most of the men abandoned the expedition. Undeterred, Kelley sailed south to Veracruz, Mexico, where he recruited a group of Americans who had settled in Monterey. From Mexico, the party crossed into California, where Kelley encountered Ewing Young, a renowned fur trapper and trader who was traveling to the Oregon Country with the missionary Jason Lee.
Kelley invited Young to accompany him north to Oregon, and after initial hesitation, Young agreed. The group, which also included Webley John Hauxhurst and Joseph Gale, both of whom would become prominent figures in the Willamette Valley, set out in July 1834. The journey proved to be arduous and fraught with peril.
During the trip north, Kelley contracted malaria among the Coquille tribe in the Umpqua River Valley, near present-day Roseburg, Oregon. He was rescued by Michel LaFramboise, an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Umpqua. Kelley later recounted the experience, describing how LaFramboise arranged for an Indian chief to transport him down the Umpqua River in a canoe.
On October 27, 1834, Kelley and his party arrived at the Columbia River, where they were met with a less-than-welcoming reception. Dr. John McLoughlin, the district chief at Fort Vancouver, Washington, promptly evicted them. However, McLoughlin, recognizing Kelley’s precarious situation, provided him with passage to Hawaii in 1835. From there, Kelley found a ship and sailed back to Boston, his health and fortune diminished.
Despite the setbacks and hardships he endured, Kelley remained committed to promoting the settlement of Oregon. He continued to write newspaper articles and memoirs based on his experiences, painting a compelling picture of the region’s potential. In February 1839, excerpts from his memoirs, along with a meticulously engraved map of the "Territory of Oregon" compiled by the United States Bureau of Topographical Engineers in 1838, were presented to the United States Congress. This further disseminated his vision and contributed to the growing interest in the Oregon Country.
In 1851, Kelley petitioned Congress for reimbursement of his expenses from the 1834 trip, but his request was denied. Despite this disappointment, he never lost his passion for the West.
Kelley spent his later years in Three Rivers, Massachusetts. In 1868, he published A History of the Settlement of Oregon and of the Interior of Upper California, and of Persecutions and Afflictions of Forty Years’ Continuance endured by the Author. By this time, the Oregon Trail had become a well-worn path, with tens of thousands of emigrants making the arduous journey westward.
Hall Jackson Kelley died in Palmer, Massachusetts, on January 20, 1874, at the age of 83. While he may not have achieved all of his ambitious goals, his unwavering dedication to promoting the settlement of the Oregon Country played a significant role in shaping the history of the American West. His writings, his lobbying efforts, and his personal experiences helped to inspire and inform the generations who would follow in his footsteps, transforming the Oregon Country from a remote wilderness into a vibrant and thriving part of the United States. His legacy lies not in personal wealth or fame, but in the countless lives he touched through his tireless advocacy for westward expansion.