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The Oregonian; or, History of the Oregon Territory: Containing the Laws of Oregon, with a description of the political condition of the country; as well as its climate, resources, soil, production, and progress in education, with a map.
Washington, D.C.: U. Ward and Son—Pennsylvania Avenue. Oregon City, O.T.: George Abernathy—Main Street, 1846. 48 pp. Original printed wrappers. Presentation inscription by the author on dedication page. In a custom slipcase. CONDITION: Good, wrappers heavily worn and tanned, rear cover detached; contemporary notations to wrappers; minor foxing, soiling, and wear. A scarce and early tract presenting the laws of the Oregon Territory and an argument for its inclusion in the United States. At the time, the territory was hotly contested ground between the United States and England. The author, Charles Saxton, traveled overland with the Independent Oregon Company in 1844, returning the following year and then publishing this pamphlet. In it he lays out the territory laws and the political situation there; he also includes the text of an 1840 petition by Oregonians for the protection of the United States, as well as the minutes of the meetings held at Champoig to establish the first territorial government. Though a map is called for on the title page, none was ever issued. Thomas Streeter’s copy sold for $950 in 1969. The last copy to sell at auction, in 2023, lacked the wrappers but was also inscribed by the author, a fact the auction house noted as remarkable. The present copy is inscribed to the editor of the Boston Times. Though not institutionally rare, it is quite rare on the market. This copy is particularly desirable with both the original wrappers and an inscription by the author. “Charles Saxton arrived in Oregon in 1844 and served briefly as a printer at Lapwai. In the early part of 1845, he joined Dr. Elijah White’s exploring party that attempted to locate a possible wagon route across the Cascade Mountains into the upper Willamette Valley. Later in the year, he accompanied Dr. White on a return journey to Independence and subsequently became an Oregon Propagandist”—Wagner-Camp. REFERENCES: Howes S134, “c”; Streeter Sale 3362; Sabin 77349; Wagner-Camp 123a.
Item #9875
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Price: $35,000.00
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