Clatsop Mission

The Clatsop Mission was an outpost of the Methodist Mission near modern Astoria, Oregon, United States. Joseph H. Frost was sent to the Clatsop Plains at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1841. Until a residency was complete, Frost and his family resided at Fort George.[1] After Frost returned to the Willamette station to request additional members, Kone was assigned to accompany him as the planned Umpqua mission had been forfeited.[1] After sailing down the Columbia on a boat, loaned from McLoughlin, to the planned mission the Methodists began to reside according to Frost in an area "surrounded by Indians, who were ignorant, superstitious and barbarous."[1] A band of Clatsops, the local tribe, assisted the Methodists in the construction of their house and provided food as well.[2] A small house was made to house visiting natives who had till then slept on the floor of the mission as outright refusing any guests was feared to possibly lead to a violent confrontation.[2]

Describing the heads of the Tillamooks in the terms of Phrenology, Frost found them to have a "bump of avariciousness being very prominent".[3] The Tillamook practice of head flattening according to the priest likely made this result.[3] In correspondence to the Board in September 1841 Kone stated that Clatsop were "few in number, and not prepared to receive the Gospel."[4] Consequentially he and his family left for the United States in November 1841 due to the "unpromising prospects among the natives..."[5] By February 1842 Frost concluded that "there never will be anything like a permanent Christian church raised up among [the Clatsops]." and decided the budget of the mission "ought to be expended to better purpose elsewhere."[3] Frost was unable to convert any Natives during his three years there and he left the "land of darkness"[2] with his family on August 14, 1843.[5] His replacement was Rev. Josiah Parrish, who operated the mission until its closure in the following year, where upon he purchased the property.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pipes, Nellie B. "Journal of John H. Frost, 1840-43." Oregon Historical Quarterly 35, No. 1 (1934), 50-73
  2. 1 2 3 Pipes, Nellie B. "Journal of John H. Frost, 1840-43." Oregon Historical Quarterly 35, No. 2 (1934), 139-167
  3. 1 2 3 Pipes, Nellie B. "Journal of John H. Frost, 1840-43." Oregon Historical Quarterly 35, No. 3 (1934), 239
  4. ↑ Gatke, Robert M. "A Document of Mission History, 1833-43." Oregon Historical Quarterly 36, No. 1 (1935), 71-94
  5. 1 2 Lee, Daniel and Joseph H. Frost. Ten Years in Oregon, New York City: J. Collard, 1844
  6. ↑ Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
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