Elbridge Trask facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elbridge Trask
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| Born | July 15, 1815 |
| Died | June 23, 1863 (aged 48) |
| Resting place | Tillamook, Tillamook County, Oregon |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Eldridge Trask |
| Occupation | frontiersman, hunter, fur trapper, guide, explorer |
| Employer | Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company, partner with Jim Bridger, self-employed |
| Known for | Being a mountain man and explorer of the American West Coast, Tillamook Bay south along the Oregon Coast in the Oregon Country and the first white family to settle in the bay |
| Spouse(s) | Hannah Able |
Elbridge Trask (July 15, 1815 – June 23, 1863) was an American fur trapper and mountain man. He explored the Oregon Country in the western United States. He is famous for being one of the first white settlers in the Tillamook Bay area of Oregon. The Trask River and Trask Mountain are named after him.
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Early Life of Elbridge Trask
Elbridge Trask was born on July 15, 1815. His hometown was Beverly, Massachusetts. His parents were John and Bethiah Trask.
An American Frontiersman
In 1835, Elbridge Trask began working for the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company. This company was led by Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth. In December of that year, he arrived at Fort Hall in what is now Idaho. He joined his first trapping trip with experienced mountain men.
Much of what we know about this time comes from the journals of his friend, Osborne Russell. In January 1838, Trask camped in Jackson Hole with the famous mountain man Jim Bridger. For the next year, he collected many beaver pelts in the Yellowstone area.
In August 1839, he got separated from his group. They waited for him for several days. But a threat from the Blackfoot people made them return to Fort Hall. The next month, Trask returned to Fort Hall by himself, safe and sound.
On August 22, 1842, Trask and Osborne Russell were in the Snake River valley. They joined a wagon train heading to the Willamette Valley. This wagon train was led by the missionary Dr. Elijah White.
Marriage and Settling Down
While guiding the wagon train, Elbridge Trask met Hannah Able. She was a young widow from Indiana with a baby daughter. Hannah was traveling with the William T. Perry wagon.
When they reached Willamette Falls (now Oregon City), Elbridge and Hannah got married. Their wedding was on October 20, 1842.
Elbridge and Hannah Trask first settled in Clatsop Plains. This area is near Astoria, close to where the Columbia River meets the ocean.
In 1852, they moved from Clatsop Plains. They decided to settle near Tillamook Bay on the Oregon Coast. They were the first white family to settle in that bay area. They built their home along the Trask River, which was named after him. Trask Mountain, which is 3,412 feet (1,040 meters) tall, is also named for him.
As more white settlers arrived, there were conflicts with the native people of the Tillamook region. Trask met with the leaders of the Tillamook people, Chief Kilchis and Chief Illga. They tried to make a peace agreement, but conflicts continued from time to time.
Later Life and Legacy
Elbridge Trask died on June 23, 1863. He passed away near Tillamook in Tillamook County, Oregon. He was buried on his own land.
Elbridge Trask's story became popular in 1960. This was when the historical novel Trask by Don Berry was published. This novel and its two sequels are known as the "Trask novels."
Today, the Trask family still holds a reunion every year at the Trask River.
