Ewing Young facts for kids

Ewing Young (born 1799 – died February 9, 1841) was an American fur trapper and trader. He came from Tennessee and traveled across what was then northern Mexico. This included areas like Santa Fe de Nuevo México and Alta California. Later, he settled in the Oregon Country. Young traded along the Santa Fe Trail and explored parts of the Old Spanish Trail. He even helped create new trails. He eventually moved north to the Willamette Valley. Young was a well-known and successful person in Oregon. His death led to important meetings that later helped create the first government in Oregon.

Early Life and Adventures

Ewing Young: His expeditions across Western North America.

Ewing Young was born in Tennessee in 1799. His family were farmers. In the early 1820s, he moved to Missouri. This was the western edge of the American frontier at the time. It was close to Spanish-controlled lands like present-day Texas and New Mexico. Young briefly farmed near the Missouri River in Charitan.

Exploring New Mexico

Under Spanish rule, Americans could not trade with the Spanish outpost at Santa Fe. But in 1821, the Mexican War of Independence ended Spanish control. American traders, mostly from St. Louis, Missouri, wanted to see if they could now trade in Santa Fe. A small group of Americans successfully traded there in December 1821.

When he was 18, Young sold his farm. He joined a larger group heading to Santa Fe. In May 1822, this group left. They became the first wagon train to travel the Santa Fe Trail. Young and the others were welcomed by the new Mexican leaders in Santa Fe.

The Spanish and later Mexicans did not focus on trapping animals for fur. But there was a high demand for furs in America and Europe. Companies like the Hudson's Bay Company and the American Fur Company started the North American fur trade. The new Santa Fe Trail opened up fresh hunting areas. For the next nine years, Young became a pioneer in trapping. He spent his time between Santa Fe and Missouri. He led many of the first American trips into the mountains and rivers. These areas are now parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.

Young and his partners created a trade route between Nuevo México and Missouri. They exchanged Mexican furs, horses, and mules for American goods. When they returned to Nuevo Mexico, they sold the American goods for gold and silver. During a trapping trip in 1827–1828, Young hired a young Kit Carson. Even though Mexican leaders tried to limit American activities, Young became a successful trapper and businessman. He eventually opened a trading post in Pueblo de Taos in the late 1820s. People in Mexico often called him Joachin John or Joaquin Jóven.

Journeys to California

In the spring of 1830, Young led the first American trapping trip to reach the Pacific Coast from Santa Fe. They traveled along the Salt, Gila, and Verde rivers. Then they went across the Mojave Desert. They followed a trail that Jedediah Smith had marked three years earlier. They finally arrived at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to rest.

The group then visited Mission San Fernando Rey de España. They continued north into California's great Central Valley. They went through the southern San Joaquin Valley section. Once there, they moved north to the Sacramento Valley. They met Peter Skene Ogden from the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). The two groups trapped together in the valley. Then the Americans headed to the Tule River.

After a short trapping trip there, the group met an official from the Mission San José. This official was trying to bring back people who had left the mission. With help from eleven of Young's trappers, these people were returned to the mission. Young visited the mission on July 11. From there, the Americans went to San Francisco Bay to trade their furs. After this, they went south to Pueblo de Los Angeles. They returned to Taos before the end of 1830. When Young returned to Taos with his earnings, he was one of the richest Americans in Mexican territory.

Over the next few years, Young and his group kept traveling to Alta California to trap and trade. In 1834, in San Diego, Young met Hall J. Kelley. Kelley was a big supporter of the Oregon Country from Boston. Kelley asked Ewing Young to go north to Oregon with him. Young first said no, but then changed his mind. Young agreed to travel with Kelley. They set out in July 1834. Their group included Webley John Hauxhurst and Joseph Gale. Both became important people in the Willamette Valley.

Life in Oregon Country

Young and Kelley arrived at Fort Vancouver on October 17, 1834. This fort was a main center for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). The HBC was the most powerful business in the region's fur trade. At that time, the Oregon Country was shared by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States.

Young decided to settle permanently on the west bank of the Willamette River. His home was near the mouth of Chehalem Creek, across from Champoeg. People believe his house was the first built by European Americans on that side of the river. Dr. John McLoughlin of the HBC tried to discourage American settlers in the area. The Mexican government of Alta California accused Young's group of stealing 200 horses when they left. The group said that some uninvited travelers had stolen the horses. McLoughlin stopped Young from doing business with the HBC.

Willamette Cattle Company

In January 1837, Young was chosen to lead the Willamette Cattle Company. He traveled to California on a ship called the Loriot. He bought 630 cattle. He then brought them back along the Siskiyou Trail. Before this, the HBC owned all the cattle in the Willamette Valley. They rented animals to settlers.

Many men joined Young on the cattle drive. These included Philip Leget Edwards, Calvin Tibbets, John Turner, William J. Bailey, George Gay, Lawrence Carmichael, Pierre De Puis, B. Williams, and Emert Ergnette.

Marriage and Family

Ewing Young married María Josefa Tafoya. She was the daughter of a well-known family from Taos, Mexico. By the late 1820s, Mexican leaders were worried about American settlers. They started to place more rules on trade and trapping. To avoid some of these rules, Young became a Catholic in 1830. He may also have become a Mexican citizen and officially married Maria Tafoya, but there are no records of these events.

Ewing Young's Legacy

In February 1841, Young died. He did not have a will or any known family members to inherit his property. This meant a special court was needed to handle his estate. Many settlers owed him money or were owed money by him. Doctor Ira L. Babcock was chosen as the main judge to manage Young's estate. The meetings and activities that followed his death eventually led to the creation of a Provisional Government of Oregon in the Oregon Country.

A special marker, the Ewing Young Historical Marker, is located along Oregon Route 240. It shows where Young's farm and grave are. Ewing Young Elementary School in Newberg, Oregon, is named after him. In 1942, a ship called the Ewing Young was also named in his honor. This ship served in World War II and was taken apart in 1959.

Ewing Young Heritage Oak Tree

On May 6, 1846, an acorn was planted on Young’s grave. It was near his cabin site. Miranda Bayley and Sidney Smith planted it. This oak tree is still alive today (as of 2018). It was listed as one of Oregon's Heritage Trees on April 7, 1999.

Images for kids

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  Ewing Young: His expeditions across Western North America.

See also

In Spanish: Ewing Young para niños