Michel Laframboise facts for kids

Michel Laframboise (born May 11, 1793 – died January 25, 1865) was an important French Canadian fur trader. He lived and worked in the Oregon Country, which is now the U.S. state of Oregon. Michel later became a farmer and ran a ferry. He was part of the famous Champoeg Meetings in 1843. Even though he voted against creating a new government, the idea passed. This led to the start of the Provisional Government of Oregon.

Michel's Early Life

Michel Laframboise was born on May 11, 1793. His birthplace was Varennes, Quebec, Canada, right by the Saint Lawrence River. His parents were Michel Laframboise and Josephe Monjau. He was originally named Jean Baptiste Eugene, but he later used his father's first name, Michel. In 1810, he was hired by John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company. He sailed from New York City on a ship called the Tonquin.

Life as a Fur Trader

Michel Laframboise and his group arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1811. There, they built Fort Astoria. Michel was hired as a voyageur, which meant he traveled to trade furs. In 1813, the fort was sold to the North West Company (NWC). Michel then became an interpreter for them.

In 1821, the NWC joined with the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). Michel stayed with the HBC as an interpreter. He also worked as a postmaster in their Columbia District.

Exploring the Oregon Country

While working for the HBC, Michel often led trips through the southern Oregon Country. These trips sometimes went into Alta California, which was owned by Mexico. He helped Alexander Roderick McLeod as an interpreter on a trip to the Umpqua River Valley and California. Michel was also there to help set up Fort Umpqua. In later years, he often led trips to French Camp, near what is now Stockton, California.

Michel worked for the HBC out of Fort Vancouver. In 1831, he got permission to settle on some land in the French Prairie. But he kept working for the company. In 1834, he helped Hall J. Kelley get better when Kelley arrived at the fort with Ewing Young. Young's group had faced conflicts on their way through Southern Oregon in the Rogue River Valley. These conflicts eventually led to the Rogue River Wars in the 1850s. Michel kept leading trips south, sometimes on his own.

Settling on the French Prairie

In 1839, Michel married Emile Picard, a Native American woman from the Umpqua area. They had several children. Around 1841, they settled on the French Prairie in the Willamette Valley of present-day Oregon. That same year, Michel worked as a guide for Charles Wilkes. Wilkes was leading the United States Exploring Expedition in the Oregon Country.

Michel then built a home and a barn on about 100 acres (0.40 km²) of land. This land was along the Willamette River, just north of Champoeg. He also had a mill and owned 200 horses there.

The Champoeg Meetings

Michel Laframboise took part in the Champoeg Meetings in 1843. During these meetings, settlers voted on whether to form a new government. Michel voted against it. However, most settlers voted in favor, and they created the Provisional Government of Oregon.

By 1852, Michel had claimed land north of his first property under the Donation Land Claim Act. He also ran a ferry across the Willamette River to Champoeg. This ferry connected to the Champoeg-Salem Road. In the early 1860s, Michel had a stroke. After that, he sold his property. Michel Laframboise passed away on January 25, 1865, when he was 71 years old.