Astoria, Oregon

I have long been fascinated by the story of Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River. A few weeks ago, while poking through the shops in Steveston village, I saw a copy of Peter Stark's Astoria: Astor and Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire (2015), so of course I had to buy it.

For those who refuse to believe that smallpox was weaponized against Indigenous populations by fur-seeking settlers, Stark tells the story of Astoria's first head honcho, Duncan McDougall, who, in October 1811, and fearing an attack on the undermanned townsite's supply of trade goods (blankets, kitchen utensils, glass beads, etc.), "invited the local chiefs to Mr. Astor's new emporium on the Columbia. Once they'd gathered, according to an account [Washington] Irving heard from one of the participants, McDougall held up a small glass vial. In this bottle, McDougall told them, hid the deadly smallpox. If the Indians didn't treat the traders well, there would be consequences." (218)

A couple lines later, Stark writes:

"They backed away. The ruse gave him some leverage -- for a while."

Chilling.