Outpost; John McLoughlin & the Far Northwest [Hardcover]

Dorothy Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

Dr. John McLoughlin, chief factor at Fort Vancouver (1824-45) and the strongest arm of the Hudson's Bay Company in a colonial Pacific Northwest, was a man easily mythologized yet poorly known. The man now called 'The Father of Oregon' was cast out first by his company and later deserted by the pioneers he had unstintingly aided. Born near Quebec in 1784, John McLoughlin found himself between two worlds throughout his life. After training as a doctor, McLoughlin struck out for the fur country as a company doctor and clerk. He came to the Pacific Northwest in 1824 with his family, where he established the Hudson's Bay Company headquarters at Fort Vancouver.Known for his compassion and blistering temper, he kept peace, made money for the company, and defended British interests in the region. He assisted starving, exhausted Oregon Trail settlers, maintaining relations with them while America and Great Britain decided the prickly question of national boundaries. In 1845, during a year of great personal tragedies, he was maneuvered out of his position by forces within the company. Dorothy Morrison's comprehensive biography takes a fresh view of this complex and passionate man whose personal story illuminates the history of the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. Over 100 illustrations and six maps enhance this epic story.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dorothy Morrison's comprehensive biography takes a fresh view of this complex and passionate man whose personal story illuminates the history of the settlement of the Pacific Northwest. Over 100 illustrations and 6 maps enhance this epic story. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 670 pages
• Publisher: Oregon Historical Society Press; Cloth edition (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875952674
• ISBN-13: 978-0875952673
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First you have to care, February 14, 2001

By 

"echodell" (Colorado Springs, Co) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outpost; John McLoughlin & the Far Northwest (Hardcover)

In my former hometown of Oregon City, John McLoughlin is an unavoidable figure. He virtually founded the city, is buried there, his home is a landmark, streets, schools and businesses are named for him. There every school child knows about Fort Vancouver and the Hudson Bay Company. In the rest of the world I fear he is an obscure personage. Ms. Morrison has done extensive, (colossal?), research on McLoughlin and this is the most comprehensive biography of the man we are ever likely to see.

The book is also an excellent resource for information on the HBC and the lengths to which the company went to attempt to keep the country North of the Columbia River in the British Empire. McLoughlin is a towering figure in the history of the United States and deserves more fame and renown. His likeness even stands in Statuary Hall in the United States capitol. Unfortunately despite Morrison's best efforts he is likely to remain obscure outside of the Pacific Northwest. The story of McLoughlin and his Empire is all here...if you care.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars John McLoughlin is subject of new historical biography., October 26, 1999

By 

Dan Hays, Statesman Journal (lisah@easystreet... (Salem, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outpost: John McLoughlin and the Far Northwest (Hardcover)

John McLoughlin is called -- by vote of the Oregon legislature -- "The Father of Oregon." Yet the government of the United States deliberately invalidated his claim to his Oregon home.

McLoughlin helped the early pioneers get a foothold in the Oregon wilderness, then was accused of keeping them in poverty for his own enrichment.

He was a compassionate man with a violent temper. McLoughlin was loved, hated, respected, reviled. And now he is the subject of a thorough, honest and compulsively readable biography.

In one sense, this book is an unexpected treasure coming from this writer, who is a respected author of history and fiction for young readers (including a work for young people about McLoughlin), not a traditional writer of biographies for adults.

"Outpost: John McLoughlin and the Far Northwest" is the work of Dorothy Nafus Morrison, an accomplished historian. "Outpost" is a major historical work designed for the general reader and for historians. But it is also a natural step in her development as a writer. It is an astonishing tale, exceptionally well told.

5.0 out of 5 stars worthwhile, January 7, 2010

By 

Todd C. Tornay - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outpost: John McLoughlin & the Far Northwest (Paperback)

A comprehensive, well-written and -illustrated volume worth reading and having for those interested in Northwest history. A fair, somewhat admiring biography of a unique individual, both for his personality and accomplishments.