French Prairie

French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem. It was named for some of the earliest settlers of that part of the Oregon Country, French Canadian/Métiscite web
last = Edmonston
first =George P. Jr.
authorlink =
coauthors = Patricia Filip
title = Rewrites
work = A look at five OSU researchers who are revolutionizing their academic disciplines
publisher = Oregon Stater
date =
url = http://alumni.oregonstate.edu/stater/issues/Stater0112/feature6.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-17] people who were mostly former employees of the Hudson's Bay Company.cite book
last = McArthur
first = Lewis A.
authorlink = Lewis A. McArthur
coauthors = Lewis L. McArthur
title = Oregon Geographic Names
origyear = 1928
edition = Seventh Edition
year = 2003
publisher = Oregon Historical Society Press
location = Portland, Oregon
id = ISBN 0-87595-277-1
pages = ]

European American settlement

The European presence in the French Prairie area began with the Willamette Trading Post established in 1814.

In the 1830s the French Canadian settlers, who were Roman Catholic, petitioned to the Bishop of Juliopolis at the Red River Colony (present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) to have a priest sent to them. [cite web
last =Lenzen
first =Connie
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Settlers on French Prairie, Oregon Territory in 1836-1838
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.oregonvos.net/~clenzen/frprairie.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-17] Two of these petitions were sent in 1836 and 1837. Bishop François Norbert Blanchet finally arrived in the French Prairie area in 1838. These first French Canadian settlers built hewn log homes in the French style and started wheat farms. Chapman, J. S. (1993). "French prairie ceramics: the Harriet D. Munnick archaeological collection, circa 1820-1860: a catalog and Northwest comparative guide". Anthropology northwest, no. 8. Corvallis, Or: Dept. of Anthropology, Oregon State University.] The homes were built with clay and stick chimneys, ash bark roofs, and animal skin windows that were similar to the homes built on the eastern Canadian frontier. By 1843, approximately 100 French Canadian families lived on the prairie.

For a short time the Oregonian Railway Company had a station named French Prairie about two miles southeast of the city of St. Paul.

The St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, in St. Paul, was built by the settlers of French Prairie and is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest.

Geography

Generally, the French Prairie is bounded by the Pudding River on the east, the Salem area on the south, and the Willamette River on both the north and west as the Willamette makes a 90 degree turn to the south near Newberg.

French Prairie today

The French Prairie area is still an important agricultural area of the Willamette Valley, and there is concern about urban development encroaching on arable land. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Minutes of the Board Session
work =
publisher = Marion County Board of Commissioners
date = 2006-03-08
url = http://www.co.marion.or.us/BOC/Minutes/2006/03_08_2006.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-03-17]

French Canadian settlements in the French Prairie area

*Butteville
*Champoeg
*Gervais
*St. Louis
*St. Paul

Notable French Prairie residents

*Pierre Belleque
*Joseph Gervais
*Étienne Lucier
*François X. Matthieu

References

External links

* [http://www.oregonvos.net/~clenzen/18421st.html List of Settlers West of Rockies, 1842 by Elijah White, Indian Agent]
* [http://www.peak.org/~mransom/frcan1842.html French Canadians in the 1842 Oregon census] (has detailed biographies of some of the settlers)
* [http://photos.salemhistory.org/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=&CISOFIELD1=title&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=French%20Prairie&CISOFIELD2=subjec&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=descri&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=audiena&CISOROOT=all Historic photos from the French Prairie area] from Salem Public Library
* [http://www.friendsoffrenchprairie.org/ Friends of French Prairie] land-use planning organization