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'{{Infobox Politician | name = Joseph Gale | image = JGale.jpg | width = 120px | caption = | office = Executive Committee of the [[Provisional Government of Oregon]] | term_start = 1843 | term_end = 1844 | predecessor = position created | successor = [[Executive Committee (Oregon Territory)|Second Executive Committee]] | constituency = [[Oregon Country]] | majority = | birth_date = April 29, 1807 | birth_place = [[Washington D.C.]], [[United States]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1881|12|13|1807|4|29}} | death_place = Eagle Valley, Oregon | party = | relations = [[Old Chief Joseph]] | spouse = Eliza Gale | children = | residence = | occupation = trapper, sailor | religion = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} :''For the U.S. Tax Court judge, see [[Joseph H. Gale]].'' '''Joseph Goff Gale''' (April 29, 1807 — December 13, 1881) was an [[United States|American]] pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the [[Oregon Country]]. There he assisted in the construction of the first sailing vessel built in what would become the state of [[Oregon]], sailed the ship to [[California]] to trade for cattle, and later served as one of three co-executives in the [[Provisional Government of Oregon]]. Originally a sailor, he also spent time in the fur trade, as a farmer, and a gold miner in the [[California Gold Rush]]. ==Early life== Joseph Gale was born in [[Washington, D.C.]], on April 29, 1807, the son of Mary Gale (née Goff) and Joseph Gale, a sea captain from [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name=mountain>{{cite book|last=Hafen|first=LeRoy R.|authorlink=LeRoy R. Hafen|title=The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West|publisher=A. H. Clark Co.|location=Glendale, California|year=1965|volume=VII|pages=107–119}}</ref> Both of his parents died when Joseph was young, but he did receive an education and some training as a sailor.<ref name=mountain/> Gale arrived on the Pacific Coast as early as 1828 with the Bean-Sinclair party that had been shipwrecked off the coast of [[California]].<ref name=mountain/> From 1830 until 1839, the heyday of the Rocky Mountain fur trade, he was a well regarded trapper and an associate of western legends such as [[Ewing Young]], [[Nathaniel Wyeth]], [[Joseph Meek|Joe Meek]], [[Jim Bridger]], and [[Chief Joseph]] of the [[Nez Perce]] Indians. ==Fur trapper== As early as 1830, Joseph Gale had traveled the [[Santa Fe Trail]] from Missouri to [[Taos, New Mexico|Taos]] and was fur trapping in the southern Rocky Mountains. Just how and when he arrived in the west is unclear. In October 1831, he departed [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] as a member of [[Ewing Young]]'s second trip to California. The goal of this expedition was to export horses and mules from California for sale in the Missouri Valley, and do some trapping of beaver and perhaps sea otter on the side. Whether Gale went all the way to California, or remained at the Colorado River to wait for the returning party is unclear.<ref name="Taos">{{cite book | last = Weber | first = David J. | authorlink = | title = The Taos Trappers: The Fur Trade in the Far Southwest, 1540-1846 | work = | publisher = University of Oklahoma Press. | year = 1968}}</ref> However, Gale likely accompanied [[David Edward Jackson|David Jackson]] and the California livestock back to New Mexico, arriving in July 1832. A year later, in July 1833, Gale was at the fur trapper's [[Rocky Mountain Rendezvous|Rendezvous]] at Green River, where he joined [[Joseph Reddeford Walker|Joseph Walker]]'s expedition to California.<ref name="Craig">{{cite newspaper | last = Beall | first = Thomas J. | date = March 3, 1981 | title = Recollections of Wm. Craig | work = Lewiston Morning Tribute}}</ref> The fur trappers traveled from the Great Salt Lake to California by way of the [[Humboldt River]], crossing the Sierra Nevada near Yosemite Valley. Traversing the rough mountain terrain in October took a month. In November, Walker and company finally reached the Pacific Ocean.<ref name="Zenas">{{cite book | last = Leonard | first = Zenas | title = Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard | publisher = D.W. Moore | year = 1839}}</ref> In February 1834, the Joseph Walker party began its return trip to the Rocky Mountains, but Gale stayed behind in California. He instead joined his friend Ewing Young on his cattle drive from California to Oregon in the company of Oregon promoter, [[Hall Jackson Kelley]]. The Ewing Young party reached the Willamette Valley in October 1834. Less than a month later, Gale and a "picked up lot" were hired by [[Nathaniel Wyeth]] and were traveling to [[Fort Hall]].<ref name="Wyeth">{{cite book | last = Wyeth | first = Nathaniel | authorlink = Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth | title = The Journals of Captain Nathaniel J. Wyeth's Expeditions to the Oregon Country: 1831-1836. | publisher = Ye Galleon Press | year = 1997}}</ref> Gale was soon leading a "spring hunt" in the Rockies north of the Great Salt Lake.<ref name="Russell">{{cite book | last = Russell | first = Osborne | authorlink =Osborne Russell | title = Journal of a Trapper | publisher = Syms-York | year = 1914}}</ref> In the fall of 1835, Gale lead his party of men to the [[Gallatin River]], where they had a bloody encounter with [[Blackfeet|Blackfeet Indians]]. Gale and his party, [[Kit Carson]], [[Joseph Meek|Joe Meek]], and several others were fortunate to survive the encounter. Joseph Gale continued to work out [[Fort Hall]] for the next few years. With the sale of Fort Hall to the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] in August 1837, he began trapping for the English company. ==Family life== While working for Wyeth out of Fort Hall, Joseph married a [[Walla Walla (tribe)|Walla Walla]] Indian woman, Eliza, who was a daughter of [[Old Chief Joseph]] (''Tu-eka-kas'') of the Wallowa [[Nez Perce]] and a Walla Walla mother. She may have been named after [[Eliza Hart Spalding|Eliza Spalding]], co-founder of the Protestant mission at Lapwai. Eliza Gale was half sister to Young [[Chief Joseph]] (''Heinmot Tooyalakekt''). Joseph Gale and Eliza's first two children (Francis Ellen and Edward) were born at Fort Hall in 1837 and 1838, three more children were born in the Oregon Territory (Susan, Margaret and Mary), and three more girls (Maria Antonia, Clara and Sabrina) were born in California during the 1850s. ==Oregon Country== In 1839, Joseph Gale and his family left Fort Hall and moved west of the Cascade mountains. Gale soon had a job working at the [[Methodist Mission]] sawmill in Mission Bottom.<ref name="Journal">{{cite book | last = Perkins | first = Henry | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Journal of Henry Perkins | work = | publisher = | year = | doi = | id = }}</ref> Within a year, the family had settled on the [[Tualatin Plains]], where they were soon joined by the families of other mountain men, including [[Robert Newell (Oregon politician)|Robert Newell]], [[George W. Ebbert]], Caleb Wilkins, William Doughty, and [[Joseph Meek|Joe Meek]]. With the collapse of the international market for beaver furs, the fur trappers had quit the business and were settling down in the Oregon Country.<ref name="Pioneer">{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Samuel Asahel|title=Pioneer Days of Oregon History|publisher=J.K. Gill Company|location=Portland, Oregon|year=1905|volume=II|pages=617–619|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=HkcOAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Felix%20Hathaway%22%20oregon&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a&pg=RA2-PA618&ci=220%2C719%2C615%2C331&source=bookclip}}</ref> As Oregon began to attract people, the lack of a sustainable economy became a problem. Moreover, settlers were suffering from an acute livestock shortage. In 1840, a group of settlers began [[Star of Oregon (event)|construction of a ship]] with the goal of sailing the vessel to [[San Francisco]], and trading it for cattle to bring back north.<ref name="Stars">{{cite book | last = Collins | first = Dean | title = Stars of Oregon | publisher = [[Binford & Mort]] | year = 1943 }}</ref> Ship building commenced on the ''[[Star of Oregon (ship)|Star of Oregon]]'' (as it was later to be named) on Swan Island ([[Portland, Oregon]]) with [[Felix Hathaway]] hired as the ship builder.<ref name="Stars"/> A year later, Joseph Gale was offered command of the ship and a share of the ownership. To raise capital and free his labor for its construction, Gale sold his [[Tualatin Valley]] farm and moved his family to [[Champoeg, Oregon|Champoeg]]. All summer and fall he worked on construction of the schooner at [[Oregon City, Oregon|Oregon City]], where it had been relocated, which came after Hathaway quit the project and left the completion up to the remaining partners.<ref name="Pioneer"/> During the winter and spring of 1841 to 42, Gale worked for the [[Oregon Mission|Methodist Mission]], running its sawmill.<ref name="Pioneer"/> In August 1842, the ''Star of Oregon'' - the first ocean-going vessel built in Oregon - left Oregon City for two weeks of practice runs on the [[Columbia River]]. In September, the ship left for [[California]] with a crew of five inexperienced men and an Indian boy with Gale as captain.<ref name="Stars"/> On reaching [[San Francisco]], the ship was sold for 350 cows. The following spring, Gale and 42 others drove 1,250 cattle, 600 horses and mules, and 3,000 sheep back to [[Oregon]].<ref name="Stars"/> Partly in recognition for his accomplishment, Joseph Gale was named to the first [[Executive Committee (Oregon Territory)|executive committee]] of the [[Provisional Government of Oregon]].<ref name=Oregon>Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. [[Binfords & Mort Publishing]]. p. 95.</ref> [[Oregon]]’s first form of government, as implemented by the citizens’ [[Champoeg Meetings|meeting]] at [[Champoeg, Oregon|Champoeg]] on July 5, 1843, favored an Executive Committee instead of a single executive. The Executive Committee of 1843 was made up of [[David Hill (Oregon politician)|David Hill]], [[Alanson Beers]], and Gale.<ref name=Oregon/> By 1844, Joseph Gale and his family had settled on [[Gales Creek (Oregon)|Gales Creek]] in [[Washington County, Oregon]], where he established a grist mill and sawmill, perhaps using profits gained from the California cattle drive. ==California and the gold rush== With news of the [[California Gold Rush]], Joseph Gale moved from the [[Oregon Territory]] to California, where he lived first at [[Mission San Jose]] and later near [[Fort Tejon]] in Los Angeles County where he ran a sawmill. On January 9, 1857, Joseph Gale and family suffered the effects of the Great [[Fort Tejon earthquake]]. "Mr. Gale, whose dwelling is situated..(approximately 1.5 miles from) the Fort experienced a severe injury during his exertions to rescue his children from the ruins of his falling house".<ref name="Earthquake">{{cite newspaper | last = | first = | authorlink = | volume = 2 |issue = 36 | work = Santa Barbara Gazette | publisher = | date = January 22, 1857}}</ref> In August 1859, Gale received a permit to run a ferry over the [[Kern River]] (at Gordon's Ferry, Tulare County). Located on the main stage route from Los Angeles to San Francisco, this venture was potentially profitable. However, Gale's business activities were badly damaged with the demise of the [[Butterfield Overland Mail]] service in March 1861 and the closing of Fort Tejon in June 1861. In January 1862, [[Great Flood of 1862|a record flood]] washed away the ferry, stage station, and much of the road connecting San Francisco with Los Angeles. Gale abandoned the ferry and moved to [[Walla Walla, Washington|Walla Walla]]. ==Return to Eastern Oregon== By late 1862 Gale and his family had moved to [[Walla Walla, Washington|Walla Walla]], Washington Territory, where his daughter Frances and husband Thomas Page had settled. By 1868, Gale had relocated to Eagle Valley in Eastern Oregon, where he engaged in farming and other business activities related to the gold strikes in the [[Wallowa Mountains|Eagle Cap mountains]]. Before the [[Nez Perce War]] (1877), [[Chief Joseph|Young Chief Joseph]] and the Wallowa Nez Perce would often come and stay with Joseph and Eliza during visits to Eagle Valley, a traditional [[Nez Perce]] hunting and fishing territory. Joseph Gale died on his farm on December 13, 1881, and is buried in the Eagle Valley cemetery, Richland, Baker County, Oregon. After Gale's death, Eliza moved to the [[Umatilla Indian Reservation]], where she died in 1905. She is buried in the Weston Cemetery in Weston, Umatilla County, Oregon, where her tombstone reads "1819-1905 d/o Old Chief Joseph, Nez Perce Chief. w/o Joseph Gale, Provisional Governor of Oregon 1843-1844." ==References== {{Reflist|2}} i like cheese ==External links== * [http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/5531/oregontrailthird.html&date=2009-10-25+06:06:21 Oregon Trail 1841 - 1843] * [http://gesswhoto.com/centennial-farmers.html The First Farmers] * [http://www.historicoregoncity.org/HOC/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153:new-government&catid=70:oregon-trail-history&Itemid=75 Beginnings of Self Government] * [http://www.osl.state.or.us/home/lib/governors/jg.htm Joseph Gale] * [http://oregonmag.com/JosephGale.htm An Oregon Life: Joseph Gale (1800-1881)] * [http://www.oregongenealogy.com/baker/historybc/eaglevalley.htm History of Eagle Valley, Baker County, Oregon] {{s-start}} {{s-bef|before=None (Government established)}} {{s-ttl|title=Executive Committee of the [[Provisional Government of Oregon]] |years=1843-1844 |regent1=[[Alanson Beers]] |regent2=[[David Hill (Oregon politician)|David Hill]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Replaced by Second Executive Committee |regent1=[[Osborne Russell]] |regent2=[[Peter G. Stewart]] |regent3=[[William J. Bailey]]}} {{end}} {{Oregon Pioneer History}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME =Gale, Joseph | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =April 29, 1807 | PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Washington D.C.]], [[United States]] | DATE OF DEATH =December 13, 1881 | PLACE OF DEATH =Eagle Valley, Oregon }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Joseph}} [[Category:Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon]] [[Category:1807 births]] [[Category:1881 deaths]] [[Category:Champoeg Meetings]] [[Category:Oregon pioneers]] [[Category:People from Washington County, Oregon]] [[Category:People from Baker County, Oregon]] [[fr:Joseph Gale]]'