At Fort Vancouver they met Dr. John McLoughlin, the chief factor of the fort.  Dr. McLoughlin was a tall, stern-looking man with flowing white hair.  The Native Americans called him “the White-Headed Eagle.”  Dr. McLoughlin was sympathetic to the plight of the settlers, and admired their courage in making such a dangerous journey to a new home.

He wanted to help the Americans, although he was under orders to discourage them from settling north of the Columbia River, in present-day Washington.   In the 1840s, both Britain and America occupied Oregon Country, which included all the land west of the Rocky Mountains and north of California.  The British knew they couldn’t keep the Americans completely out of Oregon Country, but they wanted to keep control of as much land as they could.  So they discouraged the settlers from going north, telling them stories about fierce Indians, poor farming conditions, and terrible weather. 

Even though it was not the policy of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Dr. McLoughlin helped many Americans to start their new homes.  This kindness, combined with other factors, eventually cost him his job with the Hudson’s Bay Company.  He allowed Michael T. Simmons and his party to stay near Fort Vancouver during their first winter in Oregon Country.  He also allowed them to purchase food and other supplies from the fort.  Since the settlers didn’t have any money, he let them work off their debt by sawing logs and making cedar shingles.  The Americans worked hard, and Dr. McLoughlin was impressed. 

When Michael T. Simmons learned that the Bush family would go north to Puget Sound Country to settle, he decided to go north as well.  In the spring of 1845, he and a few other men made two exploratory trips up the Cowlitz River.  It was a difficult trip, but they made it to the falls at the mouth of the Deschutes River in Puget Sound Country – today the City of Tumwater.  Michael chose this spot for their new settlement.  On April 10, 1845, Elizabeth Simmons gave birth to a baby boy.  In honor of their long trip, they named him Christopher Columbus Simmons. 

When Michael T. Simmons announced his group’s intention to settle north in Puget Sound Country, Dr. McLoughlin gave them a letter to take to Dr. Tolmie, who ran the Hudson’s Bay Company post at Fort Nisqually.  The letter asked Dr. Tolmie to let the Americans have food and supplies and charge the expense to Fort Vancouver.  It also said that the Americans had been very friendly and hard-working guests. 

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