The Battle for St. James Mission
A legal ruling uncovers the history of the Catholic mission at Vancouver and its tenuous claim to the land during the transition from Hudson's Bay Company rule to U.S. authority.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Surveyor General has released an opinion regarding the Roman Catholic Mission of St. James in Vancouver. The tract of 640 acres claimed by the Mission has long been contested by the U.S. military, the town of Vancouver, and the heirs of Amos Short. The inquiry examined whether the priests were merely chaplains for the Hudson's Bay Company or independent missionaries. Testimony from Sir George Simpson and historical records from the Bishop of Quebec confirm that the priests were not under company control but were sent specifically to 'draw from barbarity' the local Indian tribes. The report concludes that the mission was an established missionary station intended for the spiritual and educational benefit of the Indigenous population, setting a precedent for its continued land claims under U.S. law.
“It is entirely optional with them whether they keep a school or not; we exercise no control over them.”
This 1862 land dispute highlights the early friction between territorial administrative control and established institutions like the Catholic Church. Today, the site remains a subject of historical interest in Vancouver, reflecting the ongoing, complex conversation regarding colonial land acquisition and Indigenous displacement in Washington State.
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