The Country for Me is the first full biography of Joel Palmer (1810-81), born in Canada to American parents, who played a central role in the political and economic shaping of Oregon. Having traveled on the Oregon Trail three times, he wrote a popular trail guidebook used by later emigrants. Palmer's experience in public life and government service during his first five years in Oregon led to his federal appointment as superintendent of Indian affairs for the territory. Palmer is honored by Native Nations in Oregon because he generally considered their conditions and honestly presented a federal government pledge to protect and support their interests. He did not use his office for personal enrichment, a legacy that did not adhere to most federal agents in their dealings with Native peoples. In this nuanced biography of one of Oregon's most significant nineteenth-century leaders, William L. Lang uses Palmer's story as a means to better understand the context and realities of change in Oregon as it transitioned from a contested territory to a state.
William L. Lang is professor emeritus, Portland State University. He is the founding editor of Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture and the author and editor of numerous books, including the coauthor of Two Centuries of Lewis and Clark: Reflections on the Voyage of Discovery. Lang is the great-great-great-grandson of Joel Palmer.
List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Aspirations Chapter 2: I Rigged Up a Team Chapter 3: The Country for Me Chapter 4: Every Man for Himself Chapter 5: Reckless and Evil Chapter 6: Speak Straight Chapter 7: In the Interests of Indians Chapter 8: Hope of Doing Better Chapter 9: We Should Be Harmonious Chapter 10: A Trying and Laborious Task Chapter 11: The Flower of His Life Notes Bibliography Index
"Others have written on Joel Palmer, but William Lang's new biography stands well above them all. It is especially balanced and judicious, the mark of a seasoned historian. Lang tempers some of the earlier near-heroizing praise given to Palmer while expanding our understanding and appreciation of a figure who played prominently at a critical time in Oregon's history."-Elliott West, author of Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion "Using the life and mind of Joel Palmer as a lens, William Lang updates our understanding of the territory and state of Oregon as it was colonized by the United States. Lang's unmatched knowledge of nineteenth-century Oregon is literally encyclopedic, and the research in The Country for Me is amazingly thorough and current. Lang does an impressive job connecting developments in Oregon to those on the national level, and Palmer's perspectives on Oregon prove particularly informative, given that he rose to the forefront of so many key episodes of U.S. colonization. While telling us about Palmer with scrupulous fairness to his great-great-great-grandfather, Lang offers reflections on history, biography, family, and legacy."-John M. Findlay, author of The Mobilized American West, 1940-2000
