Pocket in the Waistcoat: Scenes of Oregon Country, 1806-1839

Oregon, 1806-1839 When four girls from the Tillamook and Clatsop People befriended Joseph Gervais, he changed from the cantankerous French-Canadian fur trapper to become an amusing storyteller and hero. One day, he saved a Métis girl from being snatched by a stranger and earned respect from the Chinook and Clatsop Tribes, as well as, the love of a child who claimed she would become his wife. And she would. It was a time of turmoil at Fort Astoria: the British and Americans vied for control of the Northwest, yet it was a time of rapport between the native people and the fur trappers. In fact, three daughters of Tyee Koboway, Chief of the Clatsop People, sought to marry white men; however, their Tillamook friend Pocket did not want to marry anyone; she strove to be a shaman and to speak English. This story tells about the Native People living in the Northwest since time immemorial, and how their lives and cultures once were harmonious with the Americans and Canadians.