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Recommending North Columbia Country Day Trips In the Steps of Ranald MacDonald Pacific Northwest history plays host to a wonderful cast of characters who lived colorful and exciting lives: David Thompson, the first to map the entire Columbia River, Lewis and Clark, Chief Joseph, Qualchan, the Yakama chief who was one of the leaders of the Indian revolt against white settlers in 1850s, Father De Smet, covered elsewhere in this issue. Of no less importance, perhaps, but certainly not as well known as these, is Ranald MacDonald, not the clown of the golden arches, of course, but an extraordinary man with a desire to enter forbidden lands who changed the course of history. MacDonald, son of a clerk in the Hudson's Bay Company, and a chief's daughter, lived much of his later years at Fort Colvile near the Kettle Falls and died and is buried near Curlew. This highly intelligent and curious man inadvertently played a key role in the opening of Japan by Admiral Perry in 1854. The story of his life weaves together many of the threads of our region's history, and a drive to his burial site in the beautiful Kettle River valley makes for an enjoyable and instructive day trip. Hudson's Bay Company, of course, was instrumental in opening the Pacific Northwest to trade, travel and, eventually, settlement in the 1800s. The series of forts which they established throughout the region served not just as safe havens for fur traders and trappers, but also as advanced outposts for the European-American culture that would soon follow. One of these early explorers, Archibald MacDonald, a rising star in the Hudson's Bay Company, was assigned to Fort George at what is now Astoria, Oregon. There he met and married Koale' zoa, Princess Raven, daughter of Chief Comcomly, leader of the Chinook tribe. Their son, Ranald, born in 1824, proved heir to all the nobility and intellectual gifts of both his Scottish and Chinook ancestors. Smart, hard-working, inquisitive, unable to stand a dull, conventional life, this young man would soon grow into someone who would plant the seeds of a cultural and economic revolution as he circumnavigated the globe. Ranald's mother died when he was still quite young, and when Archibald remarried, his new wife, Jane, accepted Ranald as her own. The bond grew so strong, in fact, that Ranald never learned that he was Jane's adopted son until later in life. Archibald saw to it that his children received the best education that could be had on the frontier at the time. Eventually, he felt that he should send his teen-aged son to a more settled community to prepare him for a successful future, so off Ranald went alone to St. Thomas, just north of Lake Erie, where he was supposed to learn the art of banking. Fortunately for history, the drudgery of account ledgers and finance appealed not at all to Ranald, who instead dreamt at his desk of a more exciting life. While still a schoolboy in Fort Vancouver, he had heard the compelling story of three Japanese sailors, shipwrecked and adrift at sea, who eventually were cast up on the shores of America near Cape Flattery where the Puget Sound meets the Pacific Ocean. The exciting adventure these three desparate sailors lived inflamed Ranald's imagination and convinced him that he should visit Japan. At that time, Japan was still closed to all outsiders. In fact, conventional wisdom had it that any outsider who set foot inside Japan would be imprisoned and killed. Yet curiosity about the three Asian visitors on American soil made Ranald dream of setting foot on Japanese soil. So in 1842 at age 18, Ranald ran away to Boston and signed on as a sailor on a whaling boat. It took a few years, but eventually Ranald found himself whaling in the Sea of Japan aboard a boat captained by a man who would help him with his cause. Ranald relinquished his share of the whale oil they'd harvested in exchange for supplies, a small boat, and a promise to drop him off near shore, where Ranald re-enacted the shipwrecked sailor scene he'd heard about as a boy. With nothing more to guide him than curiosity about Japan, his own native resources, and the guts to attempt the unthinkable, Ranald cast off alone one night near the coast of Japan and began a new adventure that would change modern history. It was 1848 and Ranald was a mere 24 years old. Soon after he scuttled his boat and swam ashore on the forbidden island, he was discovered and captured by the Japanese. Though the Japanese imprisoned him, they treated him fairly well -- as a curiosity, in fact -- and eventually transferred him to Nagasaki, an important center of commerce and regional government. There, he remained under a kind of house arrest, but well fed and clothed and receiving proper care. All the while he had been learning as much Japanese as he could, and soon high-ranking interpreters from the Japanese court began to visit him for English lessons. There, behind bars, he taught English to a class of fourteen, an act that would eventually lead to the opening of trade between America and Japan. For when Admiral Perry arrived to negotiate a treaty, at least three of those same interpretors stood ready to negotiate terms with the Americans. Had not MacDonald taken the risks he did to launch his one-man invasion of Japan, had he not taught these key people English and advocated with his benign presence for an opening of Japan's closed borders, how much longer would it have been before Japan would have opened its borders to Americans? So, just as the father played an important role in opening up the Northwest to European-Americans, so the son played a key role in breaking the barriers of Japanese isolationism. In 1849, the Japanese authorities freed Ranald, placing him on an outbound ship, and thus began a new set of adventures. He sailed the Pacific for a time, prospected for gold in Australia, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and visited Europe, returned to Canada and finally reunited with his family. Eventually, he ended up back in the Northwest, settling down to farm at the site of Fort Colvile on the banks of the Columbia River near the Kettle Falls. In 1894, by then an old man, he grew ill. A niece drove her buggy over Sherman Pass to nurse him, eventually taking him back home with her to Ferry County. There he died and was buried near Toroda Creek on a hill overlooking the Kettle River, a somewhat isolated, yet beautiful, place for a world-traveller to rest. More well-known in Japan than here in the States, MacDonald's grave site sees visitors from across the Pacific, come to pay their respects to this great man who had such an influence upon modern Japanese history. Here, too, will our day trip lead, for a drive to the cemetary where MacDonald is buried is a great way to see some gorgeous country and imagine it in Ranald's day, when people got around on foot or horse-back or in a buggy. Starting from Colville, drive north on Highway 395 through Kettle Falls and on toward Lake Roosevelt. Just before you cross the iron bridge lies the Kettle Fall Historical Museum on the north side of the road, a site well work checking out. The museum provides a lot of information about the early history of the area. Just a couple of hundred yards up dirt road from the museum itself is St. Paul's Mission, a carefully reconstructed church that played a key role in both MacDonald and De Smet's lives. Walk the short trails to the point overlooking the Kettle Falls on the west side of the plateau and to the north side which overlooks the site of Fort Colvile, where MacDonald spent his last days. The deep gouge running from near the east side of the church northward to the edge of the plateau, then angling down the steep slope to the water is what remains of the road the fur traders and early settlers used to portage around the Kettle Falls. Back on the highway, cross the bridge and take Highway 20 at the Y. This scenic highway continues up to the Kettle Crest at Sherman Pass -- a great place to stop for a picnic -- down the mountain into Republic, and on across the state to the North Cascades, a trip for another day. Just before coming into Republic, take Highway 21 north to Curlew. Curlew Lake, a few miles north of the turn-off, is another great place for fishing, picnicking, and camping. Continue north toward Curlew and turn west on West Kettle River Road, which connects to Highway 21 just to the south of Curlew proper. Look for the sign to the Curlew Job Corp which is not far from the graveyard. From the intersection of Highway 21 and West Kettle Falls Road to the graveyard is about 7 miles. If you reach Toroda Creek Road connecting from the left (west), you've gone a bit too far. There will be a turn-off on the right that takes you across a bridge across the Kettle River to connect with East Kettle Falls Road. Take a left, continuing up the river just a short distance to the graveyard. A short hike to the hilltop, and you'll find the little graveyard with the prominent monument to Ranald MacDonald. Once you've had time to take in the graveyard and the Kettle River, go back the way you've come to Highway 21, take a left at the intersection, and continue on to Curlew itself. A fun stop here is the historic Ansorge Hotel which is being restored to its former gold rush glory. After your tour of Curlew, follow the signs to the Deer Creek/Boulder Creek road and head up to the Kettle Crest once more. At the pass is another campground and picnic area and a good place for a picnic. The road continues down the east side of the mountain and connects to Highway 395 just south of Orient. To conclude your trip, take a right (turn south) and enjoy a smooth cruise down the Kettle River to its confluence with the Columbia at Kamloops Island, then back to the iron bridge and Colville. This loop drive is a tour of country that Ranald MacDonald finally considered home, after his early years spent roaming the globe. Rich in natural beauty and history, one can see why a man who circumnavigated the globe and helped to change history would come to rest here. Jo Ann Roe's "Ranald MacDonald: Pacific Rim Adventurer." WSU Press, 1997. Welcome to NortheasternWashington.com All rights reserved. Copyright 2008-2010.
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