Gilbert, Frank T.  "Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and
Garfield Counties, Washington Territory, and Umatilla County, Oregon." Portland,
OR: Print. and Lithographing House of A.G. Walling, 1882. p. a25.  Umatilla
County.

DR. WILLIAM CAMERON McKAY

     No name appears more frequently in the pioneer annals of the Northwest than
that of McKay.  Alexander McKay, a hardy Scotchman, and well versed in the fur
trade, came to Oregon in 1811, with his son Thomas, as a partner of Astor in the
Pacific Fur Company, and lost his life a few weeks later in the massacre of the
Tonquin's crew by savages of Vancouver island.  His widow afterwards married Dr.
McLaughlin, Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, at Vancouver.  Thomas
McKay was at Astoria at the time of his father's death, and a few years later
entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company.  He became more widely known
and had greater influence among the Indians of the Coast than any white man
before or since.  In after years he left the company and settled among the
American pioneers of Oregon.  He had four sons:  William C., Alexander, John,
and Donald.  The last has become quite prominent as a scout and Indian fighter,
especially in the Modoc war, and has been traveling in the East for several
years with a party of Warm Spring Indians.  Alexander and John are dead.
William C. was born at Astoria March 16, 1828.  He lived in childhood at
Vancouver, and was taught by his grandfather, Dr. McLaughlin.  In 1833, a Yankee
named John Ball, came out with Nathaniel Wyeth's party, and was employed by Dr.
McLaughlin to teach school at Vancouver.  The next year Ball went to Sandwich
Islands, and thence to Boston.  The next teacher was an English sailor.  In 1836
Cyrus Shepard, and M. E. missionary, was employed to teach the school.  In 1837
William was placed in the dispensary to aid the Company's physician put up
medicines for the interior posts and trapping parties.  It was there he began
the study of medicine.  In 1838, his father who was then in charge of Fort Hall,
decided to send him to Scotland, and Alexander and John to Wilberham, Mass.,
where Rev. Jason Lee was educated.  When they arrived at the Wailatpu mission
where they were to separate, William to go by the way of Manitoba, and the
others by Fort Hall, Dr. Whitman persuaded Mr. McKay to send William to
Fairfield, N.Y., where the Doctor was educated, and "make an American of him."
His course and destination were thus changed, and he accompanied his brothers by
the way of Fort Hall.  He staid there five years, attending the Academy and
Medical College.  He came back in 1843, with the Hudson's Bay Company's annual
express, and had to leave school before getting his diploma.  His professors,
one of whom was the celebrated Dr. F. H. Hamilton, of New York, gave him a
medical certificate, or license.  Upon his return he became a clerk in the
Hudson's Bay store at Oregon City, as there was but little call for a physician.
In July, 1849, he went to California, and mined on Trinity river, returning in
the fall on account of ill health, and bringing back a goodly quantity of gold
dust.  In 1851 he went to Eastern Oregon, and in the next spring settled on the
Umatilla river, at the mouth of McKay, or Houtamia, creek.  In 1855 he was
driven out by the Indians, and his property destroyed.  He then entered the
military service as guide and interpreter, and served till 1861.  He was then
appointed physician at the Warm Spring reservation.  In 1866 he commanded a
company of seventy-six Warm Spring Indians, in the war with the Snakes, and in a
year whipped them into submission, the soldiers having tried it in vain for two
years.  In 1868 he became physician of the Umatilla reservation.  In 1874 he
went East, with his brother Donald and a party of Warm Spring Indians, and
traveled two years, chiefly in New York and the New England States.  He then
settled in Pendleton and practiced medicine.  A year later he again became the
Agency physician, and so remained until 1881.  Since that time he has been
practicing his profession in Pendleton, where he resides with his family.  Dr.
McKay is a man of broad mind and liberal ideas.  He enjoys a large share of the
confidence the Indians formerly reposed in his father, and possesses in a marked
degree, the integrity and firmness of character peculiar to his Scotch ancestry.
 
 
(Additional notes in this same book regarding Dr. McKay, pages 451, 452)
 
     The first actual American settler was Dr. William C. McKay, son the of
celebrated Tom McKay, and grandson of Alexander McKay who came to Oregon in 1811
as a partner of John Jacob Astor, and perished soon after in the massacre of the
Tonquin's crew at Vancouver island.  Dr. McKay was born and reared in Oregon,
and it was his familiarity with, and confidence in this region that led him to
make a settlement.  After this difficulty with the Cayuse tribe had been
adjusted a few American's, and Hudson's Bay Company French, came to this section
to locate.  The majority of them selected choice spots on the Walla Walla,
Touchet, Tukannon, and Mill Creek, while Dr. McKay located on the Umatilla river
at the mouth of Houtama, or McKay creek.  This was in the fall of 1851.  The
French settlers were chiefly in the Walla Walla valley, and not more than one of
two, if any, were within the limits of Umatilla county.  The great respect and
regard entertained by the Cayuses for Tom McKay had, in a great measure, been
conferred upon his son, and Dr. McKay was welcomed by them and received favors
that would have been denied other Americans.  He was looked upon as a Hudson's
Bay Co. man, though he was born in Oregon, educated in New York, and had always
identified himself with the Americans.  this fact saved his life and that of
several others a few years later.  In 1851 an Indian agency was established on
Umatilla, opposite the present town of Echo, by Dr. Anson Dart, Superindent of
Indian affairs for Oregon.  E. Wampole was installed as agent, and was succeeded
the next year by Thomas K. Williams, and he by R. R. Thompson.  The last named
gentleman resided at the Dalles, and placed Green Arnold as his deputy at the
agency.  This station was known as Utilla, and in August 1851, a post office by
that name was established there, being on the route between, Dalles and Salt
Lake.  A. F. Rogger was appointed post master.  These were the only settlements
in 1855 when the Indian war drove all Americans from the country east of the
Cascades.
    In common with scores of others, Dr. McKay visited the Colville mines in the
summer of 1855.  His property was left in charge of Jones E. Whitney, who had
came with his wife in the emigration of 1854 and had lived with the Doctor for a
year as his partner.  In the fall he started on his return from Colville,
accompanied by Victor Trevitt, now living at the Dalles, and two Hudson's Bay
French.  They were several times stopped by Indians, but Dr. McKay represented
Trevitt as a clerk of the Hudson's Bay Co., and they were not interfered with.
When they reaches the settlement of Brooke, Bumford and Noble, at Wailatpu, it
was deserted, and while wondering at it, Howlish Wampo head chief of the
Cayuses, rode up and informed them that the Americans had all gone to the
Dalles, but that some people were up the river.  they proceeded up the river
where they found a number of French settlers, among whom were Mr. Pambrun, Mr.
McBean and a Catholic priest.  Next morning the chief sent his brother with
McKay and Trevitt as an escort, the two Frenchmen remaining at the camp.  The
Dr. found his place deserted by Whitney and his wife, the house door broken in,
his property destroyed and his cattle gone.  They remained there two days and
had a big talk with the Cayuses, who were very sore about the sale of their
land.  They did not go to war as a tribe, but many of the young warriors joined
the hostiles.  Umhowlish, Stikas and others advised them to leave at once, as
the feeling against Americans was so bad it was unsafe even for McKay to remain.
They therefore departed for the Dalles as secretly as possible, passing the
deserted agency as they went.  McKay's place and the agency were both destroyed,
and thus ended the second settlement of Umatilla county.
 
 
(Additional notes in this same book regarding Dr. McKay, page 462)
 
County election, June 6, 1882
Office - Coroner, Name - William C. McKay, Politics - Rep., Vote - 1156, No.
candidates - 3, Total votes - 2545

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in September 2005 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.