Lee, D.; Frost, J. H. Ten Years in Oregon. New-York: The Authors, 1844. First Edition. [4366]
Black blindstamped cloth, backstrip chipped with loss at ends, title in gilt to spine, front edge of backstrip cracked with the whole probably at one time repasted to the spine. Front outer hinge a bit loose, not detached. 7 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches, 7 1/2 x8 1/2 inch folding map as frontis, "A Sketch of the Columbia River, and adjacent country," having 3 small chips in the top margin, a short tear at the edge of one fold, and a circular dampstain about the size of a half dollar (much more noticeable on the reverse of the map than on the map itself). Title page with illustration of an albatross. 344 pp., tight, foxing throughout. Fair. Hardcover.
Binding signed "Geo. T. Teel, Binder" on both sides.
Howes L197, with the title variant of the first edition, first issue. Sabin 39724; Graff 2440: "Contains an account of Wyeth's journey to Oregon, 1834."
No. 2238 in Pilling, Proof-Sheets of a Bibliography of the Languages of the North American Indians. "A specimen of Indian dialects (Killemook, Checalish, and Clatsop), pp. 339-344."
Daniel Lee (1807-1896) and Joseph H. Frost (1805-1866), Methodist missionaries to the Indians of Oregon, sent out before the United States exercised any authority in the area. Daniel Lee arrived via the Oregon Trail in 1833 and Frost by ship in 1840. Daniel worked under the superintendency of his uncle, Jason Lee, just four years older than Daniel and the pioneer Methodist missionary in the Oregon Territory. The two concentrated their efforts on the Willamette Valley and at The Dalles of the Columbia River. Frost's missionary labors were to the Clatsop Chinookans, near Fort George and the mouth of the Columbia River. His frustration in the work led to his departing for Boston in August, 1843.
Ill health forced Daniel Lee to return to his native New Hampshire in the same year. "He coauthored Ten Years in Oregon (1844), an important history of the Oregon mission, which contributed significantly to educating his church with regard to the opportunities and challenges of the work. In later years he served churches in the Midwest." - O'Malley, Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions.