"Who Invited A Wolf to This Meeting?" - The origin of the Provisional Government

Several thousand Americans had settled in Oregon in 1846. One of the biggest problems was the need for laws and a way to enforce them. When a mountain man named

Ewing Young died, he left no heirs. He left no will to decide what to do with his cattle or land. Several of his neighbors met to discuss what to do with the property. They agreed to form a committee to write a set of rules or laws. However, when a meeting was called four months later, nothing had been done; there seemed to be no rush to create a legal system.

As more emigrants and fur-trappers settled in the Willamette Valley, both old settlers and new arrivals worried about their land claims and legal rights. They were concerned what would happen if Congress passed Linn's bills, which granted land to