Charbonneau Villager Newspaper January 2021 | Page 10

10 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER January 2021

Pompey Charbonneau

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preter and guide . In the 1860s he joined the Gold Rush and mined near Auburn , California . In 1866 , Pompey was on the road again to prospect for gold at a new strike in Montana . He fell ill during his trek and died of pneumonia at the age of 61 near Danner , Oregon , close to the border with Idaho . His gravesite is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located on one acre of land near Ruby Ranch in Malheur County .
Despite his affluent upbringing under the parentage of William Clark , Pompey remained on the western frontier and lived a rugged , adventurous life . He was
a true pioneer who preferred the rustic outdoors to the comforts of city life .
Fast forward to present day
We have no clear record of Jean Baptiste “ Pompey ” Charbonneau , or his mother Sacajawea as having lived or traveled through this area of the Pacific Northwest . We do know that the Charbonneau District is located in the French Prairie , an area of rich farmland located between the Willamette and Pudding Rivers , north of Salem . It was named for some of the earliest settlers in the region , French Canadian and Native American people who were hunters , trappers and traders . The Wallace House , established in 1812 , was a fur trading outpost , located in the French Prairie in what is now Keizer , Oregon . The Willamette Trading Post was built in 1814 by the North West Trading Company near the site
of Champoeg , another nearby historical area with French influence .
One can only surmise that the principals of Willamette Factors , our “ founding fathers ,” were intrigued by the rich French and Native American history in the region and chose to capitalize on the name Charbonneau as an attractive name for our community . It is interesting to note that plans for the development that came to be known as Charbonneau were underway in 1971 . Also in 1971 , the site of Pompey ’ s grave in southeastern Oregon was dedicated as a National Historic Place . Was this merely a coincidence , or a keen marketing ploy by a savvy businessman ? Regardless , the intriguing history lead to the development of the beautiful community we call home . Much like its namesake , we might consider Charbonneau as our very own “ outpost ,” a little haven
References
� Paulsen , Martin , and Sallie ( 2011 ); The Enduring Strength of Charbonneau ; ( no publisher ).
� Ritter , Michael ( 2005 ); Jean Baptiste Charbonneau , Man of Two Worlds ; Charleston Booksurge . Retrieved December 8 , 2020 .
� Taylor , Frederick ( 2004 ); Pomp , The Long , Adventurous Life of Sacagawea ’ s Son ; AuthorHouse .
� Watson , Bruce M ( 2010 ); Lives Lived West of the Divide : A Biographical Dictionary of Fur Traders Working West of the Rockies , 1793-1858 . Okanagan : The Centre for Social , Spatial and Economic Justice of the University of British Columbia . Retrieved December 8 , 2020 .
away from the hectic , busy world just outside our borders .

CCC Activities

By KIM HOSFORD

Charbonneau , thank you for sharing

Thanks to everyone who contributed so generously to help bring some holiday joy to children in need . Many toys and gift cards were brought to the clubhouse and were taken to Toy and Joy / Compassion in Action of Clackamas Country to be distributed to families in Wilsonville . You are the best !
Quilts still on display when clubhouse reopens
The clubhouse has been closed while we are in the “ extreme risk ” category as per Gov . Kate Brown ’ s executive orders . Please know that Martha Aaron ’ s quilts will continue to be on display when the clubhouse reopens . As you may have read in last month ’ s issue , Martha will be donating all proceeds from the sale of her quilts to Wilsonville Community Sharing — a social services agency that functions as Wilsonville ’ s food bank . We appreciate her creativity as
Brenda Gardiner presented a Zoom webinar on beauty and self-care in December .
an artist and in this endeavor .
COURTESY PHOTOS
Charbonneau library
The Charbonneau library nook is a very popular amenity for our residents . People come in to borrow books and also drop off books for others to read .
The library will be accessible by appointment only while the clubhouse is closed and only one person at a time will be admitted . Simply call 503- 694-2300 to make an appointment or email : office @ charbonneaucountryclub . com .
Charbonneau Zoom webinars on various subjects
The CCC Activities Committee and a few Charbonneau volunteer presenters have been providing virtual classes on various topics .
The first one was held Dec . 9 on beauty self-care presented by Brenda Gardiner . Brenda ’ s presentation was uplifting and fun as she demonstrated how to achieve a “ day look ” as well as a “ holiday look .” She suggested that taking care of your beauty needs will cheer you up not to mention the benefits of having Santa take notice during the holiday season . Did it work girls ? Only Santa will know for sure .
The following week , our second webinar presenter was Don Mason who answered many of our questions about preparing our 2020 taxes .
I would like to thank both of these wonderful presenters for their willingness to share their talents with us . Please stay tuned for more of these webinars as we look for ways to keep our spirits high and our brains engaged .