Alexis Aubichon (born in c. 1787 in Alsace-Lorraine,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) was a soldier and trapper.

Life

He spent his younger years

traveling Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel ca ...

and exploring the

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...

. He became head of

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

, to foster exploration and settlement in the west. His work impacted

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

's development years after his time. During the conscription of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

’s army in 1791, his family left the country and settled in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Twenty years later in 1811, he joined the settlement of the

Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...

. It was during this time he met a Native American woman. The couple had one son together, his wife passing shortly after.

American citizenship

It is said that Aubichon and his brother were drafted to the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, but then rejected because of their French descent. They left and joined the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

army during the war in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. After being honourably discharged, they received their

American Citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

. However, the documents that support this information were destroyed. Later, this information was confirmed by Aubichon’s granddaughter, Catherine Petit Colbert. She wrote a letter giving her testament that throughout the years she lived with her grandfather, he repeated events in his life, including how he obtained American Citizenship. In 1823, he married

Comcomly Comcomly (or Concomly) (1765–1830) was a Native American leader of the Lower Chinook, a group of Chinookan peoples indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, who inhabited the area near Ilwaco, Washington. Concomly spoke Lower Chinook and was ...

's daughter Elvamox, also called MaryAnne, but their marriage was not recognized legally by the church until 1839 when a priest officiated it. At the time they had five children together: Alexis, Sophie, Emilie, Julie, and Catherine, ranging from ages 3-17, Alexis being the oldest. In the years to follow, they had three more children, Isabel, Lulu, and Philomen.

Legacy

In 1840, he constructed "Obeshaw Landing". Later, this made an impact in Oregon's development. Eventually, "Obeshaw Landing" became known as "Butte Landing". This was his last known work before retiring in 1841. He retired in Buteville, Marion County. He participated in the

Champoeg Meetings The Champoeg Meetings were the first attempts at formal governance by European-American and French Canadian pioneers in the Oregon Country on the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Between 1841 and 1843, a series of public councils was he ...

(1841–43) and supported adopting French as the language of government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aubichon, Alexis 1780s births Military personnel from Alsace-Lorraine French emigrants to Canada Hudson's Bay Company people French explorers of North America People from Marion County, Oregon Year of death missing People from Oregon Country