 Frontier Fighters. Frontier Fighters. Dramatic incidents in the lives and careers of those fearless trailblazers who brought eternal glory to the Empire of the Northwest. In 1849, Abraham Lincoln's term in Congress had just expired. He was hourly growing in the esteem of his countrymen. Had taken an active part in the campaign, which resulted in Zachary Taylor's election to the presidency. A newly sworn president called Lincoln to the White House to offer him a high office. Lincoln was certain it was the office of commissioner of the general land office and in the president's office one day. Good morning, Mr. President. Lincoln, I'm happy to see you. Please accept my thanks for your very active part in behalf of my campaign. And now that the country is saved for another four years, we can get on the business. That reminds me a little bit of a story, Mr. President. Well, there you go again. My wife warned me against inflicting my brand of humor on the president of these United States. Well, you don't, of course, have to tell Mrs. Lincoln that you told me a story. Well, bless my soul, I don't do that. Do you mind if I hitch my chair a little closer? Not at all. Well, Mr. President, I was riding through the woods one day back in Illinois when I saw a lady approaching. I ran my horse and waited for her to pass. She checked her horse to stop and after looking me over and a curious sort of way finally broke out with, well, for land, say, you're the homeliest man I ever saw. Yes, Mama says, but I can't help that. No, she said, I suppose not, but you might stay at home. Oh, Lincoln, Lincoln, if you can combine your qualities as a humorist with certain other qualities as a politician, I think you'll make an excellent governor of the territory of Oregon. I reckon my hearing is out of whack, Mr. President. Did you say governor of Oregon? Yes, Lincoln, I did. The appointment of commissioner of the general land office is too obscure for a man of your talent. Well, Mr. President, there's a little woman back home who's mighty afraid of getting too far away from the center of population. I can just hear Mary Lincoln asking me to decline with thanks. Mr. President, Oregon has just lost a governor, but that's just between us. Lincoln, I'm genuinely sorry. Well, maybe I'll never get another presidential appointment, but it wouldn't do to get Mary riled up now, would it? Besides my friend J.P. Gaines is a good man, and I think he'd like to go to Oregon. J.P. Gaines did become governor of Oregon and was sworn into office on August 18th, 1850. With each year now, this empire of the Northwest took on a greater significance. The southern Oregon military road was built. The steamboat line was established between Astoria and Oregon City. The Willamette and Rogue River valleys became populous, and now a new trail was to be blazed from port offered on the coast to Jacksonville. On the 10th of June, 1851, nine men landed for the steam coaster Seagull. The Clicquatad Indians, always hostile to the whites, saw in this small landing party an opportunity to stop the white man from further colonizing their lands. The red men waited for the Seagull to leave, and then demanded of the nine men, Indians say to pale face, go now or die. But where can we go? Our ship sailed an hour ago. Then let pale face make his home in ocean with fish. If he cannot breathe air, let him breathe water and drown. Wait. Let us continue as brothers until morning. Then we will take our choice between becoming your prisoners or walking out into the ocean. So let it be. But between us there never can pass pale face. Only Tomahawk. Well, Captain, what are we going to do now? We're nine against a hundred. See that great rock there rising out of the water? Yeah, but the minute we make a dash, those red devils will come out of the woods and cut us to pieces. But we're not going to make a dash for that rock until it's dark. It's our good fortune that we took the ship's signal gun with us. One cannon well-mounted and nine rifles. Captain Peters has looked that rock over and on top of it. There's a small clump of trees. A perfect blind for our cannon. Good. In the morning we'll reveal our position to them. Wait until they've charged the rock and gotten within 50 feet of our cannon. I don't think we'll have to choose between either the ocean or the Tomahawk. They've discovered us, Captain. Good. Jim, is the cannon loaded? It's up to the muscle. Great job, Captain Peters. Rifles in position. They're coming up the trail now. Hold your fire until we see what effect our cannon will have. Yes, sir. Well, it looks like a pair of faces. Kill them! Hold your fire, men. They're 100 feet away. 75. They're going to charge, Captain Peters. And I'm going to fire. Give it to them, Jim. But gushes are into eternity. That great shot sure did the trick. Look, get them engines run. And I hope they keep running. Because that was the last of the great shot from our cannon. Nine brave men finally reached their destination. And the example they set heartened the other pioneers in a concerted effort against the hostile Indians. After three decisive battles, a treaty was finally signed in 1856. And Rogue River Valley once again was safe for those men and women who wished to make it their home. When word reached Oregon that Lincoln had been elected, the majority rejoiced. Two years before, Oregon had been admitted into the Union, adding to our flag the 33rd Star. Then with the approach of the Civil War, American promoters drifted into Oregon, and laid a scheme almost as deep as the one conceived by Aaron Burr. Working undercover, the schemers plotted to establish another republic within the borders of the United States. In the north and south split, the United States of America will be divided into three republics. Three republics? How do you figure that? Confederate States of America, the United States of America, and the Pacific States of America, or Pacific Republic. Johnson, that's treason. You remember what happened to Aaron Burr? I'm not going to fail. Well, I'm pulling out of this scheme. I'm willing to earn a little easy money, get some land, maybe dabble in politics, but I ain't sticking out my neck like that. No, sir. Now listen, Frank, we all got to stick together in this. Well, you count me out. If he gets word of this to Governor Whitaker, he ain't going to get word to anybody. That's how all traitors to the Pacific Republic will die. The war between the states is coming to sure as anything. In America, there'll be three republics, and I'm going to rule one of them. As the conspirators predicted, the war between the states became a horrible reality. The Oregon Patriots dedicated their lives to the Union, but the scheme of a Pacific Republic attracted more and more followers each month. First, it was a story that was only whispered about. Then the conspirators became more bold and argued its treasonous points loudly. Talk of a republic in the West spread throughout the states of the Pacific Coast, and now Governor Whitaker felt it was time to take action. If such a scheme succeeded and dependent money were diverted away from the North, the government of Abraham Lincoln might fall, and we would become a nation ready to fall an easy prey to the first enemy from over the sea. In a meeting, the governor said to his lieutenant, John, there must be no more thought of a divided West than a divided Union. I'm afraid, Mr. Governor, that this wild talk has caught on. The sentiment seems to be growing throughout the entire West. Entire ideas, preposterous. It's so foreign to our instincts, our sense of fair play. One of their handbills, printed only heaven knows where, came into my hand. Listen to this. The Pacific Republic will be an aristocracy somewhat similar to the ancient Republic of Venice, which, while providing for an elective executive, will vest all its powers in hereditary nobles. That certainly repudiates universal suffrage. It's positively fantastic and more. All labor will be performed by a class of people from many of the dark races. Coolies, South Sea Islanders, mulattoes and negroes. That, of course, means slavery in the Southwest. I don't intend to stand idly by and see this nightmare grow into any demon of reality. Mr. Governor, urgent dispatchers from President Lincoln. Oh, thank you. Well, John, bad news travels fast. The President is experiencing considerable alarm. His question is, what if men and money are cut off from the federal government? This is a critical time for the Union. Mr. Governor. Yes. The sons of the Pacific Republic have posted handbills. They're going to hold a monster mass meeting in a torchlight parade. Every one of those handbills will be torn down. And no torchlight parade or mass meeting will be tolerated in the capital of Oregon. You can only stop this movement now by force, Mr. Governor. No force will be used, John. In time of war, any overdacted against the federal government is rebelled. And I intend to speak to... Governor, look! They're on the march quicker than we thought, Mr. Governor. The men and a few women, too. They're headed for the town hall. John, get your hat. Order an escort, please. Looks like we're all going in the same direction. I give you the leader of this movement to establish a republic in the West. And I give you the man in whom is vested the authority of the federal government, the duly elected representative of the majority of citizens in Oregon, a man who has sworn to uphold and enforce the laws of the state and the Constitution of the United States of America, our Governor, Mr. John Whitaker. Thank you. I have only a few words to say to you. First, the command to those true sons of Oregon wearing the uniform of the United States Army. Captain, arrest the leader of those forces who call themselves the sons of the Pacific Republic. An arrest waits for every man who swears allegiance to any flag other than the stars and the stripes. I have sworn to uphold law and order in Oregon. I shall not violate that oath. I order each and every one of you to disband. Failure to do so means arrest. Resisting arrest means you will be taken out and shot. For the next 48 hours, I, John Whitaker, declare Oregon to be in a state of martial law. Thanks to the timely action of Governor Whitaker and the native idealism of the majority of those patriotic citizens of Oregon, the dream of a Pacific Republic vanished. Had action against such a movement, both in Oregon and California been less vigorous, had the supply of men and gold stop pouring into the nation's capital, the Union may have been in grave danger. Thanks to those famous frontier fighters, whether fighting on the trail or in the governor's chair, the West today is part of the United States because of their daring and idealism.