From the Journal kept by David Douglas: 1823-1827 (1825-1826 from page 230 in the Journal proper and page 59 in the condensed version.)
This was not published until 1914, some 80 years after his death. The compilers also included a 25 page (p.51-76) “condensed account in Douglas' own handwriting of the journeys which are afterwards expanded and recounted in detail.”
In August 1825, Douglas writes (p. 59):
“On the 19th I left [Fort Vancouver] again for the purpose of ascending the River Multnomah [now the Willamette River], one of the southern tributaries of the Columbia. This is a fine stream with very fertile banks.”
[Be aware that Oregon's Willamette River flows north to the Columbia River.]
“Two days more took me to the village of the Calapooie [Kalapuya] nation. A peaceful, good-disposed people, twenty-four miles above the falls [Willamette Falls], where my camp was formed for several days.”
“In the tobacco pouches of the Indians I found the seeds of a remarkably large pine which they eat as nuts, and from whom I learned it existed in the mountains to the south. No time was lost in ascertaining the existence of this truly grand tree, which I named Pinus Lambertiana, but no perfect seeds could I find. I returned again to my rendezvous, Fort Vancouver, richly laden with many treasures.” [Douglas needed viable seeds to send back to England, i.e., to the Royal Horticultural Society.]
In October 1826, Douglas again ascends the Willamette River
Thursday, October 26th, 1826 (p.230)
“About an hour's walk from my camp I was met by an Indian, who on discovering me strung his bow and placed on his left arm a sleeve of raccoon-skin and stood ready on the defence. As I was well convinced this was prompted through fear, he never before having seen such a being, I laid my gun at my feet on the ground and waved my hand for him to come to me, which he did with great caution. I made him place his bow and quiver beside my gun, and then struck a light and gave him to smoke and a few beads.”
“With my pencil I made a rough sketch of the cone and pine I wanted and showed him it, when he instantly pointed to the hills about fifteen or twenty miles to the south. As I wanted to go in that direction, he seemingly with much good-will went with me. At midday I reached my long-wished Pinus (called by the Umpqua tribe Natele), and lost no time in examining and endeavouring to collect specimens and seeds. “
“New or strange things seldom fail to make great impressions, and often at first we are liable to over-rate them; and lest I should never see my friends to tell them verbally of this most beautiful and immensely large tree, I now state the dimensions of the largest one I could find that was blown down by the wind: Three feet from the ground, 57 feet 9 inches in circumference; 134 feet from the ground, 17 feet 5 inches; extreme length, 215 feet. The trees are remarkably straight; bark uncommonly smooth for such large timber, of a whitish or light brown colour; and yields a great quantity of gum of a bright amber colour.”
“The large trees are destitute of branches, generally for two-thirds the length of the tree; branches pendulous, and the cones hanging from their points like small sugar-loaves in a grocer's shop, it being only on the very largest trees that cones are seen, and the putting myself in possession of three cones (all I could) nearly brought my life to an end.”
“Being unable to climb or hew down any, I took my gun and was busy clipping them from the branches with ball when eight Indians came at the report of my gun. They were all painted with red earth, armed with bows, arrows, spears of bone, and flint knives, and seemed to me anything but friendly. I endeavoured to explain to them what I wanted and they seemed satisfied and sat down to smoke, but had no sooner done so than I perceived one string his bow and another sharpen his flint knife with a pair of wooden pincers and hang it on the wrist of the right hand, which gave me ample testimony of their inclination.”
“To save myself I could not do by flight, and without any hesitation I went backwards six paces and cocked my gun, and then pulled from my belt one of my pistols, which I held in my left hand. I was determined to fight for life. As I as much as possible endeavoured to preserve my coolness and perhaps did so, I stood eight or ten minutes looking at them and they at me without a word passing, till one at last, who seemed to be the leader, made a sign for tobacco, which I said they should get on condition of going and fetching me some cones. They went, and soon as out of sight I picked up my three cones and a few twigs, and made a quick retreat to my camp, which I gained at dusk. The Indian who undertook to be my last guide I sent off, lest he should betray me.”
“Wood of the pine fine, and very heavy; leaves short, in five, with a very short sheath bright green; cones, one 14½ inches long, one 14, and one 13½, and all containing fine seed. A little before this the cones are gathered by the Indians, roasted on the embers, quartered, and the seeds shaken out, which are then dried before the fire and pounded into a sort of flour, and sometimes eaten round [whole].
"How irksome a night is to such a one as me under my circumstances! Cannot speak a word to my guide, not a book to read, constantly in expectation of an attack, and the position I am now in is lying on the grass with my gun beside me, writing by the light of my Columbian candle-namely, a piece of wood containing rosin.”
Condensed account, p. 68:
In this section Douglas gives a much abbreviated, and somewhat different, account of procuring the sugar pine cones. He writes, “I had left my new guide at the camp and proceeded in a south-east direction, and had only crossed a low hill when I came to abundance of Pinus Lambertiana. I put myself in possession of a great number of perfect cones, but circumstances obliged me to leave the ground hastily with only three, a party of eight Indians endeavoured to destroy me. I returned to the camp, got the horses saddled, and made a speedy retreat.”