John McLoughlin, remembered by one contemporary as a towering and natural leader, led the vast Hudson's Bay Company enterprise in the Columbia watershed from 1824 to 1845. A medical doctor, he secured profits for his employers and peace with the Indians while testing the region's potential for farming, stock raising, and industry. He also extended credit, food, clothing, and tools to impoverished American emigrants who arrived at his doorstep. With his wife, Marguerite, he settled at Oregon City, where he built a sawmill at the falls in 1842, platted the town in 1843, and saw it become a center of commerce and culture on the Oregon frontier. McLoughlin became an American citizen, died in 1857, and retained the respect and appreciation of thousands; in 1907 Oregon honored him with the title "Father of Oregon."