Editing Oregon boundary dispute (section)

===Early Anglo-American competition===
Neither the Russian nor Spanish empires held significant plans at promoting colonies along the Northwest Coast by the 1810s. The British and the Americans were the remaining two nations with citizens active in commercial operations in the region. Starting with a party of the [[Montreal]]-based [[North West Company]] (NWC) employees led by [[David Thompson (explorer)|David Thompson]] in 1807, the British began land-based operations and opened trading posts throughout the region. Thompson extensively explored the Columbia River watershed. While at the junction of Columbia and [[Snake River|Snake]] Rivers, he erected a pole on July 9, 1811, with a notice stating "Know hereby that this country is claimed by Great Britain as part of its territories&nbsp;..." and additionally stated the intention of the NWC to build a trading post there.{{sfn|Elliott|1911}} [[Fort Nez Percés]] was later established at the location in 1818. The American [[Pacific Fur Company]] (PFC) began operations in 1811 at [[Fort Astoria]], constructed at the entrance of the Columbia River. The eruption of the [[War of 1812]] did not lead to a violent confrontation in the Pacific Northwest between the competing companies. Led by [[Donald Mackenzie (explorer)|Donald Mackenzie]], PFC officers agreed to liquidate its assets to their NWC competitors, with an agreement signed on 23 November 1813.{{sfn|Chittenden|1902|pp=222–223}} {{HMS|Racoon|1808|6}} was ordered to capture Fort Astoria, though by the time it arrived, the post was already under NWC management. After the collapse of the PFC, American [[mountain men]] operated in small groups in the region, typically based east of the Rocky Mountains, only to meet once a year at the annual [[Rocky Mountain Rendezvous]].