Oregon City Oregon

Biography of Dr. Alden H. Steele

DR. ALDEN H. STEELE. – “Olympia will always be a place for pleasant homes,” says one of her citizens well qualified to render an opinion, – the gentleman whose name appears above. The wide streets, magnificent shade-trees and comfortable residences of the capital of Washington Territory, together with her delightful climate, an extensive view of water and mountains, fully justify the remark; and no place could have a more pleasant recommendation. The Doctor has also examined the facilities of the place for a naval station, and finds that the location is most desirable from the following particulars: Safe anchorage and … Read more

Biography of Col. William Williams Chapman

William William Chapman

COL. W.W. CHAPMAN. – It has frequently been remarked, that while many men of great fame, and a deservedly wide reputation, cannot lay their finger upon a single public act that they originated, others whose names are less known can county by the score the progeny of their brains, now alive and active in the affairs of the world. Of the latter class is Colonel Chapman of Oregon. There are few men in America, even among those esteemed great, who have originated and carried to completion a greater number of particular acts of large scope and general beneficence. Many whose … Read more

Courtney, Donel – Obituary

Donel “Jig” Courtney of Lostine died Oct. 10, 2005. He was 79 years old. Memorial services will be held Nov. 12 at Bollman Funeral Home. A full obituary will be published at a later date. Wallowa County Chieftain, Thursday, October 20, 2005 ____________________________ Donel “Jick” Courtney died Oct. 10, 2005 at his home in Lostine of a long-term illness. He was 79. The son of Donel Eugene and Margaret Sara Courtney of Enterprise, Mr. Courtney was born on Oct. 21, 1925. He returned home from the Marines after World War II, got married, started a family and then moved to … Read more

Biography of John Minto

JOHN MINTO. – While Oregon was held to freedom and the American union against the magnified sprit of despotism of England, as exemplified in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s rule, in the valley of the Columbia, it is worthy of note that an Englishman made as good an American, and, in the capacity of settler, would do as much for American independence, as one born in Massachusetts or Virginia. In point of fact, many of the best Americans in Oregon were born in England, and proved in their career that American ideas, after all, are not so much a matter of … Read more

Gill, George – Obituary

Minam, Oregon George Gill, 76, of Baker City passed away at his home on June 6, 2007. Memorial Services will be held at the Eagles, 2935 H St. in Baker City on Saturday, June 16, at 1 p.m. An additional memorial will be held on the Minam at a later date. Mr. Gill was born in Oregon City to Manuel and Mary Gill. He attended several schools in Oregon as a child, moving with his family as his father worked in the construction business. When he was 12 years old, his father bought a ranch on the Minam in Wallowa … Read more

Biography of E. D. Stillman

E.D. STILLMAN. – Mr. Stillman was born in New York in 1828, and learned the trade of a mechanic and machinist. In 1849 he crossed the plains to Oregon in the capacity of wheelwright for the regiment of mounted riflemen who were sent here on the strength of Joe Meek’s urgent representations at Washington, and for the protection of the settlers of this little-cared for wilderness on the Pacific. He well remembers an exciting incident near Green river. The command was there met by one Baptiste, who bore messages from Governor Joe Lane. This Baptiste proved to be a desperado, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George W. Walling

GEORGE W. WALLING. – George W. Walling was born in Ohio on December 18, 1818. He moved with his parents to Iowa in 1828, and remained there ten years. He came thence to Oregon in 1847, crossing the plains by ox-team with his parents. He was married in Iowa to Miss Frances Nye. His first son was born at a place called Mud Springs, on the summit of the Rocky Mountains. He arrived in Oregon City on the 10th of September, 1847, and remained there one year, when he moved to the place he now occupies about two miles from … Read more

Biography of Ephraim W. Baughman

Few men are more widely known in the northwest than Captain E. W. Baughman, of Lewiston, who for forty-eight years has sailed on the rivers in this section of the country. His circle of friends is indeed extensive, and his genial manner and social disposition win him the regard of all. He was born in Fulton County, Illinois, May 18, 1835, and is of German lineage, his ancestors having long been residents of Pennsylvania, however. His father, John Baughman, was born in that state and married Miss Jane Murphy, a lady of German descent. In an early day they removed … Read more

Limbocker, Clyde L. – Obituary

Final rites for Clyde L. Limbocker [March 3, 1951], 724 Taylor Street were held in the chapel of the Oregon City Funeral Home, Wednesday afternoon. Concluding services were at Mountain View Cemetery. Rev. Howard Hutchinson, pastor of the Church of Christ (Christian), officiated. Pall bearers were Earl Downing, Clifford Chapin, Ray Corless, Bryan Foster, Frank Parker and Richard Bittner. Mr. and Mrs. E. Granville Limbocker of Richmond, Calif., were in Oregon City for the funeral. Enroute from the south, their train was stalled by a snow slide at the summit of the Siskiyou Mountains for 16 hours. The accident occurred … Read more

Biography of J. L. Stout

J. L. STOUT. – The proprietor of the townsite of Sea View on the weather beach, a city which boasts of a population of from five to eight thousand during the summer bathing season, is from the Buckeye state, having been born in Ohio in 1824. During his boyhood his father took him to Illinois; and he passed his early life on the frontier. he came up with a generation of men whose natural force and enterprise led them into the most exalted position in the great West which their energies had developed. While in Illinois he was ever restless, … Read more

Biography of Hon. John M. Bacon

HON. JOHN M. BACON. – There are three places in the Northwest that have almost antique associations. These are Astoria, Vancouver and Oregon City. Of none of them is the flavor of old times more pronounced than amid the rocks and bluffs and by the falls and the old buildings of the latter place. Here one of the old pioneers may be found in the person of a gentleman whose portrait appears on the opposite page. It was as to the last place to go that Mr. Bacon came to Oregon. A native of Buffalo, New York, born in 1822, … Read more

Biography of Hon. Zenas Ferry Moody

HON. Z.F. MOODY. – Zenas Ferry Moody, ex-Governor of the State of Oregon, was born on the 27th of May, 1832, in Granby, Massachusetts. His father was Major Thomas H. Moody. His mother was Hannah M. Ferry, an aunt of ex-Senator T.W. Ferry, of Michigan, formerly vice-president of the United States. Governor Moody comes of good old New England Revolutionary stock, his grandfather, Gideon Moody, having borne arms as a soldier during the Revolutionary war. He has proved himself worthy of his lineage; and the principles which he imbibed on New England soil have been the guide of his whole … Read more

Jackson, Phyllis Evelyn “Jacky” Ward Bryan Mrs. – Obituary

Phyllis Evelyn “Jacky” Jackson formerly of Baker City, Ore., passed away on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007, of renal failure, in Oregon City, Ore. Services will be held at Hillside Chapel on 7th Avenue in Oregon City, Saturday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m., with vault interment in Mountainview Cemetery in Oregon City. Phyllis was born April 17, 1913, in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, England, the second of three children of Arthur and Mary Anne (Dawkins) Ward. She attended schools in Rothwell and at the age of 13 began her first job in Gruecock’s shoe factory. She later was employed at Desbeaux Corset Factory. In … Read more

Biography of Mrs. Julia A. McCarver

MRS. JULIA A. McCARVER. – Julia A. McCoy was born November 19, 1825, in St. Charles county, Missouri. Her parents died before she was three years old; and she was brought up by her grandfather and grandmother. At an early age she was married to Garrett Buckalew, and thereafter lived in the State of Illinois until the spring of 1847, when, with her husband and two children, and the families of eighteen neighbors, she started across the plains for Oregon. At St. Joseph, Missouri, they joined a host of other emigrants, the combined party including ninety families, who continued their … Read more

Biography of Samuel Kimbrough Barlow

SAMUEL KIMBROUGH BARLOW. – Samuel Kimbrough Barlow was born in Nicolas county, Kentucky, January 14,1795. He was of Scotch origin, and inherited many of the sterling qualities of his ancestors. His race was remarkable for an unswerving fidelity to principles of right; and on every occasion these principles were disseminated or defended by courage which sometimes almost amounted to audacity. Freedom of speech and will and progression in all things were also marked characteristics of the ancestors of S.K. Barlow. Illustrative of these features of disposition in the Barlow family, a story is told of the fearlessness of the paternal … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Nathan Brown

The worthy pioneer and capable business man of whom we now have the privilege of speaking is one of the leaders in the business realm of Burns, being senior member of the firm of N. Brown & Sons, general merchants, who have one of the largest stocks in the county and do a mammoth business, being well established and highly esteemed by all. Mr. Brown was born in Germany, in January, 1835, and at the age of thirteen years came to America. In 1852 he came via Cape Horn to San Francisco, and thence to Oregon City, where he engaged … Read more

Biography of Hon. Peter G. Stewart

HON. PETER G. STEWART. – Peter Grant Stewart was born on the 6th of September, 1809, in Stanford, Delaware County, New York. When eight years of age he moved to Jefferson, Scohane County, where he received a common-school education, and learned the trade of a watchmaker. He followed the occupation of watchmaker and jeweler in Middlebury until the spring of 1838, when, with a selected stock of watches, jewelry, etc., he started for the West, going by way of Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Toledo and Fort Wayne to Mount Vernon, Indiana, and from there to Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky, where he … Read more

Biography of Capt. John H. Couch

CAPT. JOHN H. COUCH. – A native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, he was one of the handful of hardy, brave, adventurous settlers who made the wilderness their home, and devoted the best portions of their lives in opening the way and preparing the land for the immigration and occupation of their brothers across the mountains. He was born February 21, 1811, and was perhaps influenced by the surroundings in his native place; for Newburyport is noted as one of the oldest and most famous seaports and nurseries of maritime enterprises in America. Be that as it may, he manifested in early … Read more

Biography of Dr. John McLoughlin

DR. JOHN McLOUGHLIN. – Doctor McLoughlin has been very well called the first real governor of Oregon. As chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company west of the Rocky Mountains, he was more than this; – he was autocrat. He was a great man, – large physically, of large views and ideas, and above all, very large-hearted. He was nearly forty years on this coast, and during that time was the chief man in it. The Indians called him the “white-headed eagle;” and the Whites went to him with their troubles. In a pathetic little manuscript found among his papers, … Read more

Long, Alice Elizabeth Shaw Mrs. – Obituary

Alice Elizabeth Long, 89, a long time resident of Baker City, died Friday, April 24, 1998 in Oregon City, Oregon. A celebration of life was held on Tuesday, April 28, 1998 at the St. John’s Episcopal Church, Milwaukie, Oregon, and a graveside service was held on Wednesday, April 29, 1998 at 2:00 pm at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Baker City. Alice Elizabeth Long was born on November 21, 1908 in Haines, Oregon to Thomas L. and Frances V. Asher Shaw. She attended grade school and high school in Haines. She obtained her bachelor of arts degree in 1930 from … Read more