Linn County, Oregon

“ It contains fifteen saw-mills, and eight flouring-mills, besides one woolen-mill, one tannery, and several wagon and machine-shops; and is, in fact, one of the very best divisions of the Wallamet Valley.
Marion County is neither quite so large as Linn, nor has it as great an extent of level prairie; its surface being more diversified. In fertility it is quite equal; and in population and property exceeds its southern neighbor. ”

“ The average size of Multnomah's farms, which is the smallest county in the State, was 80.7 acres. Marion, Clack- amas, and Washington each averaged less than 150 acres to the farm. The counties averaging between 100 and 200 acres to the farm were Benton, Polk, Lane, Linn, Union, Baker, 96 LoN L. Swift Wallowa, and Jackson; those between 150 and 200 acres were Josephine, Coos, Lincoln, Tillamook, Clatsop, Columbia, and Yamhill. A study of the total and improved areas in farms will show the relative amount of land in actual cultivation and in waste or pasture in each county ”

“ Yamhill County was in- cluded in the first named, which also embraced Washing- ton, Multnomah, Columbia, Clatsop, Tillamook, and Polk, as now described. Champoeg district embraced what is 358 W. D. FENTON. now Linn, Marion, Lane, Josephine, Coos, Curry, Benton, Douglas, and Jackson counties; the Clackamas district included what is now Clackamas County, eastern Oregon, a portion of Montana, and all of Idaho, and Washington. At this election 15 to 22 votes were cast in the entire Tualatin district, and 140 to '244 in the entire country for candidates. ”

“ General Joseph Lane of Douglas county, and Delazon Smith of Linn county, were elected United States sena- tors.
John Whitaker, the governor, was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, in 1820, and came to California across the plains in 1849, and up to Oregon in 1852; he was reared on a farm, and ranked as a farmer all his life. His first office was that of county judge of Lane county, and then he was sent to the legislature. After holding the office of governor, he was once elected to con- gress, and after that held the office of U. S. revenue collector for this district. ”

“ They have 3 sons and 1 daughter. There came with them to Oregon John, Alfred, William C., Francis M., and James C. Brattain, brothers; and Eliza beth Ebbert, Mary Brattain, Millie A. Smith, and Martha J. Hadley, sisters.
Lane county, named after Joseph Lane, was organized January 24, 1851, out of Linn and Benton. Its southern boundary was defined December 22, 1853. Its area is 4,492 miles, of which about 229,000 acres are improved. The value of farms and buildings is $4,600,000; of live-stock, $700,000; of farm products, $900,000; and of all taxable property, about $3,400,000. ”

“ Jason Lapwai, mission press, 165 Lee, by Theressa Gay, review Larkin, Thomas O., 20, 22, 23 by R. M. Gatke, 361 Larsell, Olaf: Lillard, Charles T., 366 “An Additional Note on Some Lime stone, 348 Early Oregon Physicians,” | Lincoln, Elizabeth, 311 235-36 Lincoln County, 306 “Fairfield Medical School and Lindbeck, A. L., 166 Some Early Oregon Physi- Linn, Lewis F., 347 cians," 102-10 Linn City, Oregon, 347 “Whitman: The Good Doctor,” | Liquor: 217-34 aguardiente, in fur trade, 16; Latourette, L. D. C., 308, 322 California mines, 31; Indians, Latourette, Lyman L., 268 68, 73 112, 113 ”

“ The agricultural counties of the Willamette Valley rank, Linn first, Yamhill second, Lane third, and Marion fourth, Clackamas ranking least. The coast and Columbia-River counties fall below the interior ones. In the southern part of western Oregon there is also much less wealth than in the W 7 illamette Valley, Douglas county, how ever, leading Jackson. In eastern Oregon, Umatilla leads the other counties in per capita wealth, Grant, Union, W r asco, Lake, and Baker following in the order named. ”

“ Solomon H. Smith, vice-president, Clatsop County. Thomas Smith, vice-president, Columbia County. C. H. Davidson, vice-president, Tillamook County. Jesse D. Walling, vice-president, Polk County. Samuel E. May, corresponding secretary, Marion County. Lucien Heath, recording secretary, Marion County. John H. Moores, treasurer, Marion County. A. A. Smith, Lane County; John Smith, Linn County, and William Ruble, of Polk County, were chosen a board of managers. Committees on finance, library, visiting and publication were appointed. The Oregon Farmer was declared to be the organ of the society. ”

“ Klamath Lake Total Portland District Benton County Clackamas Clatsop Columbia Lincoln Linn Marion Multnomah. ... Polk Tillamook Washington.. .. Yamhill Total Roseburg District Benton County. Coos Curry Douglas Jackson Josephine Lane Lincoln Linn Total The Dalles District Crook County.. Gilliam Grant Morrow Sherman Wasco Wheeler Total Grand total.. Total Area Acres. Brief Description of Character of Unappropriated I^ands. 148,232 79.225 165,484 4,600,400 5.305,477 15,800 Principally grazing ”

“ Counties Rye. Rank Counties. Rye. Rank 109,234 5,240 7 23,190 1 4,900 8 18,030 2 3,710 9 Morrow 11,070 3 3,300 10 • 10,830 4 2,998 11 6,300 5 2,960 12 5,840 6 A/r • 2,380 13 2,200 14 680 24 1,840 15 620 25 1,660 16 460 26 Washington 1,430 17 Douglas 420 27 Harney 1,200 18 400 28 1,100 19 Tillamook 180 29 970 20 110 30 810 21 50 31 Polk..... 780 22 40 32 Wasco 750 23 Curry 36 33 Umatilla in 1900 produced 3,212,120 bushels of wheat, or two and one-half times as much as any other county in the State. Linn, Marion, Yamhill, and Sherman each raised over 1,000,000 bushels ”

“ Homer Bishop was an old-time merchant, arriving in the early '40s, and for eight years was postmaster of Cedar Rapids. He was a congenial person, well known, and an enterprising and free-hearted man who did his best to build up a city on what was then thought to be the western frontier.
No doubt the first Scandinavian settler to locate within the confines of Linn county was Nels C. Boye, a native of Denmark, who emigrated to the United States in 1827 and arrived in Muscatine in 1837 and located in the vicinity of Lisbon in 1838 where he purchased land and engaged in farming. ”

“ Its area is greater than that of Coos, the two counties comprising 3,331 square miles, not much of which belonging to Curry has been surveyed. The value of farm property is estimated at between five and six hundred thousand dollars. The assessed valuation for 1879 was about $220,000. The territorial act establishing the county provided for the selection of a county seat by votes at the next general election, which was prevented by the Rogue River Indian war. ”

“ The population is between nine and ten thousand. Extending from the Cascade Mountains to the ocean, Lane county comprises a variety of topographical features, including the foot-hills of Calapooya Range, and the rougher hill land of the Coast Range, with the level surfaces of the Willamette plains. Its productions partake of this variety. Besides grains, vegetables, fruits, and dairy produce, it is the largest hop-producing county in Oregon, the crop of 1882 selling for a million dollars. Eugene City, the principal town, was founded in 1847 by Eugene Skinner. ”

“ Even in the legislative body itself there was a certain minority who protested against the acts of the majority, not on the subject of the location act alone, or the change in the judicial districts, leaving the chief justice one county only for his district, but also on account of the memorial to congress, prepared by the joint committee from both houses, setting forth the condition of affairs in the territory, and asking that the people of Oregon might be permitted to elect their governor, secretary, and judges. ”

“ The total woodland area has been estimated (1900) at 54,300 square miles, or 57 per cent. of the area of the State. Lane County has more timber than any other county, but is greatly exceeded by the corresponding area contained in the four counties in the northwest corner of the State. The coast forests are famous for their great density and the enormous growth attained by certain species of trees. Stands of 100,000 feet per acre for entire townships have been reported. ”

“ He stood luminous among all the bright men who first settled in Linn county, or the territory either. The people of Linn county, and of Cedar Rapids especially, should ever remember his labors and efforts in those early days which brought them prominence and prosperity. All now acknowledge Linn county to be without a peer and Cedar Rapids is the best interior city in the state, except Des Moines with its immense coal beds. ”

“ These men were active in politics, were promoters of steamboat lines, stage companies, and paper railroads, who, in course of time, became legislatures, judges, and financiers. They all labored for the upbuilding of the infant state, where they had invested all their surplus means, having faith in Iowa's future. In every way possible they tried to upbuild its infant industries.
Linn county was set off by act of legislature in 1837, while Iowa was then a part of Wisconsin Territory. In August Governor Lucas set off Johnson, Cedar, Jones and Linn counties in one legislative district. ”

“ They have prospered as their respective communities have prospered. Their publishers and editors have been, for the most part, men with personal and property interests in their respective communities. That is why they have been builders and boosters. Linn county's proud position among the counties of the state, commercially, intellectually, and politically, is largely due to the fact that men of ability and integrity have worked and written and fought for the things they knew would be helpful to their constituents. ”

“ The water courses have a southwest direction, emptying into the Klamath River in California; and the lands in California lying immediately south of those above referred to have been subdivided by the government surveyors of that district. * * * "Dalles is the county seat of Wasco County, which polled nearly 300 votes at the last June election. The citizens are anxious to witness the commencement of surveying operations in their section of country. There are also considerable settle- ments and improvements on the TJmatilla and Walla Walla rivers, where surveys are required ”

“ To recognize the dis- tinguished Chief the settlers in the valley have named their principal town "Joseph" in honor of the Indian; the only town or county named in honor of an Indian on the Pacific Coast.
The census reports of the county show population as follows: For 1890 — 3,661 ; 1900—5,538 ; 1910—8,364 ; Enterprise is the county seat.
Malheur county was organized by the legislature February 17, 1887. It occupies the southeastern corner of the State. It gets the name from the prin- cipal river in the county ”

“ In 1872 a part was taken from Grant and added to Baker county. Or. Laws, 1872, 34-5. These placers no longer yield profitable returns, and are aban doned to the Chinese. There are good quartz mines in the county, which will be ultimately developed. The principal business of the inhabitants is horse- breeding and cattle-raising; but there is an abundance of good agricultural land in the lower portions. The population is about 5,000. The gross valu ation of all property in 1881 was over $1,838,000, the chief part of which was in live-stock. ”

“ In 1849 he went to the California mines, returning to Missouri in 1851. In 1852 he came to Oregon, bringing his family, settling in Lane County the next 326 GEORGE H. HIMES. % We can but admire the good taste of the officers of the society in their selection of one so closely identified with their inter- eststhe Governor being a practical farmer. Judging from this first fair in Lane, her citizens are awakening to their true interests, and will soon give the at present more pop- ulous counties of the State a tough pull for prominence. ”

“ Building in a Nineteenth-Century Cooperative Society. by Philip Dole “The Young People Became Restless”: Marriage Patterns before and after Dissolution of the Aurora Colony. by Kimberly Swanson Book Reviews OHS Board and Staff Volume 93, No. 1 (Spring 1992) “It’s Down There Someplace”: Oil Exploration in Harney County. by Dorsey Griffin The Hudson’s Bay Company and the Indians of Southern Oregon. by Nathan Douthit Hadley Hobson, Marion County Pioneer. by Documents - Edited by Terence Emmons Book Reviews Recent Publications Annual Index Volume 93, No. ”

“ No inland town could have a prettier location than Eugene, and few a more desirable one for other reasons. At the head of the Wallamet Valley, it combines many advantages; Lane County, of which it is the county-seat, extending from the sea-coast to the Cascade Range, and including grain and stock lands, timber and mineral lands, with abundant water-power. It is also the starting-point of the Military Road, crossing the Cascades at Diamond Peak Pass, and traversing Eastern Oregon near its southern boundary, to Owyhee, in Idaho. ”

“ Not only the newspapers stirred up the people, but hundreds of parties crossed the state in wagons, stopped along the way and talked incessantly about the great diggings in California. The young men were fired with enthusiasm. Work on the farm was hard and the returns small. Thus Linn county lost many of its best and most enterprising young men. Some, it is true, returned again after a stay of a few years in the gold fields, but a large number never came back, but either died or remained on the coast. ”