Yamhill County, Oregon

“ Senator James W. Nesmith was a conspicuous figure in that party of brave men and women, and has left a record of every male member of the emigration of that year. In that roll of honor are the names of many whom the people of Yamhill County know and who are really arid truly "the pioneers." There is Jesse Applegate, William Ar- thur, Peter H. Burnett, the first governor of California, Andrew J. Baker, still living at McMinnville, John G. Baker, once sheriff of this county and whose donation lies less than a mile north of McMinnville ”

“ Yamhill county journalism had its inception in January 1866 with the launching of the Lafayette Courier (100) . The pioneer publisher was J. H. Upton, one of the most ubiquitous of all the tribe of early Oregon's wandering journalists. The first issue of the Courier appeared on the first day of the year as a five-column four-page paper. Upton, as usual, soon moved on, and the paper, Democratic in politics, went to Jasper W. Johnson, who moved the paper to McMinnville. He sold the plant to W. A. McPherson, one of Oregon's early state printers. ”

“ The twenty-ninth annual meeting of the Yamhill County Pioneer Association was held in conjunction with the Carlton Flower Show, at the city hall of Carlton. About two hundred and fifty pioneers from Yamhill and other counties were present. The annual address was given by Judge Thomas A. McBride, chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Several other speakers, among them Mr. George H. Himes, curator of the Oregon Historical Society, spoke briefly upon different phases of pioneer life. ”

“ In Yamhill County the State Highway Department has co-operated with the County in the grading and paving of 3.2 miles between Rex and Newberg and of 4 miles between Sheridan and McMinnville. The total expenditure on this work amounts to $147,000.00 of which the County has paid $18,273.49.
An effort has been made to secure Federal Aid in the construction of a section of the Portland-Tillamook Highway from Grande Ronde west. ”

“ Grand Ronde post office was established February 16, 1861, with Benjamin Simpson first postmaster. The office was first at the site of Fort Yamhill, about a half mile north of what is now Valley Junction. About 1894 the office was moved to Grand Ronde Agency in Yamhill County, and in the early '20s it was moved to New Grand Ronde in Polk County, now on the Salmon River Highway. The post office has always been called Grand Ronde. In 1895 Butler post office was established at the locality of Fort Yamhill. ”

“ The aids given by Washington and Yamhill counties were modeled on that made by the City of Portland. Washington County agreed to pay the interest upon $50,000 worth of bonds, while Yamhill county agreed to pay upon $75,000. When in addition to this the com- pany received aid from many public spirited people they would seem to have been, from a standpoint of aid, in a fair way to construct a road. Citizens of Portland bought and actually paid for $50,000 worth of stock, citizens of Washington county $20,000 and the citizens of Yamhill county $25,000. ”

“ But the people of Oregon well knew that their immense agricultural resources would bring them out of all their troubles if they would only apply themselves in the right direction and in the right way.
The counties which led in this industrial revival were Washington, Yamhill, Marion, and Polk. The first county fair held was in Yamhill on the 7th of October, 1854, followed by Marion on the 11th, and Polk on the 12th. The exhibit of horses, cattle, and fruit was fairly good, of sheep, grain, and domestic manufactures almost nothing ”

“ West of the Falls some fifteen miles was Tualatin plains, where a few settlors, mostly from Red River, had loeated. Within the present limits of- Yamhill County, the only settlers I can remember were Sidney Smith, Amos Cook. Francis Fletfher, James O'Neil, Joseph McLoughlin, — Williams, Louis La Bonte, and George Gay.
The emigration to Oregon had not yet started. These few men could only be considered the "scouts" looking out a country in the hands of their enemies. And according to the well settled English belief at that time the country never could be settled by the ox team fellows. ”

“ TUSTIN LAKE, Yamhill County. This intermittent pond was named for Charles S. Tustin, a pioneer settler. The lake is near the North Yamhill River west of St. Joseph.
TUTUILLA CREEK, Umatilla County. Information about the origin of this name is conflicting. Judge Fred W. Wilson of The Dalles told the compiler in 1927 that there was a family tradition that this stream was named about 1870 by his father, the late Judge Joseph G. Wilson, because of some childish remark made by his sister, Lucy Wilson, later Mrs. Joseph T. Peters of Portland. ”

“ The southern line of Tualatin and northern line of Yamhill commenced one mile north of Butteville the Butte, as it was then called, and extended due west to the Pacific Ocean. [48] Tualatin County embraced all the territory lying north of this line, south of the Columbia, east of Clatsop and west of the Willamette River; and Yamhill all that bounded by Tualatin on the north, the Willamette River on the. east Polk County on the south, and the ocean on the west. ”

“ The scope of the fair may be judged by noticing the objects for which premiums were offered, viz. : Farms, dairies, butter, cheese, cattle, sheep, swine, bread, flowers, household manufactures, ladies' department, farming implements, plowing match, field crops, orchard and shade trees. From the foregoing it will be seen that the agitation in re- lation to organizing county agricultural societies, begun in Yamhill County in the fall of 1853, resulted in the movement extending into four counties, each of which had a successful county fair almost simultaneously the next year. ”

“ 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. ”

“ For that reason the following is quoted from the Oregon Statesman of October 4, 1853, then edited by Asahel Bush, who was then, and still is, a resident of Salem:
' We are pleased to notice that the initial steps towards the formation of an agricultural association have been taken by the farmers of Yamhill County, and we trust their movement will be seconded by their brethren in other counties. "There is no part of the world where agricultural and horticultural societies are more necessary, and would be more useful, than in Oregon. ”

“ Gold CREEK, Polk County. Gold Creek flows into South Yamhill River from the south a little west of Willamina. It is sometimes shown on maps as Cold Creek but various county authorities have informed the compiler that Gold Creek is the correct name, not Cold Creek. The local school is officially known as Gold Creek School. The compiler has not been able to get the origin of the name; its history seems to be as closely guarded as the metal itself. Gold Hill, Jackson County. Gold Hill was the scene of an early gold discovery in southern Oregon. ”

“ The originals were found in a box in the cornerstone of the Clackamas County courthouse when the building was razed, and are now in the possession of County Judge W. O. Vaughan, Oregon City.
The survey of historic records is bringing to light a number of long forgotten documents. In Yamhill County was found a justice court docket recording civil and criminal cases in Lafayette precinct from 1851 to 1854. ”

“ The amount of improved land is 119,000 acres, valued, with the improvements, at 5,518,- 000. The value of live-stock is over half a million, and the yearly product of the farms is about a million and a half. The valuation of real and personal estate is in excess of two and a half millions, and the population is 8,000. This county is famed for its wheat-producing capacity, as well as for its many beau- ful features. Lafayette, once county seat, is situated on the Yamhill River, which is navigable to this point. ”

“ He settled in Yamhill county, in 1847, and in the number of his descendants has outdone the Canadians, there being of his line 164 on the Pacific coast; all honorable men and virtuous women, be- sides being physically people of weight. Portland West Shore, February, 1880.
Ralph C. Geer, was the pioneer nurseryman of Marion county. ”

“ It was recommended that the friends of temperance meet at the various county seats on the first Tuesday in May to nominate candidates for the legis- lative assembly. Reports of the Marion and Yamhill county conventions show the movement to be strongly political. 1 The Yamhill resolutions declare that it is a political issue ; that the interests of temperance are paramount to all ordinary political issues and that the participants pledge themselves to vote for no candidate for the legislature who is not known to be in favor of the Maine liquor law. ”

“ On Tuesday, December 5, 1848, the legislature again assembled at Oregon City, A. J. Hembree, L. A. Rice, and William J. Martin being the rep- resentatives from Yamhill County. Samuel R. Thurston, the first territorial delegate to Washington, was then a member from Tuality, and George L. Curry from Clacka- mas. There were twenty-one members elected to this body. Peter H. Burnett had been again elected as a member from Tuality, but he had resigned and gone to California be- fore the session. ”

“ Herein I send you my report of labor under the appointment of the Home Mission Society as Exploring Agent for the 2d quarter ending September 30th, 1854. I have visited the La Creole Church in Polk County, ten miles west of Salem, Santiam Church, Lynn Co., 35 miles south of Salem, and Yamhill Church, 7 miles west of La- fayette, seat of justice for Yam Hill County and 40 miles southwest from Oregon City. ”

“ George Gay was born in England in 18 10. He became a sailor. He left his ship at Monterey, California, in 1833, and became a trapper, with Ewing Young. He came to the Willamette Valley from California with Dr. W. J. Bailey, in 1835, and settled near Wheatland in the southeastern part of Yamhill County, as it now is, and near the present southern line of Yamhill County. In 1843 ne built the first brick house in Oregon. He became a wealthy man, for those early days, having herds of cattle and horses roaming over the southern part of Yamhill County and the northern part of Polk County. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Re- turned to Illinois and in 1852 accompanied his parents to Oregon and settled in Yamhill county, where it is claimed all great men originate, where he followed surveying until October, 1854, when he moved to Salem, where he has continuously resided ever since. ”

“ 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 ”

“ Washington County D. J. Schnebley, James Johnson. Yamhill County E. B. Stone. Editor Walling declares himself to be greatly encouraged by the response thus made, and states that he has arranged for the attendance of a short-hand reporter at the convention. The convention was held as appointed, "The Fruit Growers' Association of Oregon ' ' organized, with Amos Harvey, of Polk County, president, and Chester N. Terry, of Salem, secretary. Altogether the meeting was a very successful one, as there were thirty-one exhibitors present, representing seven Willam- ette Valley counties. ”

“ Adams retorted: 'We should like to ask the Advocate whether Jo Lane, delegate to congress; Judge Deady of the supreme court; T'Vault, editor of the Oregon Sentinel; Avery, a prominent member of the legislature; Kelsay, an influential member of the constitutional convention; Judge Dickey Miller, a leading man in Marion county; Mr Soap and Mr Crisp, leading men in Yamhill; Judge Holmes and Mr Officer of Clackamas, and fifty others we might mention, who are all rabid "nigger" men are not "prominent politicians."' Or. ”

“ The most of them are farmers and mechanics : They will add much to the future welfare aud prosperity of Oregon." He complains of the long delay upon the part of the United States in assuming Fed- eral control, and excuses this by attributing the same to the war with Mexico, then not concluded, as he states. In the house, which convened at Oregon City, Decem- ber 7, 1847, there were eighteen members, A. J. Hembree and L. Rogers representing Yamhill County. ”