Civil-War-time club of Lincoln and Union enthusiasts as determined and
as secretive as the members of the secessionist “Knights of the Golden
Circle.” He saw the Union saved, saw Lincoln elected; and rode the
secret trail to the James Daniels house in the hills where a few men
swore allegiance by candlelight. My father, at 13, was allowed to go
there because he knew the words to _John Brown’s Body_. Oregon, a baby
state, was half inclined to secede and could not have supported Lincoln
except for a division among its Democrats—the loyalty of southerners
like Mitchell Wilkins who had come to settle in this Willamette Valley
and who did not want slavery for the West.
The University of Oregon
_Nina Wilkins McCornack_
[Illustration: Oregon Historical Society]
Deady Hall, the first building of the University of Oregon, was the
realization of a great dream. In 1803, a Government policy was declared
for the purpose of establishing State universities, this to apply to any
state entering the Union after that date. Forty-seven years later, in
1850, by a donation land act, the Territory of Oregon was given this
grant.
At first, state politicians handed the Capitol to Salem, the
Penitentiary to Portland, and the University to Corvallis; then later it
was promised to Jacksonville. The controversy grew bitter, the arguments
so strong in every direction that the issue finally died of overdoing.
In 1857, Judge Matthew P. Deady, a southerner and President of the State
Constitutional Convention, was much in favor of the parochial school
system, though later he was one of the most loyal supporters of the
University. Mr. R. S. Boise of Salem, with a large group of northern
followers, felt the state should have one nondenominational school of
importance, with lower fees, so the political dickering continued. By
1872, the issue had built up in tension and was again a red-hot
argument.
On a July night of that year, a group of five men met to discuss again
the need of adequate schools. In the old McFarland home on Charnelton
street, kerosene lamps burned into the morning hours, and the young
be-whiskered gentlemen discussed the good of future generations. They
were B. F. Dorris, S. H. Speence, John M. Thompson, Judge J. J. Walton,
and John C. Arnold. Later, J. S. Scott, J. B. Underwood, S. S. Comstock,
A. S. Patterson, E. L. Bristow, E. L. Applegate, and Dr. A. W. Patterson
joined them to organize the Union University Association. John Thomas
was elected President, and T. G. Hendricks, Treasurer, while Walton,
Dorris, Scott, and Abrams formed the first board of directors. This
board appeared before the next meeting of the State Legislature to
present a bill permitting purchase of a site for the erection of the
first building on the new University campus. Fifty thousand dollars was
allowed for Deady Hall, to be completed and turned over to the State in
January, 1874. The bill also provided for a Board of Regents of nine—six
to be appointed by the governor and three by the association itself.
State scholarships were to be awarded by counties and forbade any
sectarian or religious tests for either students or instructors.
Again plans ran into trouble. Outside interests appeared declaring the
location bill unconstitutional because “_all state institutions were to
be located in Salem_.” Again the pioneers fought for their rights with
good arguments; increased population, high standards of living, value of
land, and so on. In spite of all the evidence, opposing elements
obtained a revocation of the bond issue, and only private subscriptions
saved the university.
Committees were appointed for selection of the best site, and ways of
raising money. The final choice was left to the State board of
commission, which meeting in Eugene “found the fine view from the
Henderson property most to their liking” so, in April of 1873, their
selection was made of this thirteen-and-three-fourths-acre tract.
The University was at last on its way, but it proved to be a very rough
road.
Plans were for a thirty-thousand-dollar bond issue by the courts, with
twenty thousand to be raised by private subscription. The financial
panic was on. Cash was scarce. Subscriptions came in slowly. There were
loud protests at tax time! But plans never stopped: of the two hundred
families making up the listed population, one hundred and forty names
were on the subscription list, many of them for labor and farm produce.
Thomas Judkins sold land at six dollars an acre, the proceeds to go to
the building. Churches helped out with suppers and strawberry festivals.
At last Deady Hall was completed—as far as the roof, when again money
ran out and again citizens dug deep in their pockets to complete the
tall stately building, the first of the new University.
The Applegate House
_Josephine Evans Harpham_
[Illustration: Boychuk Studio]
Applegate, one of the most famous names in Oregon history, belongs to a
family whose origin was English. As early as 1635, there were Applegates
who came to New England, and from there they went to New Jersey, thence
to Maryland, and on to Kentucky in 1784.
In 1843, three Applegate brothers, Charles, Jesse and Lindsay, became
greatly interested in the far Oregon country and made their departure
from Missouri (Independence). Jesse’s experience had included school
teaching, sawmill operation, and an important position in the Surveyor
General’s office in St. Louis, Missouri. All this fitted him admirably
for the role of trail blazer, pioneer, and train leader, which he was to
assume.
Those with blooded stock elected Jesse Applegate as Captain of the now
famous “Cow Column.” He was ably assisted by his brothers Charles and
Lindsay. With the Looneys, Waldos, Nesmiths, Fords, Kaisers, and
Delaneys, they pressed on and in time, assisted by Dr. Whitman, arrived
at the mission in October, 1843. After leaving Fort Hall, they blazed
their own trail—and finally arrived safely in the Willamette Valley.
They discovered that the powers in the East refused to give aid to the
new settlements because England held the Columbia and there was no other
means of ingress to the country for soldiers. The Applegate brothers
decided they would provide one, and that from the south. They asked Levi
Scott, a brave and trusted man, to lead it. Before the party crossed the
Callapooya it fell out and began straggling back. The Applegate brothers
met and gathered them together as they returned.
Jesse was elected Captain, with Lindsay second in command. Charles
remained at the settlement to look out for several families of small
children and their mothers, as well as to watch the crops and to be
alert for Indian attack. The party left on June 22, 1846, to locate and
open a southern route to the Willamette Valley. They returned in late
October. Over one hundred wagons made this historic trip.
Jesse served in the Provisional Legislature from 1845 to 1849. Later he
became Indian agent and candidate for the U. S. Senate. In 1849, he
settled in the Umpqua Valley, where Charles also decided to make his
pioneer home. Lindsay settled in what is now the Ashland area. The
Charles Applegate house is one and one-half miles northeast of the town
of Yoncalla, and was completed in 1856. The home faces the south and is
surrounded by stately trees. Many shrubs still bloom in the garden which
were planted by Melinda.
The structure is two and a half stories, and the lumber for it was cut
by Washington Cannon of Scotts Valley. Many of the timbers were hand
hewn and the chimney brick were burned on the grounds. A long veranda,
with balcony above, was built under the overhanging roof. The first
floor contained two large rooms with sizeable fireplaces in the middle,
opening into each room, and a front door opening out onto the long
porch. The west room was formerly known as “Grandmamma’s room.” To the
east were the living room, sewing room, dining room, and kitchen. Each
of these had heavy beamed ceilings. There were, in those early days,
small winding staircases rising in the fireplace corners, and a landing
near the chimney in the center of the house above the staircase.
Upstairs the design was much the same. There were two large rooms, both
opening out onto the balcony. Alongside them and above the dining room
were four small bedrooms with attractive nine-paned windows.
Fifteen sons and daughters grew up in this historic house. Uncle
Charley’s home, being centrally located, was the gathering place of all
the Applegate clan. Today the home is owned by Miss Eva Applegate, a
direct descendant. The home has never been sold to others in over 105
years.
The Cartwright House
_Josephine Evans Harpham_
[Illustration: Boychuk Studio]
One of Lane County’s most historic, most well preserved, and
architecturally charming houses is that known as the Cartwright place or
Mountain House hotel. It is located on the Old Territorial Road, three
miles south of Lorane, Oregon, and is now the property of Mr. and Mrs.
Eldon Thompson.
It was built in 1853 by Darius B. Cartwright. Dee, as he was familiarly
known, was born near Syracuse, New York, February, 1814. In 1832 he
served in the Black Hawk War. Some years later his family moved to
Illinois. Here a brother, Barton, became a Methodist circuit rider who
saw to it that his family had educational opportunities, one son
becoming an early-day judge.
Darius B. Cartwright with his wife and several children left Illinois
for the gold rush in California in 1849. Sometime later they pressed on
to Oregon, remaining for a time near what is now Medford. In 1853, the
family took up 530 acres near what is now Lorane and called the location
Cartwright. Upon this beautiful site was built the fine home which was
also to serve as a stagecoach inn, the official stop between Portland
and San Francisco, a telegraph station and a post office, with Mr.
Cartwright as postmaster. One of the first messages received over these
wires during the Civil War was that of the assassination of President
Lincoln.
William Russell had accepted an offer from the Cartwrights to be their
wagon-train driver, for which he was to be paid the considerable sum of
five dollars per month. He was born in Gallia County, Ohio, in 1827, but
later moved to Illinois. Upon reaching the Cartwright’s destination, he
went on and settled in Salem, Oregon, where he married and had three
children: Mary, Emma, and Charles. While the latter was still an infant,
his wife died so he and the family went back to the Cartwright place.
Here, on January 12, 1866, he married D. B. Cartwright’s daughter,
Katie. On May 3 of the same year, he purchased the property from Mr.
Cartwright, and the home became known as the Mountain House hotel. Here
two children were born to the Russell’s: Darius B. and Myrtle. Mr.
Russell’s father-in-law stayed on as postmaster until his death on July
29, 1875.
Through the years the property changed hands a number of times until
John and Nancy Addison purchased the house and land in 1902. Mr. Addison
built the first sawmill in the area, at which time lumber was selling
for six dollars a thousand. It was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Thompson
in 1952, who are the present occupants. The house has a lovely setting.
It is surrounded by softly rolling green hills, magnificent trees, and
rich bottom soil. The black walnut trees in front were planted over a
century ago, from nuts brought across the plains. Original flagstones
lead up to the old eight-paneled front door.
The house is of all-wood construction, has two stories, and classical
design. Hand-hewn timbers are used throughout. The walls consist of
irregular-width, hand-split cedar, put together with square, hand-forged
nails. Still visible are sizeable squared-off, round supporting timbers
with bark still attached, which accounts in part for the fine condition
of this 108-year-old structure. The floors are made of irregular, wide
boards throughout the house. Still remaining are the woodwork, the high
ceilings, the sixteen stairs with cedar balustrade, the nine original
twelve-paned windows, the original wood trim, and the old red-brick
fireplace with mantel, and small cupboards above, the gun closet, and
marks of bullet holes in the baseboards.
The Condon House
_Josephine Evans Harpham_
[Illustration: Boychuk Studio]
The early-day house of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Condon stands at 1268 Jackson
Street near 13th Avenue West. The home, built in the late seventies,
originally stood at the Southwest corner of 11th and High Streets and
was purchased by the Condons in 1882. It is a two-story house of wood
construction with approximately ten rooms, which include a parlor and a
charming living room with an old brick fireplace and plank walls, 2×10
and 2×12, set vertically. In earlier days a low white railing gracefully
decorated the top of the house, which had a mansard roof, the latter
also having been used in early University of Oregon buildings.
On its original site, the house stood on one half of what is now a city
block and was not surrounded by any other buildings. The Condons planted
many fine shrubs and trees, some of which are still standing at this
home’s former location. In 1907, Dr. Condon passed away, and after a
time the home was moved to its present location by Elwin McCornack of
Eugene, a grandson.
Thomas Condon, pioneer Geologist of Oregon, was born in Southern Ireland
in 1822 of Norman Irish stock, and the name is prominent in Ireland’s
history, especially from the eleventh through the seventeenth centuries.
When young Thomas was eleven years old, his family moved to America, and
their first home was in the wilderness which is now Central Park, near
the site of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Here as a boy he began the study of nature and the flora and fauna of
that region. After completing his education, he spent several years in
teaching and later completed a course in Auburn Theological Seminary in
1852. A few months later, he married Miss Cornelia Holt, a young teacher
of New England ancestry, whose home was near Buffalo, New York. The
young couple decided to go to the Oregon Country as missionaries, the
Home Missionary Board of the Congregational Church having accepted them
for this important endeavor.
After a long voyage around Cape Horn and up the West Coast, they arrived
in Portland, Oregon, and from there went to St. Helens and later to
Albany. After a time the Condons decided to move to The Dalles. Here
they established a church which was open to any denomination and to all
kinds of people in all walks of life. Many of the latter, inspired by
Dr. Condon’s avid interest in science, assisted him in collecting
geological data and specimens. Too, at times he accompanied the U. S.
Cavalry of old Fort Dalles, on field expeditions into the John Day
region. Here he collected “fossil” material and other data of the utmost
importance in the field of geology and palaeontology, and in turn
exchanged this valuable information with the Smithsonian Institute.
After about ten years, the Condons left The Dalles, going to Forest
Grove, where Dr. Condon taught at the college awhile. In 1876, he was
asked to become a member of the first faculty of the University of
Oregon and became head of the Natural Science Department, later the
Department of Geology. In the latter capacity, he opened up the John Day
“fossil beds” and adjacent regions to scientists from all over the
world; he also contributed much to the literature in his field, one of
his best-known works being his book, “Two Islands.” Condon Hall and
Condon Museum of Geology on the University of Oregon campus bear his
name, as does also the chapel in the First Congregational Church of
Eugene.
Dr. Condon, a scholarly man and a very fine teacher, possessed also a
fine sense of humor. In addition, he manifested a warm interest in, and
a kind of sympathetic understanding of, the people with whom he came in
contact. The Condons opened their home to faculty, students,
world-famous scientists, ministers, neighbors, and friends, with true
hospitality. Mrs. Condon always shared her husband’s activities.
The Christian House
_Josephine Evans Harpham_
[Illustration: (uncaptioned)]
The historic house at 170 East 12th was built by Daniel Christian, III,
about 1855. In 1852, a year of great westward emigration, Daniel
Christian, III, his wife, and five children, joined a party of over 100
wagons headed by Samuel and John Alexander, whose destination was
Oregon. This well-managed train encountered few real difficulties. It
was well supplied with dried fruits, berries, corn, and flour, while the
cows provided milk, cream, and butter. They escaped the dread cholera
and had no trouble with Indians. However, a young chief, seeing Daniel’s
pretty daughter, tried to bargain for her. Fearing that the Indian might
steal her, she was hidden in another wagon until the young brave gave up
following them. Six months after beginning their trek westward, they
reached the Columbia River and proceeded down it by flat boat to The
Dalles. From there they proceeded by primitive railway—with wooden rails
and mules for power—and on by steamboat to Portland. After a short stay,
the Christians settled for the winter in East Tualatin.
The following fall, Daniel III acquired a donation land claim, 160 A, in
the Eugene area, later known as the Christian Addition. Here upon a
choice spot, a log cabin was built, being replaced two years later by
the frame house.
The eldest grandchild of the Christians, the late Irena Dunn Williams,
handed down to her children—Mrs. Howard Hall of Eugene and Mrs. Wallace
Hannah of Vancouver, Washington—many stories of the happy times spent
with her grandparents; memories of stirring apple butter in an old brass
kettle; of eating fresh-baked bread spread with delicious homemade
butter; of popping corn on winter evenings; and of Bible reading—for the
Christians were devout Methodists.
It was Daniel III who cut and hand-hewed the lumber for the First
Methodist Church of Eugene. Through the years this pioneer family has
contributed much to the religious, cultural, and educational life of the
community, since that far-off day when Daniel III came to the Oregon
country well over one hundred years ago. The two-story house rests on a
foundation of hand-hewn timbers and is of all-wood construction,
overlapping weather board, being used throughout. The house and barn
both were put together with wooden pegs.
The downstairs consists of an entry hall with a stairway leading to the
second floor. On the left is the living room, and off that the dining
room, which contains an attractive built-in china closet. Adjacent to
this is a bedroom. Just off the dining room are the kitchen, a small
hallway, and porch, back of which is an old-fashioned woodshed.
Originally, a hall, several bedrooms, and a bath comprised the upstairs.
In 1947, Mr. and Mrs. L. O. Meisel, the present owners, completely
renovated the pioneer home. The upstairs was converted into two
apartments and the downstairs was all remodeled. During this process the
walls were stripped back to the original eight-inch wood boards. Pasted
on these were old papers dated 1868, over which cheese cloth and quaint
wallpaper had been placed. Old flues became visible, another reminder of
the past.
The front porch still has its old-style weather-boarding and supporting
pillars, and the cornice extends far around the gable ends of the house.
Likewise many of the original small-pane windows remain. To the rear of
this historic home, one may still see Waxen and Bellflower apple trees,
which were on the 160-acre donation land claim of Daniel Christian, III.
The Montieth House
_Henrietta Stewart Brown_
[Illustration: (uncaptioned)]
Although modern in appearance, this was the first house in Albany, built
by Thomas and Walter Montieth in 1849. The house was erected on the
corner of Second and Washington streets but since has been moved back
from the corner. The house was much smaller when first built but has
been remodeled and enlarged several times. The most extensive remodeling
work was done by Henry Wolz in 1925. Although remodeled, the original
Montieth house is still embodied in the structure.
In 1845, Abner Hackleman had made his way up the Willamette Valley and
staked out his claim in what is now the east end of the city of Albany.
He had been the captain of a large wagon train that had come over the
Oregon Trail from Iowa. As it was winter when the group arrived in the
Oregon country, most of the emigrants remained in the lower part of the
valley. Abner, however, continued on up the valley, probably on
horseback, with the idea of finding suitable land on which to found a
settlement.
With him on this trip, or joining him shortly afterwards, were Hiram
Smead, Tommy Summerville, and several others, none of whom settled in
the Albany area. Smead was the man who later sold what is now the
business district to the Montieths, when they arrived in 1847.
Abner erected a temporary shelter and stayed through the winter of 1845.
In the Spring, he arranged to have Hiram Smead “hold down” one of his
claims for him, and he himself returned to Iowa to bring the rest of the
Hackleman family to the Willamette Valley. The land-grant law at that
time permitted a man to be absent from his claim for two years while
bringing his family from the East.
Albany’s first settler, however, was destined never again to see the
area he had claimed, for he died in Iowa the following winter. Abner’s
youthful son, Abraham Hackleman, settled his father’s estate in Iowa and
brought the family to Albany, arriving in 1847 and taking up his
father’s donation land claim. In the meantime, Hiram Smead, precariously
holding down a claim to which he had no title, sold the land to the
Montieths for four hundred dollars and a horse, when he received news of
Abner’s death.
In the spring of 1848, Walter and Thomas Montieth, two energetic young
Scotsmen, came into the valley seeking a location. After viewing the
country, they concluded to buy out Mr. Smead. Judging from the lay of
the country—with its broad prairies reaching back to the picturesque
Cascade Mountains, which suggest unlimited resources for agriculture,
and with its great possibilities in water power for all kinds of
industries offered by the Willamette and Calapooia rivers—the young men
concluded that this spot was a very desirable site for a town and that
the surrounding country could soon be made to blossom as the rose. So
they at once decided to file on another claim. They had the land
surveyed and that part adjacent to the river they laid out in town lots.
Their first cabin, at a point now known as Second Avenue and Washington
street, soon was ready for occupancy. They named the new town Albany in
remembrance of their home town in New York.
Early in 1849, they began the erection of the first framehouse built in
Albany. It still stands and is often pointed out as a “relic of bygone
days.”
The gold excitement in California that summer put a sudden stop to all
building, as the Montieth brothers were among the first adventurers to
catch the gold fever. The building just begun was finished the next
year. It was a two-story structure, and although it has been remodeled
several times, the framework is still sound.
According to information given by Mrs. J. V. Pipe, daughter of Thomas
Montieth, “Thomas and Walter Montieth crossed the plains by wagon train
to the Willamette Valley, arriving in the spring of 1847. In 1849 the
Montieth brothers built the first frame house in Albany ... where both
families lived. The dividing line of the two Montieth claims ran through
the house, making it possible for the brothers to live under the same
roof, yet each on his own claim. The dining table was affixed to the
floor so each could eat on his own property.”
Mr. Thomas Montieth donated the ground upon which the first Albany
College was built.
Providence Baptist Church
_Lenore Powell_
[Illustration: Helen Horton]