Pioneers -- Oregon Territory

The Barlow family came to Oregon in 1845. The Barlow family papers collection includes four folders that contain genealogy, family letters, and miscellaneous family papers.

Asahel Bush (1824-1913) was a prominent early Oregon citizen who worked as a printer, was the founder and editor of the Oregon Statesman newspaper, and was a banker. The collection (1850-1914) contains photostat copies of correspondence.

Rufus Butler (1812-1884) was an Oregon pioneer who settled in the Umpqua River valley, where he served as a Justice of the Peace. Collection is comprised of a patent of land issued to Rufus Butler of Umpqua County, Oregon on August 8, 1866.

William M. Case and Isaac W. Case, brothers came to Oregon in the 1840s. Isaac Case was a merchant and banker. He went to the Idaho mines in 1862 and later settled in Astoria, where he founded the Astoria Savings Bank. This collection includes family letters, financial materials, family business papers, and other miscellaneous family papers.

Robert Caufield was born in Broughshand county, Ireland and moved to Oregon City in 1847. His papers include his obituary, the story of his wife Jane Burnside Caufield, correspondence, treasurer reports and finance reports.

Justin Chenoweth (1829-1898) was an Oregon pioneer and surveyor. Collection includes two containers of family letters, poems, important documents, Chenoweth's diary, and biographical and genealogical material.

The collection contains Marianne Hunsaker D’Arcy’s autobiography, both in handwritten form, and typed. D’Arcy was among the first generation of Americans to settle in Oregon.

Walter E. Meacham (1879-1951) was a historian and Oregon Trail enthusiast. The Walter Meacham papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts, research notes, and a variety of materials associated with the Old Oregon Trail Association and Meacham's promotional activities.

William Henderson Packwood (1932-1917) was an Oregon pioneer, who in 1857, was the youngest delegate sent to Oregon's Constitutional Convention. The collection (1915) contains a letter to Fred Lockley regarding Packwood's boyhood, along with a typed memoir of the Packwood family's overland journey to Oregon in 1849.

Delazon Smith settled in Linn County in 1852 and was one of the first United States Senators from Oregon, elected in 1858. The letters are to his brother and refer at length to the question of statehood for Oregon.

James Sperry (1833-1922) was a Oregon pioneer, farmer, trader, army veteran, sheep raiser, and politician. Collection contains one, ten paged history of the Sperry Family written by Sperry.

Sarah Sutton traveled to Oregon with her husband, John Sutton, their four children and other family and friends from Cass County, Illinois to Grand Ronde Valley, Oregon. Collection includes one volume of Sarah Sutton's printed diary of crossing the plains pasted into a ledger book.

Solomon Tetherow was a wagonmaster of an expedition to Oregon. Solomon Tetherow's journal of the Oregon Emigrating Society of 1845 contains copies as well as photo negatives of the journal.

J. Q. Thornton (1810-1888) was a lawyer, Oregon pioneer, judge and lobbyist. Collection includes one, fifteen paged copy of "Oregon History" written by Thornton; one, eleven paged letter to Thornton concerning the Indian Delegation that went to St. Louis to inquire about the Bible; and one, six paged autobiography of Thornton.

George Miller West (1831-1912) was a pioneer and carpenter who travelled to Oregon and California to gold mine in 1853. Collection consists of one 49 paged reminiscence, typewritten and includes photographs. Photocopy is included.

William H. Willson (1805-1856) was a doctor and preacher in the Oregon Territory and is remembered as the "founder of Salem." The collection consists of a single, 1 paged warranty deed of various pieces of land in the Oregon Territory written by William H. Willson to A. Kitelinger in the presence of H. Holden and C. N. Terry.