Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/147

Rh Tom. During this year Elias Briggs located a claim where Springfield now stands, and a Mr. Wells took one where Cottage Grove now stands. Springfield was so named because a spring bubbled forth in a field near the road, while Cottage Grove was named by Mr. Pierce, its first postmaster.

The year 1849 brought only a very few people to Lane County, and 1850 and 1851 brought but few more.

In 1848 President Polk appointed General Joseph Lane, of Indiana. Territorial Governor of Oregon. General Lane, coming by the southern route, arrived in Oregon March 2, 1849. and immediately assumed the duties of his office. Lane County, named from Oregon's first Governor, was organized by an act of the legislature, passed January 24, 1851.

The first election was held the first Monday in June, 1851 at which only 57 votes were cast, but so fast was the increase in population during '52 and '53 that 394 votes were cast in the election of June, 1853, that located the county seat on the donation claim of Charnel Mulligan.

The first white child born in the county was a daughter of H. Noble, born November, 1847. The second was a daughter of Mrs. Wells., born March 15, 1848; and the third, a child of J. Briggs, born June 21, 1848. The first native son was Wade Martin, born in the fall of 1848, while J. M. Hendricks, the second, was born in June, 1849.

The first white person buried in the county was an immigrant, who died in 1846, and was buried about three miles south of Creswell. The second was a little child of Mrs. D. Wells, who fell from a wagon and was killed. It was buried at Skinner's. The third was a young man, 19 years of age. by the name of Gilliam, who took sick at Blair's and soon died.

Educational matters were not neglected during these early pioneer day. The first schoolhouse was built near the home of Mr. K. Bristow in 1850, its first teacher being W. W. Bristow. The same year, and near the school house, was erected the first church.

Means of communication with the Eastern States was very