Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/371



EARLY FARMING IN UMATILLA COUNTY*

By C. A. BARRETT.

Asked to prepare a paper on the early growing of grain in Umatilla County, the writer is aware of the difficulties con- nected therewith, as it seems the fact is evident that grain and corn, in a small way, were grown by the early settlers some years before anyone even thought of this section as a grain- growing community, therefore the question of who raised the first grain in Umatilla County will always be an open question.

I have confined myself in this paper to the period when actual settlement was made and the information contained herein has been secured from living witnesses, for the period prior to my own personal observations, which commenced with November, 1872.

PINE CREEK EARLY RENDEZVOUS.

I will confine myself to the period subsequent to 1863, although it appears that prior to this some grain had been grown for feed purposes.

In 1863 a man by the name of Dodge lived on Pine Creek, just below where the O.-W. R. & N. trestle now is. This point at the time was the stage station between Walla Walla and Cayuse, at the foot of Meacham Hill. This station was the rendezvous and principal camping ground for packers and freighters, water, grass and feed being available.

In 1863, after Dodge had laid in a supply of feed for the station, some packers in a spirit of hilarity caused the barn and feed to be burned, in settlement for which the packers paid Dodge $1500. In 1864 Dodge sold out to Taylor Green and the place has been known to all old-timers as the "Taylor Green" place ever since.

Society.

Paper read before the annual meeting of the Umatilla County Historical