Page:Pen Pictures of Representative Men of Oregon.djvu/174



134

Col. Chapman has been several times a member of the Legislature of Ore- gon, in the days of the Provisional Government, under the Territorial Gov- ernment, and since. He was United States Surveyor-General from 1859 to 1861. In 1855 6 he took an active part in the Indian wars of Southern Ore- gon ; he, as lieutenant-colonel, and James Bruce, of Washington county, as major, having command of the southern battalion in the spring campaign of 1856, when the war was closed up. He was strongly recommended for the position of United States District Judge, when Oregon was ad- mitted as a State, having the recommendation of nine-tenths of the Demo- cratic members of the Legislature ; but there were " methods" in those days in regard to the Federal appointments that were no less mysterious than those of the present times. lu the latter part of the fall of 1849 CoL Chapman purchased a one-third interest in the Portland laud claim and town site, and moved to the place on the first day of January, 1850. Early in that year, Portland proper, extending from A street on the north to near Lincoln street on the south, and westward from the Willamette river to Twelfth street was laid ofl in lots and blocks as it has since been built up with fine and comely structures. In January, 1850, Portland may be said to have had its whole existence before it for a future. The build- ings in the town then amounted to no more, if as much, as those in the town of Albina did in the fall of 1881. There were no roads from Portland that led anywhere, except a sort of trail that passed over the point back of Amos N. Kings, near Mr. Hodge's new residence. All back of Second street was filled up with logs, stumps and trees, and the sad, dreary aspect of the first pretensions of a town was striking in a very high degree, at that time, for Portland. The three partners in the town, early in 1850, divided their town amongst themselves by blocks and lots, and as a consequence the "omnibus" deeds were executed amongst themselves that lawyers here know so much about. This division, when the Oregon donation law was subsequently passed, was found to be exceedingly imprac- ticable. Much discontent arose among the people who had settled in the town and bought lots here, for it began to seem that the town proprietors would be unable to get title from the general government, and so could con- vey none to their grantees. The alarm became imminent amongst those who had lots bought here, some honestly supposing that the town proprie- tors could not be able to get any title, and others, while there was very little ground for alarm took a deep interest to stir up the alarm and to mag- nify the danger, and endeavored to induce discord amongst the proprietors themselves. Ultimately the instrument was executed amongst the proprie- tors known as the "Escrow," which was subsequently upheld by Judge L. D. Sawyer, of California, U. S. Circuit Judge, as a valid instrument, and the decision was sustained by the U. S. Supreme Court. By the terms of this mstrument [escrow] the proprietors re-divided the town, each taking a designated tract to himself, and upon which he became a settler under the donation law of Congress. By the escrow, each proprietor covenanted, when he should obtain title from the general government to fulfill each previous" contract of any of the proprietors in regard to anv lots in the parts so