Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/743



They are Alkali, Blalock, Cluk, Cross Hollows, Cross Keys, Crown Rock, Dufur, Fleetville, Fossil, Grade, Hay Creek, Kingsley. Lone Rock, Lone Valley, Mitchell, Nansene, Olex, Rockville, Villard, and \Valdron.

Samuel E. Brooks, from whom I have a dictation, and who is a native of Ohio, came to Oregon overland, via Platte and Snake rivers, in 1850, in com pany with C. H. Haines, Samuel Ritchie, Washington Ritchie, S. B. Roberts, J. H. Williams, his father Linn Brooks, his mother E. Brooks, his brothers B. S. and H. J. Brooks. Samuel settled at The Dalles, and married Annie Pentland, daughter of Robert Pentland, in 1872. He is among the prominent men of Wasco county.

Washington county was established under the name of Twality district, the first of the four original political divisions of Oregon, on the 5th of July, 1843, and comprised at that time all of the territory west of Willamette and north of Yainhill rivers, extending to the Pacific ocean on the west, and aa far north as the northern boundary line of the United States, then not deter mined. Its limits have several times been altered by the creation of other counties, and its name was changed from Twality to Washington September 4, 1849. Its area is 682 square miles, 62,000 acres of which is improved land, valued with the improvements at about three and a half million dollars. The live-stock of this county is all upon farms, and is assessed at a little less than four hundred thousand. The farm products of 1879 were valued at over 700,000. The state returns for 1881-2 make the gross valuation of all prop erty $3,717,000, and the total of taxable property over two and a half millions. The population is between seven and eight thousand. A considerable portion of the northern part of Washington county is heavily timbered and moun tainous, but its plains are famed for their productiveness, and the face of the country is beautifully diversified. Hillsboro, founded by David Hill, one of the executive committee of Oregon in 1843, is the county seat. It was incor porated in 1876. The population is about five hundred. Forest Grove, the seat of Pacific University, has 600 inhabitants. It was founded by Harvey Clark in 1849, and incorporated in 1872. The U. S. Indian school, founded in 1879, is located at Forest Grove. The location of the university town at the edge of the foot-hills of the Coast Range, in the midst of natural groves of oak-trees, gives an academic air to the place, and certain propriety to the name, which will be lost sight of in the future should not the forest beauties of the place be preserved. The lesser towns are Cornelius, Gaston, Dilley, Gale s Creek, Cedar Mill, Bethany, Beaverton, Glencoe, Greenville, Ingles, Laurel, Middleton, Mountain Dale, Sch oil s Ferry, Tualatin, and West Union.

Harley McDonald, born in Foster, R. I., in 1825; came to Cal. in 1849 by sea, and to Oregon the following year, locating at Portland. His occupation was that of architect and draughtsman. He built the steamer Hoosier, one of the first on the upper Willamette, in 1851; the first theatre in San Francisco; the first wharf and first church in Portland; the first railroad station at Salem; and is engaged by the government to erect school-houses on the Indian reser vations. He married, in 1848, Betsy M. Sansom, and has 8 children, one son being a banker. He resides at Forest Grove.

Yamhill county was first organized as one of the first four districts, July 5, 1843, and embraced all of the Oregon territory south of Yamhill River, and west of a supposed north and south line extending from the mouth of the Yamhill to the 42d parallel. Its boundaries were subsequently altered and abridged until it contained a little more than 750 square miles. The amount of improved land is 119,000 acres, valued, with the improvements, at 5,518,- 000. The value of live-stock is over half a million, and the yearly product of the farms is about a million and a half. The valuation of real and personal estate is in excess of two and a half millions, and the population is 8,000. This county is famed for its wheat-producing capacity, as well as for its many beau- ful features. Lafayette, once county seat, is situated on the Yamhill River, which is navigable to this point. It was founded by Joel Perkins about 1851, and named by him after Lafayette, Indiana. Perkins was murdered, while returning from California in July 1856, by John Malone, who hanged himself \n