The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 84

Author: Gaston, Joseph, 1833-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1072

USA > Oregon > The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912 > Part 84

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Doane B. Colcord remained at home with his parents until he attained the age of twenty years, when he enlisted in Company G, of the Eighteenth Infantry, for service in the Civil war. His regiment was later changed to the First Heavy Artillery and Dr. Colcord was afterward transferred to the signal corps and served as leader of the post band at Georgetown, D. C., until the close of the war, being discharged from the United States service in June, 1865. After he was mustered out of the army he entered the Dartmouth College at Hanover, New Hamp- shire, from which he was graduated in 1867, completing a four years' course in two years. He took a course in civil engineering and after his graduation went to Burlington, Iowa, as a surveyor for the Burlington Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad, remaining with that company until 1874. During his service with that company he was given promotions from time to time until he became chief engineer and has a record of surveying one thousand miles of railroad which were afterward built.

562

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

He then went to New York city for the pur- pose of studying medicine in Bellevue Hospi- tal Medical College, from which he was gradu- ated in 1875. Ile entered upon the practice of his profession in Waymart, Pennsylvania, but at the end of a year removed to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he practiced for three years, and later followed his profession for two years in Burlington. He then spent two years engineering and later became chief en- gineer at Burlington for the Burlington & Northwestern Railroad, which position he filled for one year. He was then placed in charge of branch line construction work for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and served in that capacity for two years, after which he went to Missouri and took charge of a line from Chillicothe to Kan- sas City for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. After completing liis work for this company he returned to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he practiced medicine for two years and then was appointed assistant chief engineer for the Chicago, Burlington & North- ern Railroad for one year. In 1885 he took charge of location and construction work for the Rock Island Railroad in Kansas, remain- ing in the employ of that company until 1892. He then again returned to the prac- tice of medicine, settling in Topeka, Kansas, where he pursued his professional duties un- til 1899, when he became surgeon for the Mount Carmel Coal Company, a position which he filled for one year. During the time of his residence in Tokepa Dr. Colcord was elected professor of chemistry of the Kansas Medical College, a position which he held with distinction. In the spring of 1900 he was tendered the position of consulting engineer of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Com- pany at Pueblo, Colorado, and was placed in charge of the water supply. He continued in that position until 1902, when he became chief engineer for the Colorado & Northwest- ern Railroad Company, but remained in this connection for only a few months, when he became locating engineer for the Denver & Northwestern Railroad Company, surveying over two ranges of mountains. In February, 1903, he returned to Denver, becoming office assistant in the final location of the line between Denver and Steamboat Springs. Af- ter completing his duties in this connection he became a consulting engineer in hydraulic work and later in the same year removed to Oregon. On coming to this state he was appointed chief engineer of the Bonta Short Line, running from Baker City to Prairie City, Oregon. He was then employed as con- sulting engineer of the Sumpter Valley Rail- road Company and had charge of locating and constructing the line between Tipton and Prairie City, Oregon, and also of the con- struction of the Mount Hood Railroad Switch Back Line, between the Hood river and Dee. Dr. Colcord's wife died suddenly in 1903 and in 1904 he removed to Portland and was there employed by the Oregon Short Line Railway Company in locating a double track between Green River and Granger and in the location and construction of the Willow Creek branch of the Oregon Short Line in

Wyoming. In December, 1907, he settled in Creswell and has since been successfully en- gaged in the practice of medicine in that city.

In 1872 Dr. Colcord was united in mar- riage to Miss Luella Spencer and to this union four children were born, two of whom are deceased. Those living are: Elenora, who married Guy A. Armitage and resides at Creswell, Oregon; and Doane L., assistant engineer of the Portland Water Department.

Dr. Colcord gives his political allegiance to the republican party, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the An- cient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Order of the East- ern Star, the Royal Neighbors and the Degree of Honor of the Ancient Order of United Work- men. The long, honorable, successful profes- sional career of Dr. Colcord is a most excep- tional one. In his young manhood he gave sev- eral years of the best part of his life to the service of his country and then preparing for the practice of medicine and civil engineering, he succeeded in performing a large amount of work in engineering and surveying, much larger in fact than is usually accomplished in the lifetime of a man giving his entire time to that work. As a medical practitioner he has been uniformly successful, his educa- tion in that line having been liberal, his ex- perience broad and his adaptation to the profession most excellent. Dr. Colcord has always been a man of decided temperance principles. He is the author of the Colcord Genealogy, published in 1908, and has con- tributed several articles on medical and sci- entific subjects which have been published in the Annual of Universal Medical Sciences and in various medical journals. Dr. Colcord is one of the most distinguished and valuable citizens of Creswell, where he is widely known and universally respected.

FRANK M. LANGLOIS is living retired in the village of Langlois, named in his honor, for aside from handling a real-estate business on a small scale he has definitely abandoned business life. He is a native of Oregon and a son of one of the earliest pio- neers in the state and his career has been identified with an important period of de- velopment and evolution. He has been active in business and agricultural circles and has earned his retirement by diligence and in- dustry in the past. He was born near Salem, Marion county, Oregon, August 21, 1850, a son of William V. and Mary A. Langlois, the former a native of the isle of Guernsey, Eng- land, and the latter of King county, Missouri. His mother crossed the plains to Oregon about the year 1846 and his father came to this state about the same time. Their mar- riage occurred in Oregon and immediately after William V. Langlois took up a claim on the site where the city of Portland now stands and raised one crop of potatoes upon his ranch before he abandoned it considering it of no value. Leaving his family in Ore- gon he went to California, joining the gold rush of 1849. One year later, however, he

FRANK M. LANGLOIS AND FAMILY

565

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

returned and again took up land, locating his claim near Salem, where he engaged in general farming for some time, adding to his activities the manufacture of shingles. The farm which he developed he later sold for three thousand dollars, taking payment in greenbacks which at that time were worth only fifty cents on the dollar. The sale thus netted him only fifteen hundred dollars. He came to Curry county, settling at Port Orford and here he conducted a general store for a short time, abandoning this field of activity eventually and locat- ing one and one-half miles from the site where the village of Langlois is now located. Here he proved up a donation and a home- stead claim which he began to improve and develop. He added to his holdings from time to time seeing the opportunities which the newly opened country offered and adher- ing always to a policy of expansion and prog- ress. At the time of his death he owned a thousand acres of land in Curry county, partly improved and intelligently developed and was one of the extensive owners of farm lands in the section. He died when he was sixty-six years of age, his wife passing away when she was sixty-four. To their union were born eight children, of whom seven are living: William, who met death by drown- ing; James, of Cape Blanco, Oregon; Frank M., the subject of this review; John N., who resides in Bandon; Thomas Orford, who was the first white child born at Port Orford, and who now resides in Bandon; and Charles E., Mrs. Ella Nelson and Mrs. Mary Gallier, all of whom reside in Bandon.

All the education Mr. Langlois ever ob- tained consisted of eighteen months of in. struction in the district schools of Curry county. When he was seventeen years of age he began earning his own livelihood, working at various occupations for fifteen years. At the end of that time he took up several land claims and also purchased a number of acres all of which he later sold. After the death of his father he formed a partnership with his brother in the opera- tion of a dairy upon the homestead which he continued to conduct until the property was sold. Then Mr. Langlois established him- self in the general merchandize business, locating his store at Langlois postoffice, which was named in his honor because he was ap- pointed first postmaster of the village. He conducted his mercantile enterprise in com- pany with Mr. Thrift and after fifteen years of successful partnership he bought out his companion's interests and continued in the store independently for five years. At the end of that time he disposed of his business and moved upon his ranch of eighty acres in Curry county upon which he carried on extensive sheep-raising, handling the finest animals in this section. He imported his stock from England and gained a reputa- tion throughout the state as a successful sheep-breeder. In 1910 he retired from active life although he still handles real estate in Langlois. He has a comfortable home in the village and forty acres of platted land within its limits.

In 1886 Mr. Langlois was united in mar- riage to Miss Georgia E. Hormen, a native of Missouri, and a daughter of Thomas H. and Sarah Hormen, the former a native of Ireland, and the latter of Missouri. Her father has passed away but her mother is still living and makes her home at Belgrade, Montana. In their family were five children, two of whom have passed away. Those liv- ing are: Georgia, the wife of our subject; James, who is engaged as a teacher in Mon- tana; and John. Mr. and Mrs. Langlois have one daughter, Ivy N., who was born on the 28th of July, 1892. She is a graduate of the Curry high school and is an accomplished musician.

Mr. Langlois is independent in his polit- ical views and does not affiliate with any party. He is interested in the progress and welfare of his section and has served as county assessor for one term. He is in his sixty-third year and now enjoys a well earned rest after useful labor. He has prac- tically seen all of the development of Ore- gon and has successfully participated therein as an important factor in its growth, and the upright methods and principles to which he has adhered have been forces in raising commercial standards in the state.

ORRIN BENNETT. One of the most at- tractive small ranches in the vicinity of Eu- gene is that of Orrin Bennett, who owns twelve acres on Pacific highway, two miles northwest of the city. It is highly improved and well kept up and the entire acreage is devoted to fruit-raising. He was born in Indiana in 1846, and is a son of E. H. and Frances (Winchell) Bennett. The father was born in Massachusetts and the mother in Kentucky, but they passed the early years of their domestic life in Indiana. They sub- sequently crossed the prairies of Illinois to Iowa, and there the father devoted his ener- gies to agricultural pursuits during the re- mainder of his active life. Our subject is the youngest of the five children born to his parents, the others being as follows: Syl- vanus, who is deceasd; Cordelia, the widow of R. K. Kegley, of the state of Washington; Melissa, who is deceased; and Caroline, the widow of C. E. Phipps, of Iowa.

The boyhood and youth of Orrin Bennett were passed on his father's farm in Iowa, where he received his early agricultural train- ing and acquired his education. At the age of fifteen years he became self-supporting and worked for his father and other farmers in that vicinity. In common with other youths he was strongly attracted to the west with its glamour of romance and adventure, so when he was nineteen he left home and went to Colorado. He worked in the mines and on the railroad and followed various other pur- suits during the succeeding two and a half years and before he had attained his ma- jority had traveled quite extensively for that period. Returning to Iowa, he resumed his agricultural pursuits until 1874, when he crossed the plains to Oregon. Upon his ar- rival in this state he first located in Linn county, engaging in general farming and stock-raising for ten years, but he did not

566

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

invest in land until he came to Lane county. Here he filed upon a homestead in 1888, lo- cated in the foothills west of Junction City, continuing to live there for nineteen years. He cultivated a portion of his land, but his energies were almost entirely devoted to the raising of cattle, in which he met with very good success. In 1907, he left his cattle ranch and coming to Eugene purchased the place where he now lives. He has planted this entirely in orchard and has further im- proved his property by the erection of a pleasant modern residence and good barns and outbuildings. Mr. Bennett takes great pride in his little ranch and under his capa- ble and careful supervision it is developing in a most gratifying manner and is one of the very attractive homesteads in that vicin- ity.

Mr. Bennett has been twice married. His first union was with Miss Margaret Cadwalla- der, a daughter of Joseph and Jane (Luers) Cadwallader. They were married in Iowa but soon thereafter came to Oregon and here Mrs. Bennett died in 1874. One child was born to them, Charles C., in 1872. He was given a common-school education and is now engaged in ranching near Springfield, Ore- gon. For his wife he chose Miss Jennie Hull of Iowa and they have three children: Ber- nice, Helen and John. The two first named are attending school. Mr. Bennett was mar- ried to his present wife August 24, 1906. Mrs. Bennett, who is a native of West Vir- ginia, was the widow of S. E. McClure. She had two children by this marriage: Walter R. McClure, nineteen years of age, who will graduate from the University of Oregon in the class of 1913; and Nellie McClure, sixteen years of age, attending high school. The maiden name of Mrs. Bennett was Martha Rayburn and she is of Scotch and German extraction and a daughter of J. B. and Sarah F. (Frazier) Rayburn. They were natives of West Virginia and came to Oregon in 1888, settling near Irving, where they remained for about eight years, when they removed to Hatton, Washington. The father was en- gaged along agricultural lines until his death, which occurred in 1902, and the mother is now living on the home ranch in Washington. Mrs. Bennett is an educator of note and for twenty-two years has taught school and teaches at present in the Kompp school near her home. She is the second in order of birth in a family of twelve, the others being as follows: George, who is a resident of Mis- souri; Joseph, who is deceased; Virginia, the wife of B. F. Mulkey, of Eugene, Oregon; John, of Grand Junction, Colorado; Earl, of Pocatello, Idaho; Andrew Mack, of Hatton, Washington; Maggie, the wife of B. F. Keeney, of Soldier, Idaho; Charles C., of Puy- allup, Washington; Orville E., of Post Falls, Idaho; Maude, the wife of Mr. Roberston, of Walla Walla, Washington; and Wilbur L., who is living in Idaho.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He votes the republican ticket and served in either the

capacity of school director or road super- visor ever since he came to Oregon, until he removed to Eugene. He has witnessed the progress and development of Oregon for thir- ty-eight years, seeing its forests and prairies transformed into fertile fields and beautiful orchards, while thriving commercial centers have sprung up, where there was not a sign of habitation when he first settled in the northwest. Mr. Bennett is an enthusiastic admirer of the state and never lets an op- portunity escape to laud its resources and wonderful possibilities.

C. C. HARRIS. A beautiful home is that of C. C. Harris. A residence containing twelve rooms, built in 1911, overlooks Sum- mer lake, furnishing a view which covers fifty miles on a clear day. In the rear of the build- ing tower lofty mountains three thousand feet higher than his home, although the val- ley itself has an altitude of forty-four hun- dred feet. Across the front of the house ex- tends a broad veranda and the lawn is shaded by fine box elder, poplar and locust trees. Altogether it is a beautiful country property and he has his own electric light works and water plant, pumping mountain-spring water into the house. This attractive home is a visible evidence of the well spent life of C. C. Harris, whose success is the merited reward of earnest labor intelligently directed.

C. C. Harris is a native of Iron county, Mis- souri, born May 16, 1860, and is a son of Zed G. and Malissa (Pease) Harris. The father was born in Kentucky in 1825 and the mother in Connecticut in 1827. They were married in Missouri, January 6, 1848, and Zed G. Harris died in that state in 1880. He had devoted his entire life to farming. The mother, not long after her husband's death, came to Lake county, Oregon, with her chil- dren and there passed away in 1900. Three of the children died in Missouri and one remained in that state at the time when four of the sons and three of the daughters ac- companied their mother to the west. They located first at Willowranch in the Goose Lake valley of California, there remaining until 1888, when they came to the Summer Lake valley, locating on the west bank of the lake. Of the children, the eldest is Mrs. Flavia McDowell, while the others who reached adult age are: S. B., who died in Goose Lake valley of Modoc county, Califor- nia; Farnum E., of Lakeview, Oregon; Mrs. Della Fisher, of Ashland, Oregon; Clarence C., living on Summer Lake; Martin E., of Chehalis county , Washington; Frank M., mentioned elsewhere in this work; and Mrs. Florence Wakefield, of Elma, Washing- ton.

In taking up the personal history of Clar- ence C. Harris we present to our readers the record of one who is widely and favorably known in Lake county and southern Ore- gon. About the time when he attained his majority the family came to the north- west and since 1888 he has resided con- tinuously at the place of his present residence

567

THE CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF OREGON

on Summer lake. He owns four hundred acres of land, nearly all of which is under cultivation, and is devoted to general farm- ing and stock raising. He cultivates hay as well as cereals of various kinds, also raises a variety of fruit and has a fine garden in which is produced almost every known vegeta- ble. Everything seems to grow well here and his place is improved to an exceptional de- gree. He has provided ample buildings for the shelter of grain and stock and in 1911 erected his present fine residence already de- scribed. It is attractively located, command- ing a fine view of the scenic features of the district, and that hospitality is one of its features is indicated by the readiness with which their many friends visit this home. Mr. Harris runs about one hundred head of horses and mules on the range and has about fifty head of cattle. A circle enclosing the letter J on the right stifle is the brand used by Mr. Harris for his cattle. His horses are branded on the right shoulder with a figure four and a captial letter H. He raises Perch- eron horses and Durham cattle and is doing much to improve the grade of stock common in southern Oregon. In addition to his agri- cultural and stock-raising interests he is con- nected with a drug store in Lakeview and is also a shareholder in the Windy Hollow mines near Paisley.

In 1896 Mr. Harris was married to Miss Hattie J. Colvin, who was born in California in 1872 and is a daughter of S. T. Colvin, de- ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Harris have three chil- dren: Hildred, Sidney and Reta. They have many friends in the county, enjoy an enviable social position, and Mr. Harris has a credita- ble reputation as a progressive business man and public-spirited citizen.

OLIVER W. JOHNSON. Among the busi- ness men of Springfield, who have been dom- inant factors in promoting the development of the city's commercial interests must be numbered Oliver W. Johnson, who has been successfully conducting a hardware store here for the past five years. He was born in Mo- nona county, Iowa, in 1879, and is a son of Albert and Barbara T. (Thompson) Johnson, natives of Norway. The parents are both deceased, the father having passed away in South Dakota, while the mother's death oc- curred in Iowa on the 10th of July, 1901. Oliver W. Johnson is the only child born of this union but has one half-sister living, Aminda, the wife of Frank T. Jennewein of Iowa.

The boyhood and youth of Oliver W. John- son contained little of the brightness and joy that rightfully belong to childhood. At the age of ten years he was compelled to lay aside his text-books and assist in the support of his mother and the family. Dur- ing the succeeding nine years he worked con- tinuously, carrying many of the responsibili- ties and oftentimes doing the work of a man. When he was nineteen, he was able to re- turn to school for ten days, but this com- pleted his education. He remained on the farm with his mother until 1896, the year prior to his marriage, when he left home and worked out for sixteen dollars per month.

After his marriage he rented two hundred acres of land and began his independent career as an agriculturist. He continued to engage in farming in his native state until 1902, meeting with a goodly measure of suc- cess, as he applied himself tirelessly and in- telligently to the development of his inter- ests. Believing that the west afforded bet- ter possibilities and greater advantages he disposed of his interests in the Hawkeye state and in 1902 came to Oregon, locating in Lane county. Upon his arrival here he purchased the McKinzie stock farm, located three miles east of Springfield. He operated this for two years, and then renting it re- moved to Eugene. Afterward he sold the farm and took a position with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. At the end of a year he resigned and came to Springfield and engaged in contracting and hauling, follow- ing this business for a similar period. He next bought a small stock of hardware and opened the first store of this kind in the town. He began in a very small way, and although he had had no previous experience in commercial activities, readily grasped the essential factors in the successful develop- ment of an enterprise of this kind. In the selection of his stock he used good judg- ment and made it a point to always carry a brand of goods that he could recommend as to quality, while his prices were reasona- ble. From the first he adopted a policy that commended him to the confidence of all who accorded him their patronage, and he was al- ways accommodating, realizing that the best medium of advertising is well satisfield cus- tomers. During the intervening years he bas developed his business in a most remark- able way and his stock now invoices about thirty-seven thousand dollars. He enjoys an excellent patronage, especially among the country people, and has every reason to feel highly gratified with his success. In addi- tion to his fine stock of merchandise he owns the building where he is located. This is a modern two-story building, twenty-eight by one hundred and twenty feet, located on Main street. He has also acquired quite ex- tensive interests in local residence property, having five houses and sixteen lots, and he is a stockholder in the First National Bank of Springfield.

Whiting, Iowa, was the scene of Mr. John- son's marriage on the 27th of September, 1897, to Miss Lottie M. Keller, a daughter of Jacob and Louisa M. Keller. The father was born and reared in Switzerland to the age of nineteen years, at which time he emi- grated to the United States. He subsequently located in Illinois and there he met and mar- ried the mother, who was a native of Penn- sylvania. The father died in Eugene, Novem- ber 29, 1909, and Mrs. Keller is living in Eugene. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, as follows: Lloyd, who was born on the 9th of July, 1901, now at- tending school; and Walter, who died at the age of three years.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The centennial history of Oregon, 1811-1912, Part 84

Author: Gaston, Joseph, 1833- Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1072

Author: Gaston, Joseph, 1833-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago, The S.J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1072