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4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Books, gardening, hiking, hobbies, recreation, personalities, travel & more Writer stakes a claim for Tibbets as ‘Oregon’s fi rst pioneer’ Cuxtux articles grow into book about Clatsop Plains resident By PATRICK WEBB FOR COAST WEEKEND Labeling anyone “the first” is a dangerous busi- ness. Fact checkers make a habit of nailing any writer who makes such a claim. But Jerry Sutherland is willing to take that chance and back it up with research. “Calvin Tibbets: Oregon’s First Pioneer,” highlights a man who the author believes fits that de- scription — the first person who traveled to Oregon specifically to settle there and make it part of the United States. If his topic sounds fa- miliar, it’s because Suther- land’s research appeared in two editions of Cumtux, the quarterly magazine of the Clatsop County His- torical Society. The group allowed him to publish his material, in a modi- fied form, in his book and helped with photo editing and ideas. Sutherland has an As- sociate Degree in business from Clark College in Van- couver, Washington, and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Portland State University. In 2013, he retired from a career de- signing and selling heating and air conditioning sys- tems. His previously pub- lished work was an article about ductless heat pumps published in the Journal of Light Construction the year before. Sutherland’s mother’s maiden name was Tibbetts. L About 10 years ago, his father saw the pioneer’s name in an historical arti- cle. Although the families are not related, the initial interest morphed into general historical research. Son Jerry, who was nearing retirement, offered to help. Name spelling was a problem. Tibbets’ name appears on a monument at the Champoeg State Historical Area commemorating those who voted in 1843 in favor of forming the first Amer- ican government on the Pacific Coast. However, in stone “Tibbets” is spelled with two Ts, a problem the Sutherlands encountered when they delved into ar- chives hunting their quarry. “Tibbets’ name was spelled many ways by many people, most com- monly as ‘Tibbetts’ and ‘Tibbits.’ This made searching for information about him challenging,” Jerry Sutherland said. “It wasn’t until I found docu- ments signed by him that I knew what the correct spelling was.” The Sutherlands decid- ed that Tibbets deserved public recognition. “The fellow seemed to have been everywhere at just the right time to help take Oregon through each event that led to American statehood,” Sutherland said. “He was never the dynamic leader, but he was there to support those who were. As they came and went, he was a common factor.” The book begins with Hall Kelley and Nathaniel ‘HE WAS NEVER THE DYNAMIC LEADER, BUT HE WAS THERE TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO WERE.’ — Jerry Sutherland author describing Oregon pioneer Calvin Tibbets SUBMITTED PHOTO BOOK READING Jerry Sutherland will read from “Calvin Tibbets: Oregon’s First Pioneer,” at the Astoria Public Library at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Wyeth, leaders in the movement to make Ore- gon part of the emerging nation. When Fort Vancouver leader John McLoughlin greeted Wyeth in 1832, he realized he had some competition for the region, which was the subject of a dispute involving the Brit- ish, Sutherland wrote. “Calvin Tibbets: Oregon’s First Pioneer” by Jerry Sutherland. Portlander Jerry Sutherland researched historical fi gure Calvin Tibbets and makes the case for him being Oregon’s fi rst pioneer in his new book. Kelley was the force behind the American So- ciety for Encouraging the Settlement of the Oregon Territory, soliciting interest in Eastern states. One taker was Tibbets, a stonecutter from Maine who was lured West as Wyeth and Kelley were digging in with their respective schemes. “Eventually, both men would fail in their ventures, but one of the men they brought to Oregon — Cal- vin Tibbets — stayed to make it his home and pave the way for other Amer- icans to follow,” Suther- land wrote. “In doing so, this obscure fellow would become Oregon’s first pioneer without anyone — including himself — real- izing it.” Tibbets spent a winter at Fort Vancouver then moved south to Champoeg to farm. His North Coast connection begins when another pio- neer, Solomon Smith, who was married to a Clatsop Indian princess, Celiast, moved to Clatsop Plains. Tibbets joined them and staked a claim on land ad- joining the site for Clatsop Plains Presbyterian Church. He married a Clatsop and they had two children. He worked as a guide, helped set up a mill and SUBMITTED PHOTO served as a judge. Tibbets died of cholera on an 1849 voyage and was buried at sea. His son John and daughter Grace were assist- ed by other families, but his $7,000 estate reportedly spared them a difficult life. Sutherland’s work includes 16 pages of reference notes, reflecting his travels viewing the Hudson’s Bay Company’s records in Winnipeg, Cana- da, researching at a library in Berkeley, California, and being aided by the Oregon Historical Society. He es- pecially commended Liisa Penner and Sam Rascoe at Clatsop County Histor- ical Society for help with research and publishing. Once he began, Suther- land was soon hooked on historical research. “I love uncovering new informa- tion about past events and people, and reading manu- scripts gives me a won- derful sense of connection with people in the past who wrote the words,” he said. “Calvin Tibbets: Oregon’s First Pioneer,” by Jerry Suther- land, 62 p, 2016, CreateSpace Publishing, North Charleston, N.C., Amazon, $9.95. The book was fi rst published as articles in the Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 editions of Cumtux, the quarterly publi- cation of the Clatsop County Historical Society. www. calvintibbets.com
