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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