HISTORY
MyEagleNews.com
Joe Sewell
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Born on April 11, 1878, Joe
Sewell was the youngest of Colum-
bus and Louisa Sewell’s children.
Joe passed at a young age so his life
isn’t as well documented as that of
his father, Columbus, or his brother,
Tom.
What is known about Joe is that
he loved the horse racing, drinking
and fi ghting that often came with life
on the frontier. A well-known boxer,
Joe was known as the best fi ghter in
the area for a time.
The love of frontier life eventu-
ally caught up with Joe and led to
his passing. Two separate accounts
of Joe’s untimely demise have been
circulated, although nobody really
knows for sure which is true. Joe
Sewell met his end either in a shoot-
ing incident in Baker or during a
brawl in a Pendleton brothel.
The date of Joe’s death isn’t in
question, however, as he passed less
than a month after his 20th birthday
on May 10, 1898.
Used with the permission of the Grant County Museum
Joe Sewell, who lived from 1878 to 1898, was known
as “an attractive rogue and an excellent horseman
and athlete.”
Joe Sewell in the news
Last Friday Joe Sewell and Major
Magone were having a horse race
down the road, but the Major’s team
ran away and rolled him out into the
ditch, ending the race, but the team
kept right on. Damage, some.
Grant County News, Canyon
City, Or., Thurs., April 7, 1887, Vol.
IX , # 2, p. 3, col. l, item 11
Last Monday in Justice’s court
Joseph Sewell was fi ned $5 and
costs for using profane and obscene
language in a public place.
Grant County News, Canyon
City, Or., Thurs., April 28, 1887, Vol.
IX, # 5, p. 3, col. 1, item 8
For assaulting Jo Sewall with a
billiard cue Billy Moss was fi ned
$10 and costs, the whole amount-
ing to $20. The case was prosecuted
by Constable Todhunter and taken
to John Day and tried before Jus-
tice Kelly. Moss plead guilty to the
charge and considered himself in
luck to get out of the scrape so easily.
The Grant County News, Canyon
City, Or., Thurs., Nov. 24, 1887, Vol.
IX, #35, p. 3, col. 2, para 19
Spring fi ghts have already begun.
Joe Sewall last Monday slapped a
fellow called “Frenchy” for using
insulting language towards his
mother. Joe was arrested, but the
case was compromised by each pay-
ing half the costs.
The Grant County News, Canyon
City, Or.,Thurs., Feb. 13, 1890, Vol.
XI #47, p. 3, col. 1, para. 13
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
3
Used with the permission of the Grant County Museum
Joe Sewell
FROM THE GRANT COUNTY NEWS, NOV. 12, 1898
CANYON CITY
IN ASHES
Fire Totaly Destroys the
County Seat of Grant County,
The Fire Totaly Destroys Our
Thriving City. The Alarm Was
Sounded at 10:30 Last Night.
TOTAL LOSS
WILL REACH
TWO HUNDRED
THOUSAND
The alarm of fi re was
turned in about 10:30 last
night. The blaze was discov-
ered in the Elk Horn hotel.
In ten minutes form the time
the alarm was turned in the
hotel was a sheet of flames.
The firemen worked bravely
and nobly, in fact every
man woman and child in the
city worked as they never
worked before, to save the
property of our worthy cit-
izens who by years of hard
toil had accumulated a start
in this world and were in
a few minutes financially
wrecked. The following are
the principal losers:
Canyon City Brewery,
F.C. Sels, proprietor, loss
$80,000.
Brown & Simpson, store
building owned by M.M.
Fredenberg and T.M. Brit-
ten, loss $1000.
Dr. B.F. Butler, dentist
instruments $250.
I.J. Hagnewood, hay
grain etc. $2000.
Fred Berry, Great North-
ern restaurant loss $400.
Guernsey & Clark, Red
Front Saloon $3000.
Tomy Briteen $700 loss
on Valade Hotel.
Alvo Dore and wife,
clothing etc. $200.
Hicks & cattenach, law
books etc. $800.
Col. D.I. Asbury, resi-
dence etc. 3000 dollars.
A. Hinch, stock of gen-
eral merchandise, residence,
and in fact everything he
had, valued at twelve thou-
sand dollars.
Cunnington & Horsley,
general merchandise, loss,
twenty thousand dollars.
Valade Hotel, Henry
Valade proprietor, fi ve thou-
sand dollars.
Hinch restaurant building
three hundred dollars.
R.A. Hines, residence
and blacksmith shop and
fixtures, value three thou-
sand dollars.
S.E. Bollinger, residence,
contents saved, value two
hundred and fifty dollars.
McBean & Miller, livery
stable and contents, fifteen
hundred dollars no horses
were burned.
Miller residence, value
one thousand dollars and
one hundred dollars in
money.
V. Cozad, Books and law
office fixtures valued at one
hundred and fifty dollars.
Safe in charge of O.P.
Cresap, containing ten
thousand dollars belonging
to the Odd Fellows.
TOM MORRISON
SUFFICATED
Mr. Tom Morrison came
near meeting death in the
Ashford residence. When
found he was near dead he
having been strangled by the
smoke, while fighting fire.
Our little city puts in a
miserable appearance this
morning as the cold gray
dawn appears. All that is
left of our thriving city is
the smouldering emblems
of an unmerciful fire. We
are homeless and if ever a
people needed aid it is now.
Over half of our popula-
tion is homeless and we are
without beds, the county
court house was used as a
home for a great number,
others who found quarters
with friends.
There have been many
disasterous fires of late, but
none can compare with last
night’s terrible fire. Of the
many homeless families in
our city are some of our oldest
and most respected citizens,
who were happily housed in
comfortable homes, are today
left penniless. Of all the prop-
erty destroyed there was
not one dollar of insurance.
Insurance companies refused
the risks or made rates so
high that it was impossible to
carry a policy.
Grant County News
Only Business House
Left in Grant County’s
Seat
The Grant County News
Offi ce is still doing business
in the same old stand, and is
the only business house left
in Canyon City, and can say
that we feel deeply the terri-
Dial-A-Ride
ble disaster of last night. Oh!
How hard it is to think of the
many homeless families that
but yesterday were happy and
contented. To think of the
poor homeless children who
are huddled together at the
few remaining homes.
NOTICE
The Court House is hereby
opened to the people of Can-
yon City, that they might have
shelter from the cold.
J.A. Laycock County
Judge
The Great northern Restau-
rant will be opened up imme-
diately, in the Bowling Ally.
NOTICE TO
THE PUBLIC
Notice is hereby given that
there will be a meeting of the
citizens at the Court House at
2 o’clock today. All citizens
are requested to attend.
COME TO THE
MEETING AT 2
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