SPECIAL EDITION OF THE TILLAMO.OK
TILLAMOOK’S FIRST WHITE SETTLER.
How He Came to Hear of the Rich Country and His
Experience With Indians.
Joseph C. Champion was Tillamook’s first white settler, and a brief history
of this adventurous individual will not be out of place in this edition to show ot
what sterling stuff the pioneers were made.
Joseph C. Champion was born and raised in Pennsylvania, received a common
school education, such as the district schools afford at that time, and when still
quite a young man was imbued with a spirit of adventure. With a wild and
restless spirit to see the Great West, he was not slow to catch the “Fever which
allured so many of the Argonauts to the Pacific slope soon after the news reached
the Eastern states that gold had been found in California in fabulous quantities.
He set sail for California, and reached San Francisco it is thought in the fall of
1849, and some tune in 1850 found him clerking in a small country store at San
Raphael, Marin county, Cal. This work proving uncongenial to his roving
disposition, he soon abandoned it and set sail tor Oregon, landing in Astoria some
time in the fall of the same year. After living a few months in Astoria, reports
reached him from Indian sources that there was a beautiful country with rich and
verdant prairies lying to the south of Clatsop, called Tillamook. Thither
Champion resolved to go. Buying himself a whale boat he provisioned it for a six
months’ voyage, and with aspirit born of adventure he resolved to risk on the Pacific
? ocean, in a small open boat, his chances of ever seeing Tillamook, hiring two
adventurous spirits like himself, Sam Howard and W. Taylor, to take him to
Tillamook. Of these two men and their subsequent history, Champion has left a
meagre account.
About the first day of April, 1851, Champion and his companions “manned”
their boat and glided down the Columbia on a strong ebb tide. Crossing the
( Columbia bar they shaped their course southward, and by sunset of the same day
I reached Tillamook bar. Being unfamiliar with the entrance they resolved to “lay
I to’’ until the next day, when they crossed in about ten o’clock, some Indians
piloting them to Kilchis point, landing them at a place known by the early settlers
as the “ ship yard.’’ Here the Indians showed Champion an old hollow’, dead
spruce tree in which to live. He and his companions soon conveyed the stores
I
) ashore, and the next day Howard and Taylor started back for Astoria with the
>
boat. Champion named his hollow spruce tree “Mv Castle,” and proceeded to
make himself as comfortable as his environment would allow. But now occurred
a scene that was to test his nerve and calibre. The Indians finding him alone com­
menced to show acts of hostility. One old Indian spat in his face, while several
others had gathered up clubs to beat him. During the melee an Indian by the
name of Adam, a prominent man in his tribe, and kind of a quasi chief, rushed in
to the rescue and protected Champion from further violence. After this occurrence
the Indians seemed to take it as the inevitable that the white, or Boston man,
would come, and seemed pleased rather than otherwise that he would settle in
their midst.
That summer and winter was passed without incident to Champion. He had
succeeded in ingratiating himself into the good graces of Kilchis, the Indian chief.
After that the white men had nothing to fear from the Tillamook Indians, even
».iter the Indian war had commenced in Oregon. Old Kilchis was a staunch friend
to the white men in all their hardships and trial in pioneer days.
Sam Howard and Alfred Cook returned the next spring with the same boat
and assisted Champion to build his house. Champion and Howard lived together
until the following August, when Champion sold his claim to Howard and started
for California on a pleasure trip. Returning after an absence of one year he
1 >cated on what is now’ known as the Nails place on Trask river. He soon
abandoned that and settled on the claim ow ned by Mr. Thayer, which he sold to
I a Mr. Elmer. After that he went to the Sandwich Islands, being absent about
three years. Shortly after his return he was elected county clerk. He taught the
first school in Tillamook county. In 1860, we find he made a public record of his
advent inti» Tillamook, a copy of which wre have taken from the county’s archieves,
which is as follows:
“A brief account of the settlement of Tillamook by the first settler, Jo. C.
Champion
“ On the first day of April, A.D., 1851. I left the Columbia in a whale boat with
provisions for six months, the crew consisting of Samuel Howard, W. Taylor and
myself. We being unacquainted with the entrance to the bay, did not venture to
enter the same day, as it was sunset when we arrived at the bar. but the next
morning, at about 10 a.m., we went safely in and followed a canoe to the landing
now called the ship yard. The Indians generally seemed pleased with the prospect
of having the whites to settle among them—poor fools. They showed me a large
hollow dead spruce tree, into which we conveyed all my property and christened
it My Castle.
1 he next day Howard and Taylor returned with the boat to
Clatsop About the 20th bf May, Howard and Alfred Cook came here in the boat.
I hev hvl|K‘d me put tip my house—where Peter Morgan now lives (I860). Cook
then left and Howard and mvself remained together about the 20th of August,
when 1 started for California. Shortly after I left Cook and H. Wilson came here.
Cook took the claim that Vaughn has at present, and Wilson took the one that
Jas. Higgenbotham Ims. In the spring of ’52 Nathan Doughertv came here with
his family. His wife was the first white woman who had seen Tillamook—and up
to this date the only w hite woman who has died here. A few’ months after
Dougherty came, Trask and his family came and settled on the claim thev now
reside on.’*
Tramps and Hoboes.
This edition is not issued for the edification of tramps and hoboes, but for neo
pie who have money to invest in industrial enterprises or are looking for locatmns
where the. can make jiermanent homes by going into dairying. Tillamook offer"
no inducements to •tramps ,<„<1 holme. Those who have come here have soon
made up their mimh that a st>eedy exodus was best for them, for the weather con
.litions are_.mh that it .s exeeedmgh uncomfortable to have heaven only for a
covering 1 he settlers, lieing industrious themselves, have no use for loafers.
I
HEADLIGHT.
TILLAMOOK’S RICH VIRGIN SOIL.
The Lands are Designated under Four Different Heads--Pasturing
Begins the Latter Part of February.
Tide Lands— The tide laud» are those which are overflowed more or leu fit.
quently bv salt water. They produce ail immense quantity of tide land grass,
which starts growing about the first of February. In good seasons farmer» begin
pasturing this lightly ill tile latter part of February and keep adding cattle in
cient numbers to prevent a rank growth. By this means the pasture is kept sncin.
lent and green, and is very nutritious. The tide lands are splendid to pasture cattle
upon, more especially stock which need only the finishing touches to prepare them
lor the butcher.
Bottom Lands— The bottom lands are of two classes, ordinary “creek hot.
tom" lands, with which every farmer is familiar, and large tracts of land built up
by overflow and deposit of sediment. There are several thousand acres of this
class. As a rule they are cut through by sloughs in which the tide» rise and fall.
The cut of the banks show that this soil is entirely the richest kind ofsedimentmany
feet in depth. In its wild state it is covered by a dense growth of underbrush and
spruce trees, and settlers clear it by deadening the trees and allowing the cattle tc
browse out the brush. As soon as the sunshine penetrates the jungles the grass
starts, furnishing rough pasturage for stock. The concieutious and thorough
clearing of the ground follows according to a mail's ability and energy. Fire is
necessarily made to do the work as far as possible. When reduced to a meadow
each acre must be pastured until the first of April or the growth of hav will be too
rank. As much as 3 to 5 tons of hay can be expected to the acre. Potatoes,
grain and other crops in proportion. Lands of this nature are inexhaustible. The
periodical overflows covers them with a sediment equal to the best fertilizers. One
farmer, on being asked what he did with his manure, replied; “Well. I throw it
around most anywhere to get rid of it.’’ This man made over $51 a head off his
cows last year Such land, when cleared, cannot he bought for less than $75 per
acre, while in the wild state it can lie bought for from $20 up.
Praitie Lands— The prairie lands are of a lighter character and must be
sustained by fertilizers. Lands of this character can be relied upon forfrom l^to2
tons of hav per acre. Surrounding the valleys are ranges of bench or tableland,
which are very productive and yield good fruit. These, in a state of nature, art
covered with more or less brush and fallen trees. There is quite an extended tract
of prairie land in the county which would support bands of goats and sheep.
Timber Lands— The timber lands otthecotmty constitute quite another class.
They are so extensive and so valuable that they insure the future wealth of Tills,
inook County being greater than that of any rural countv in the state of Oregon.
PLENTY OF SPRUCE AND COTTON WOOD.
With Mill Sites for the Manufacture of Wood Pulp and Paper.
All of our best printing papier pulp (spruce) come from Canada or from the
Adirondac, N. Y„ where they have a trust and monopoly of the spruce pulp.
From Canada is a prohibitory tariff of $6 pier ton for pulp. Add the tariff and
freight, and it comes high priced papier, and a tax on intelligence, education and
political knowledge. The papier trust now imposes a tax of $200,000,000 per
annum. There is an abundance of spruce and cotton-wood in Tillamook to supply
the United States with pulp. Our rivers, creeks and gulches are full of good spruce
wood. Where the logging camps have left there is still plenty of good spruce
standing. Some is off from the track and some too large. ’ Loggers do not cut
down over 60 inches. But there are some trees left which measure 160 inches,
with much clear timber, which a farmer and a hired man could haul to tide wnte*.
It would also solve the slab and saw dust trouble at the saw mills, which now
bother both millmen and residents of the sawdust avenue and slabtown. Slabs
and edgings, when clear and clean, make the liest and cheapiest piapier pulp. In the
rainy season it don t burn, and in the dry in burns too fast and too far. So much
for the raw material. There are plenty of mill sites all the wav from Hoquarton
slough, Kilchis, Bay City and Garibaldi, and if need be in the great vallevsol the
Miami and Nehalem.
Spruce pulp paper is not bulky, and could be loaded on the outward bound
vessels going to Alaska's snowy mountain or Philippines' coral shore. When the
Trans-Siberian railroad is ready it could take Tillamook manufactured paper into
St. Petersburg and other Baltic provinces. While on the south Chili, Peru. Holina
and the Argentine are good markets. The Nicaragua route will open the eastern
markets for us, with pure and wholesome paper against the imported foul and
nasty rags that come mostly from the south of Europe, the Mediterranean and
Black Sea.
TILLAMOOK’S COW BRIGADE.
Twenty years, twenty years, onward !
T wenty years marched’ Tillamook’s four
hundred.
Into the bottoms of spruce.
Into the valleys of sweat,
Have marched the noble four hundred.
When its battalions were formed and
numbered
Then up came an order—
For which no one had blundered :
“Forward, the cow brigade !
Take the country !’’ the milkmen said;
And the state of Oregon wondered.
Mountains to the right ofthem,
Ocean to the left of them,
Yamhill hehind them,
Battled and thundered!
Nobly they labored and well
Their trials, who can tell,
Tillamook's noble four hundred !
Two decades, two decades, onward '
Have marched Tillamook’s four hundred!
Grassy vales ot rich perfume,
Jerseys deep in clover bloom.
Victories of the four hundred,
Phalanxes true, of unlessing numbers.
They have obeyed the orders—
For which no one blundered
Forward has gone the cow brigade.
Taken the country, the milkmen have,
And the state of Oregon wonders.
Creameries to the nght of them '
Creameries to the left of them I
Creameries behind them!
Fire checks by tne hundreds
Ear beyond Polk'/hop abortions,
Or Yamhill’s cereal clods,
Marches the cow brignde—Tillamook *
four hundred !
Bv a T illamook G ranges .