Land « Pacific Northwest Photoblog Pacific Northwest Photoblog

Westport Oregon History

This Oregon History sign is in a rather odd location. Instead of being near it’s subject, it’s on bluffs overlooking the actual location. You can see the modern version of the sawmill that is mentioned in the sign, but not the town itself.

This view is from Bradley State Scenic Viewpoint off of Highway 30, about 26 miles east of Astoria. The state of Washington is on the left, the state of Oregon on the right, divided by the Columbia River. In the lower right hand corner is the Georgia Pacific Wauna Mill, beyond that is the town of Westport.

“Captain” John West was a self-made man. A native of Scotland, he settled on the lower Columbia River near this spot in the early 1850′s after trying to his luck in the goldfields of California. West built and operated sawmills, ran a general store and post office, built and managed a salmon cannery, developed and improved canning machinery and exported lumber. He also exported canned salmon around the globe and left his name on both a large seafood processor and distributor and on Westport, the Oregon community four miles east, upriver.

“Born in 1809, John West immigrated to Quebec where he married and started a family while apprenticing as a millwright. In 1849, he left his family and job to search for gold in the California. A year later, with little gold to show for his efforts, he arrived in Astoria and went to work using his knowledge and skills as a millwright.

“In 1853, West and his wife Margaret took up a 640-acre Donation Land Claim along the lower Columbia River upon which he soon began construction of a water-powered sawmill. West built a steam-powered sawmill in the early 1860′s and by 1868 he was exporting lumber to Australia. During these years the community of Westport grew up around John West’s sawmill on his Donation Land Claim.

“The West family sold the mill in the early 1900s. The Wesport Lumber Company continued production there until February 1956, when it became uneconomical to operate the mill due to a scarcity of logs of sufficient size.

“John West also exported salmon from as early as 1857. The first fish West processed were salted, packed in barrels, then shipped to California, where they were loaded on sailing ships and sent around Cape Horn to East Coast ports, and then on to Great Britain. In 1868, West entered into partnership with several others to found the Westport Cannery, the first on the Oregon shore of the Columbia River. The cannery packed 22,000 cases of salmon during the 1873 season and in October of that year won a gold medal from the Oregon Agricultural Society. Salmon canning peaked in the 1880′s with 39 canneries in 1883, supported by 1,700 commercial fishing boats along the Columbia River.

“West invented an automated can-filling machine and was the first on the lower Columbia River to make use of salmon waste for oil and fishmeal by-products. He also experimented with canning beef, mutton, and blackberries to keep the machinery and workers busy during the salmon off season. West’s brand label for canned foods lives on today as John West Foods Ltd. of Liverpool, England. As a subsidiary of the H. J. Heinz Company, it sells canned fish, fruit, vegetables, and meat all over the world.

“Captain” John West died in 1888 at age 79 and is buried in the West family plot at the Westport Cemetery.”

Beyond the canned food company, and the town, “Captain” John’s influence can still be seen. The remains of a logging tunnel that he had built in the 1880′s. It was widened for steam engines in 1907, but fell into disuse by 1915.

Westport’s other claim to fame is the Oregon landing site of the only ferry to still cross the lower Columbia River. Walter Coates brought the first ferry boat to the area, on June 25, 1925. Before that travel across the river was on a wooden barge that could only handle one vehicle at a time. The Ferry is now partially owned by the State of Washington.

Danford Balch Homesite and “Witches Castle”

In Northwest Portland just Northwest of where the Lewis and Clark Exposition was held is Danford Balch’s Homesite (or as the sign in the park says “Lower Macleay Park.”) This area has had been the source of some major news items over the years.

As this history sign notes, this piece of land was owned by Danford Balch was hanged for the murder of his (against his wishes,) son-in-law and neighbor, Mortimer Stump on October 17, 1859. Danford, his wife Mary Jane, and their nine children emigrated from Ohio, then Iowa in 1847. Legally the Balch’s took out a claim in 1850, but as Oregon was not technically a State yet and the land claim process was in somewhat of a mess, they most likely had already filed a claim in 1847 or 1848 for this same piece of land in the Territorial Government’s records.

This same uncertainty over who had the power to grant and enforce land claims led to Oregon’s first murder by Nimrod O’Kelly.

The Balch’s lived here with only some minor feuding between themselves and the nearby Stump family until 1857 or 1858. It’s recorded that Danford was a bit of a drunk and this most likely led to the feud. The Stump’s oldest son Mortimer fell in love with the Balch’s oldest daughter Anna. Another version of the story says that the Stumps had a homestead in Vancouver Washington and Mortimer was a hired hand. My guess is that Mortimer himself owned the land in Vancouver, while his parents owned the land adjacent to the Balchs. What is known for sure is that Anna eloped with Mortimer on November 4th, 1858 and moved with him to Vancouver.

On November 18th, 1858 at the Stark Street Ferry, Danford chanced upon members of the Stump family including Mortimer. His drinking had increased and in a fit of rage he “accidentally” shot and killed Mortimer by simultaneously discharging both barrels of his shot gun. He was disarmed and jailed to be held until the spring for trial.

In that day, Judges were actually nomadic. They would spend a few days in each city dealing with issues as needed. This allowed those who would be witnesses in cases to continue living at home and being able to work on their farms. On a more practical note for the Territorial Government and later the State and Federal Governments, it saved money as the Judges would call upon prominent locals to house them while they were in the neighborhood. They were frequently reimbursed for this service but for many years it was cheaper and better for everyone involved then to have a central justice system. During this time there were also some issues with Judges resigning and the position being unfilled for months at a time. This led to long periods between trials and in some cases even the start and finish of the trial.

As Mortimer’s trial date and the Judge drew nearer, he managed to escape the jail he was in. Being built of wood, coupled with Oregon’s especially rainy weather during the winter of 1858-1859, the wood had rotted enough for him to easily break out. Instead of fleeing the State he hid out on his own land until he was recaptured on July 23, 1859. He was no doubt housed in the new prison that the City of Portland had recently completed.

At this point another interesting Portland character comes into the story, James Lappeus, who was arguably Portland’s first Chief of Police, but also a cooked saloon owner. Rumors abound that Lappeus offered to leave the door to Balch’s cell unlocked, in exchange for $1000. While the rumor was never substantiated, several people note that she did start trying to raise money really quickly. Unfortunately she was not able to raise the money in time, and Balch was hung on October 17, 1859 in front of a crowd of 500 people. This marked the first legal public execution in the Oregon Territory.

on to part two

Pacific Northwest Photoblog

Travel Photos and History from the Pacific Northwest

Land

Westport Oregon History

Share this:

Danford Balch Homesite and “Witches Castle”

Share this: