Early Settlers of Oakridge Oregon

Year Settled

Notes

Name

Josiah Sanford James Sanford Richmond Sanford Lucinda Sanford Israel Gray Theresa Orr SP Brock Janet Smiley Brock Jessie Brock Daisey Lee Gray Jasper Hills Rose Irene Fields Orr This page is currently under construction - please check back for more information and stories of the early settlers in Oakridge, then stop in to the Museum

1860 1860 1860 1880 1880 1883 1886 1886 1887 1890 1908 1930

father, cattle man cattle man,wealthy, determined, businessman cattle man, never married mother, married Thomas Orr Sgt. Major Civil War wife of Israel Gray Brock Cabin  for Trappers - Aufderheide Youngest survivor of the Lost Wagon Train "Beamer Ranch" is Jessie's Bonnie Brae daughter of Theresa and Israel Farmer, Logger house on hwy 58 still stands - boarded up

Did You Know.... Josiah Sanford and his two sons originally settled down in the valley at "Eugene City" But they headed for the hills when they  heard the country had gone to war. Do you know what war?

picture of the "little gun" can fill in this space

The Lost Wagon Train came through the hills East of Oakridge and the people on that train survived over 2 months in the cold snowy mountains while  some of the leaders walked into Eugene for help. Click here for more details... add a link to a page on the Lost Wagon Train

The "Little Gun"  (now lives in the museum) Written by Retta S Olsen 3-22-1959 Transcribed by Del Spencer August 2006 This is the history of this little gun as I recall it.  Mary Susana Hills was born in 1852 at Grandpa Bristow's farm in Pleasant Hill, and lived at Jasper with her parents Cornelius Hills and Soponia Briggs Hills till young womanhood years. She married William F. Smith who crossed the plains with Judge Billings of Monmouth. They lived at Natron, as it was called when the railroad came to Natron, but the little gun was hers before that.  I cannot recall just when she first got it out. I can recall her telling me about the Indians demanding something to eat, and she scared them off with the gun and a White Bull Dog that she had. Years later when she was married to my father and was living on his part of his father's donation land claim, that was later called Natron, a hobo came and demanded something to eat and I slipped into the house and got the little gun and gave it to her and she took it and told the man to leave or she would shoot him. So he left. After she passed on in 1927, the gun came to me, which I am now leaving to the Museum at Oakridge.

The next time you are in the Museum, look for this "little gun" proudly shown in our Historical Guns and Tools Display Case.