John Minto (Oregon pioneer)
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John Minto IV (October 10, 1822 - February 25, 1915) was an American pioneer born in Wylam, England. He was a prominent sheep farmer in the U.S. state of Oregon and later a representative in the state legislature.
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[edit] Early life
His father, John Minto III, was a coalminer and a gunsmith in England, with family roots tracing back to Scotland.[1] His siblings were Margaret, Mary, William, Jane, Annie, Robert, Isabell, and Sarah. The Minto family immigrated to the United States in 1840, sailing on the ship Rocious.[2] They arrived at New York on June 26, 1840, landing at Ellis Island.[2] In 1848 part of the family immigrated to Iowa, including the father. The father died in 1855 on a ship while traveling to Oregon to meet his son.[1]
The younger Minto began working at age eight and until 22 worked in the coal mines. In 1844 Minto left Pittsburgh and moved to Oregon, crossing the plains with the Gilliam company. This was after deciding not to go to Iowa when he reached St. Louis. Instead he went to Saint Joseph, Missouri to head for Oregon Country.[1] On this journey he would meet his future wife, and traveled with future Oregon politician Nathaniel Ford and later general during the Cayuse Wars Cornelius Gilliam in the same party.[2]
[edit] Oregon
Arrived in Oregon City on October 18, 1844. In early 1845 went to The Dalles to drive the cattle of Captain R.W. Morrison to the Willamette Valley, Morrison being part of the group that Minto had emigrated with.[1] Prior to this journey, Minto had traveled to Fort Vancouver to get assistance from Doctor John McLoughlin of the Hudson's Bay Company.[2] However, the doctor was out and they first dealt with James Douglas, McLoughlin’s later replacement as Chief Factor.[2] Douglas put Minto and company up for the night, and the next day McLoughlin gave Minto some provisions for the journey to The Dalles and a boat to use.[2] Once in The Dalles, Minto assisted the other travelers in his party who had been stranded there due to winter, and drove the cattle to the Willamette Valley.[2]
He married July 8, 1847 to Miss Martha Ann Morrison, the daughter of Captain Morrison. Martha was born December 17, 1831 in Montgomery County, Missouri. The couple had eight children together: John Wilson, Mary, Robert, William Jasper, Irwin, Douglas, Harry Percy, and May. May died as an infant.[1]
In Oregon, Minto began working for Peter Burnett making cedar rails, before logging for a sawmill. Then in 1845 he purchased the original Methodist Mission claim at Mission Bottom from David Carter, and began farming.[2] He then sold that property and took up a donation land claim four miles south of Salem where he set up orchards and began sheep farming. Minto became a prominent sheep farmer and was selected as the secretary for the state agricultural society. He purchased the island property that bears his name in 1867 and put it to use in agriculture.[1] During the Cayuse War that started after the Whitman Massacre in 1847, Minto joined the volunteer army of pioneers that went east to battle the Native Americans.[2] Then following the discovery of gold in California, he traveled south and spent a season in the gold mines before returning with some gold to use in financing his agricultural enterprise.[2]
In 1873, John Minto was appointed by the county to determine if there was a pass through the Cascades east of Salem as had been rumored by accounts of trappers. Minto located the pass, which was named after him, and overlooked the construction of a trail.[3] Then, from information he received from John B. Waldo of the Oregon Supreme Court, Minto surveyed a lower pass seven miles further south in 1882, now known as Santiam Pass.[4] Part of the group for this survey was Captain L.S. Scott, who had been in charge of Fort Hoskins during part of the American Civil War|Civil War]].[2] A railroad was subsequently built through Santiam Pass to Eastern Oregon.[1] The western approach to Minto Pass is now Forest Service Trail #3471,[5] which connects with the Pacific Crest Trail a 0.4 miles east via a difficult trail.[6] The area is contained in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
[edit] Politics
John Minto was a Republican and was elected to the state house in 1862, 1868, 1880, and 1890. He later served on the State Board of Horticulture of Oregon after appointment by Governor Lord.[1]
[edit] See also
- Minto-Brown Island Park, park in Salem, Oregon partly on Minto's former farm [1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h (1903) Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Chapman Publishing Company: Chicago. 247-251.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lowe, Beverly Elizabeth (1980). John Minto: Man of Courage. Kingston Price and Company.
- ^ Minto Pass is about 5150 feet located at .
- ^ Katherine Wallig:Reminiscences of Earliest Salem by John Minto (1822–1915). Retrieved on March 7, 2007.
- ^ Minto Pass Trail #3437. Willamette National Forest. Retrieved on March 7, 2007.
- ^ Minto Pass Tie Trail — Trail #4015. Willamette National Forest. Retrieved on March 7, 2007.
[edit] External links
Reminiscences of Earliest Salem by John Minto from salemhistory.net
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Pioneer History of Oregon (1806–1890) |
|---|---|
| Topics |
Oregon Country · Oregon Treaty · Oregon missionaries · Executive Committee · Oregon Trail · Oregon boundary dispute · Pacific Fur Company · Provisional Government of Oregon · Hudson's Bay Company |
| Events |
Treaty of 1818 · Russo-American Treaty · Champoeg Meetings · Whitman massacre · Donation Land Claim Act |
| Places |
Fort Astoria · Oregon Mission · Fort Vancouver · Champoeg, Oregon · Fort William · Barlow Road · Whitman Mission |
| People |
George Abernethy · Sam Barlow · Tabitha Brown · Abigail Scott Duniway · Philip Foster · Peter French · Joseph Gale · William Gilpin · David Hill · Jason Lee · Asa Lovejoy · John McLoughlin · Joseph Meek · Ezra Meeker · John Minto · Joel Palmer · Sager orphans · Henry H. Spalding · Marcus Whitman · Narcissa Whitman · Ewing Young |
| Oregon History |
Native Peoples History · History to 1806 · Pioneer History · Modern History |
