The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-12-08
The FIRST Permanent Settlement of 90
guile Valley.
Coauille CITY Herald.


Hermann landed on the Coquille river
with the first arrivals of the Baltimore
colony. Being at once enraptured with
the dense and unbroken forests of splen-
did timber stretching from the head
waters to the sea; with the placid and
lnirror-like tide water ebbing and flow
ing for fifty miles; and then with the
fertile soil and pasture country, the
latter extending from upper tide water
in luxuriant grassy prairies almost to
Port Oxford, he concluded to make per-
manent settlement and to end the rest
Of his days in this beautiful valley.
He returned to Baltimore city in the
following spring of 1859. In few
weeks large number Of business men
with their families prepared to return
with him, and forsaking the comforts
and gayeties of city life to encounter
the privations and stern realities Of
forest life in Oregon.
On the 10th day of May, 1859, they
all arrived in San Francisco on the
steamer ssUncle Sam" from New York
and on May 23d landed at Port Oxford.
What follows we are permitted to
quote from an old letter written by DIR.
Hermann himself over "a years ago,
and being written by himself and in
the midst of the scenes which it de-
scribes, can be relied on rs authentic
and to be valued as a part Of our earli-
est history:
"You may imagine when an emf
grant family arrives here late in the
season and settles on claim thickly
timbered, with no other improvements
bat small board house l0xl6, and on
| ly three 'fourths of an acre cleared, and
then the expected arrival of more fami
lies in October, and all to live under
one roof, and to provide for the neces
sary comforts and means of subsist-
ence for all of them that you can ther
believe there is no end of work. Ir
this position was / placed with my fam
lily, when We came hele."
CATER landing at Port Oxford May
| %, QS59) we engaged the teams te
bring the families, baggage and pro
visions along the beach of the Pacific
ocean to the mouth Of the Coquille riv
er, while I started Immediately ovel
the mountains, 45 miles distant, to the
river and sent back horses to Port Or
ford to pack in part Of my goods for i'm
immediate use; then procured two boats
on tide water, five miles below m,
place; went down the river Sc miles tx
the mouth and arrived at midnight be
fore the families had arrived from Por
Oxford. This circultous route by lane
and water I made in three days.
found the whole party in tho best O
spirits, though some of the ladies ant
children had their faces blistered ant
sunburnt, the effects both of north ives
wind and the sun by travelling on th
beach.
"When we got all the families, bag
gage and indispensables in the boats
we rowed up the beautiful Coquill
river, favored with the finest of wealth
er, the evergreen trees, the grass,
; banks, the placid waters, all combining
to create i'll us the most joyous enthu-
siasm, with this our introduction t.
our pioneer home. The first night W
landed at Myrtle Grove farm, then bu
recently settled by "Doc" Lowe, VIII
l was then encampsd in company with hi
brother "Pate." Here we were cor
daily welcomed by the kind families c
the Messrs. Lowe. and Hospitality er
3 tertained at their forest camp. Start
ing tho following day we should hav
reach ed our destination, and arrived i
: the best of humor, had it not been b
e death from drowning of one of Nj
: Schroeder's son, (William). This maj
red all future enjoyment Of the tril
: now SO near its ending, and cast
gloom and grief over the whole part,
all showing deep-felt sympathy.
: "The two boats had become sepa
rated, and the one from which the acc
; dent happened, was mile behind W
had landed to take dinner at Cunnin
o hams cabin, and ere awaiting the al
:, rival of the other boat. / was stan
g ing on the lookout, uneasy with for
g boiling that some sad accident migl
- have caused the long delay, for I kne
;. that none of the party managing Il
If boat had any experience in boating.
"You may imagine my feelings whe
g I saw the boat nearing the shore al
my son Binger lying apparently lifsle
: and stretched out in the boat. I sot
. heard the whole sad story. The bo