Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-11-30
Donation Lands
Held by Entrymen
(By Welborn Beeson.)

irrigation committee | have prepared
this data bearing on the early irriga-
tion and its effects on the early and
permanent settlement of this valley.
My source of information is Engineer
j. 5. Howard's library, storehouse
of exact historical data.
The valley lands were nearly all
taken from the government under the
donation land claim law, law faith
cred by Senator Thomas H. Benton
of Missouri. The object of this law
was to secure American settlement
of the Oregon territory and hold it
to the United States against Eng
land. Under that law each man or
woman coming into the Oregon terri
tory prior to the year 1850 was given
800 acres of land for settling on it.
A man and wife got $40 acres, the
wife getting the improved portion of
the claim. In 1850 the size of the
claims was reduced one-half, man
and wife getting 800 acres.
Eight 64O-Acre Claims.
The records in Mr.. Howards Of
flee show there were eight 640-acre
claims and $50 of reduced acreage
claims taken in this valley.
OF the 25S donation land claims,
about fifty had some water for irri-
CATION. OF the eight 64O-acre claims
two had some water.
From the best information I can
get | believe there are portions of
about thirty of these 25S donation
land claims still held by the entry
men or their heirs r. V. Beal of
Central Point is, believe, the only
one OF them now owning and living
on his claim, w. F. Songer and John
S. Herrin of Ashland being the only
other living claimants. Several
wives of claimants are yet living.
or the thirty claims, portions of
which are still held in the families
of the original owners, twenty-three
have irrigation and seven are not ir-
rigated.
Irrigated Tracts Kept.
OF the eight 64O-acre claims, the
two having irrigation, the Colver
claims at Phoenix are the only ones
any portion of which is held by the
families fakinp fhan,
In every claim held in the family
it is the irrigation or bottom or sub
irrigated portion that is retained.
In every instance of the thirty
families holding their donation land
claims they were livestock men.
The prime value and use of water
was and is the production of forage
for livestock.
Nearly every bank in the valley
has a number of some one of these
families on its board of directors or
among its stockholders. | submit
these facts without comment.
1 believe the Klamath river basin
is the logical source of supply of
water for the fall irrigation of this
valley.
Names of Claim Owners.
The names of the thirty claimants |
still holding their claims are:
Eli X. Anderson (equity only.
Robert V. Beall, Thomas F. Beall, |
Hugh F. Barron, John Beeson, Henry
Chapman, Samuel Culver (Phoenix) |
n. c. Dean, Patrick ]. Dunn, Emer-
son E. Gore, Robert B. Hargadine, |
Abel D. Helman (Ashland), James
Hamlin, T. Linkswiler, John Muir
ply, w. Cortez Myer, John O'Brien,
J. ]. Fryor Eagle Point), John Rob-
ison, William F. Songer, Samuel G. |
Van Dyke, Minus Walker. Giles
Wells, Nicholas Young, Theodoric
Cameron.
Fred Barneburg, Jacob Ish, John /
S. Herren (their claims we're taken
by their brothers and are not in the
record in their names.)
Gwin s. Butler (by his father).
Mr.. Butler was perhaps the first
child born on a farm in this valley.
The first born were in Jacksonville. /
Nearly All Stockmen.
Cameron, Herren and Butler trad
ed their dry claims for watered lands
that they yet own.
The above names have never been |
off the tax rolls of Jackson county. |
There are a few others also.
Add about the same number of
names of first purchasers and you
will have nearly all the old names of |
the valley and nearly all the irrigated |
and sub-irrigated lands, and list
also of the stockmen of the valley:
Bybee, Hanley, Pelton, Chorner, Can
trell, Clnehammer, Phipps, Mean
drew, Helms, Gordon, Pankey, Jack
son, Farnham, Lynch, Kincaid, Gin
kaid, Nichols. Rapp. Afford.
Notice.
The Union Missionary Society will