Chauncey Nye (1823–1900) was a pioneer of the
U.S. state of
Oregon who was best known as the first person to publish an account about
Crater Lake.
Biography
Born in Michigan in 1823 to Nathan Nye, he accompanied his brother Nathan B. Nye (1831–1913) to Logtown, (Presently, El Dorado)
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...
in 1849 or early 1850, during the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
to work claims in that area. By 1852, Nathan had arrived in a pioneer party in Oregon, and Chauncey may have come with him. It's certain Chauncey was in Oregon by 1860 where he is listed, age 37, in
Jackson County.
He is known as the first person to publish an account about Crater Lake:
In 1862, Chauncey Nye and his party of prospectors also came upon the lake. Nye wrote the first published article about the lake, stating "the waters were of a deeply blue color causing us to name it Blue Lake."
By 1870, Chauncey had given up hunting gold and settled down on a farm with his wife Amarantha, who was born about 1834 in Illinois or Michigan. The family lived for at least thirty years at Flounce Rock, Jackson County, Oregon. Their children were Etta (1867), Nelson (1871), and Elsie Amarantha (1879). In 1882, Chauncey completed his
homestead at Township 33S Range 2 East.
He is buried next to his wife at Nye Cemetery in Jackson County.
Legacy
Nye Spring and Nye Ditch are both named for him.
References
History of Crater Lake by the Park Service*1870, 1880 and 1900 US Census, online at www.ancestry.com
Death Certificate (extract) of Nathan Nye
External links
Nye DitchRoad Surveyors of Jackson Co, OR
1823 births
1900 deaths
People from Jackson County, Oregon
Oregon pioneers
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