James B. Stephens (November 9, 1806 – March 22, 1889) was a

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. A

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

by trade, he operated one of the first ferries across the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

at what was East Portland, Oregon. His father was the first burial at Portland's Lone Fir Cemetery. A native of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, he was the founder of East Portland and Stephens Street in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

is named in his honor.

Early life

James Stephens was born on November 9, 1806, in

Brooke County, Virginia Brooke County is a county in the Northern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,559. Its county seat is Wellsburg. The county was created in 1797 from part of Ohio County and named in honor ...

(later West Virginia) to Emmor Stephens.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 234. When he was eight, his family moved to a farm in the Indiana Territory. He learned the cooper trade, and practiced for several years in Indiana and in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. James married Elizabeth Walker in 1830 while living in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. They would have seven children, of whom they would outlive all but one. He established a farm and a grocery store before moving to the

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

in 1844, where he settled near what is now

Oregon

Elizabeth Stephens, 1889 lithograph (cropped)

He started a cooper shop in

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

and got his barrel-making stock from William Overton, one of the founders of Portland. Stephens refused Overton's offer to sell him his Portland land claim for 300 new salmon barrels because he planned to bid for another claim, which he secured in 1845 and on which East Portland was founded. East Portland was also known as Stephens' Addition. In 1846 he made 1000 flour barrels and 400 salmon barrels for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

, and in 1847 he made 400 beef barrels for shipment to the Sandwich Islands. In East Portland he operated the first ferry, located near the present location of the Morrison Bridge.Sullivan, Ann. Four historical commemorative plaques to be replaced in Waterfront Park. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', March 9, 1989. It began operations in 1846, and was the first ferry in what became Multnomah County (it was part of

Twality District The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected settler government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its formation had been advanced at the Champoeg Meetings since February 17, 1841, an ...

at that time). 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 ...

, Stephens sold his land and headed south to the gold fields. He returned in 1850 and purchased land in what is now Southeast Portland from

John McLoughlin John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, (October 19, 1784 – September 3, 1857) was a French-Canadian, later American, Chief Factor and Superintendent of the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver fro ...

.Barnett, Erin Hoover. Southeast Portland, revisited. ''

'', May 27, 2007. Stephens laid out the town from the Willamette River to East First Street, and from Glisan Street to Hawthorne Street. Dividing his land into town lots, which he offered to settlers on their own terms, Stephens was said to materially aiding the development of the east side of the river. The Stark Street Ferry across the Willamette River began operating in 1853. In 1855, he helped organize the

Pacific Telegraph Company The Pacific Telegraph Company was one of the organizations responsible for constructing the telegraph line which resulted in the first transcontinental telegraph network in the United States. The company built the section of line between Julesbu ...

. Stephens expanded East Portland in 1861 and opened the East Portland Savings and Loan Bank. In 1862, he donated the land for the construction of the Oregon Hospital for the Insane in East Portland. The bank, which was at First and Oak streets, closed in 1873. Stephens operated a ferry across the

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

for 17 years.

Cemetery

James’ father Emmor died in 1846 and was buried on the family land in East Portland.Terry, John. Oregon’s Trails: Past luminaries at peace all across Oregon’s landscape. ''

'', May 25, 2003. When Stephens sold the land to Colburn Barrell in 1854, he required Barrell to maintain the grave site. On April 8, 1854, Barrell’s ship '' Gazelle'' exploded and killed his partner and several others, all buried next to Emmor Stephens. Barrell then created Mt. Crawford Cemetery on , which became Lone Fir Cemetery after 1866 when more had been added to the grounds of the cemetery. Stephens and his wife Elizabeth are buried at the cemetery.

Legacy

James B. Stephens died on March 22, 1889, at the age of 82. The liberty ship '' SS James B. Stephens'' was named for him. The

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

-listed James B. Stephens House is one of the oldest houses in Portland. Stephens Street in Portland is named for him.

References

External links

East Portland 1874
from

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preser ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, James B. 1806 births 1889 deaths Oregon City, Oregon People from Brooke County, West Virginia Oregon pioneers