Joseph P. Gaston (November 14, 1833July 20, 1913) was an American railroad executive, journalist, and historian based in Oregon. He is remembered as the namesake of
Gaston, Oregon
Gaston is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located between Forest Grove to the north and Yamhill to the south, the city straddles Oregon Route 47 and borders the Tualatin River. Named after railroad executive Joseph Gaston, ...
, the
Joseph Gaston House, and the
Gaston-Strong House. Gaston was the first president of the
Oregon Central Railroad
The Oregon Central Rail Road was the name of two railroad companies in the U.S. state of Oregon, each of which claimed federal land grants that had been assigned to the state in 1866 to assist in building a line from Portland south into California. ...
and an outspoken opponent of railroad executive
Ben Holladay. He authored the three-volume ''Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders'' and the four-volume ''The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811 to 1911''.
Early life and relatives
Gaston was born in
St. Clairsville, Ohio, in 1833 to parents Joseph Gaston and Nancy Fowler. He was raised in the home of his maternal grandmother, Jean Fowler. He worked on the family farm, attending school during winter sessions. When he was 16, he began teaching school and later worked in a saw mill.
Gaston's grand-uncle,
William Gaston
William J. Gaston (September 19, 1778 – January 23, 1844) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston is the author of the official state song of North Carolina, "The Old North State". Gaston County, North Carolin ...
, had been chief justice of the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
of North Carolina and founder of
Gaston, North Carolina
Gaston is a town in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,152 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Gaston School was listed on the N ...
. His cousin,
William Gaston
William J. Gaston (September 19, 1778 – January 23, 1844) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston is the author of the official state song of North Carolina, "The Old North State". Gaston County, North Carolin ...
, served as
Governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces.
Massachusetts ...
.
[
]
Law practice
Gaston read law
Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...
in St. Clairsville, and in 1856 he was admitted to practice in the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. He immigrated to Oregon in 1862 and practiced law in Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
. Congress had enacted the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 The Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 were a series of acts of Congress that promoted the construction of a "transcontinental railroad" (the Pacific Railroad) in the United States through authorizing the issuance of government bonds and the grants of ...
, and Gaston became interested in surveying the route of rail traffic north from the California border.
At this time Gaston also served as editor of Jacksonville's '' Oregon Sentinel'', a newspaper founded by William G. T'Vault.
Oregon and Central Railroad
In 1863 the California and Columbia River Railroad, a company founded in Marysville, California
Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counted ...
, sent surveyors north to map a route from Marysville to Portland. A dispute regarding both the route and its financing erupted between surveyors Simon G. Elliott and George H. Beldon, and the survey party disbanded in Jacksonville. Gaston agreed to continue the survey and hired Beldon and A. C. Barry to complete the route from Jacksonville north to Portland. As a result of the Barry survey, Congress enacted the Oregon and California Railroad Act in the mid-1860s that allowed the Oregon Legislature to award land grants and subsidies to a railroad that could complete the work. The Oregon Central Railroad
The Oregon Central Rail Road was the name of two railroad companies in the U.S. state of Oregon, each of which claimed federal land grants that had been assigned to the state in 1866 to assist in building a line from Portland south into California. ...
was formed by Gaston, Jesse Applegate
Jesse Applegate (July 5, 1811 – April 22, 1888) was an American pioneer who led a large group of settlers along the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country. He was an influential member of the early government of Oregon, and helped establish the ...
, Joel Palmer
General Joel Palmer (October 4, 1810 – June 9, 1881) was an American pioneer of the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in Canada, and spent his early years in New York and Pennsylvania before serving ...
, William S. Ladd
William Sargent Ladd (October 10, 1826 – January 6, 1893) was an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He twice served as Portland, Oregon's mayor in the 1850s. A native of Vermont, he was a prominent figure in the early developme ...
, and other investors for this purpose.
Barry's route followed the west side of Oregon's Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
, but it was not the only proposed route. Gaston became involved in a lengthy dispute with Simon Elliott and Ben Holladay, railroad builders who favored an east Willamette Valley route, and Holladay eventually gained control of the federal land grants. Later, Gaston tried unsuccessfully to obtain a separate land grant from Congress, and he was eventually forced to sell his interest in the railroad to Holladay.[
During this time, Gaston also served as editor of the '']Statesman Journal
The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...
'' in Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...
. From 1874 to 1875, he served as editor the '' Portland Daily Bulletin'', and it is not known whether Gaston's interest in journalism was to promote his railroad plans.
left, Gaston as depicted on the frontispiece of his ''Portland, Oregon: Its History...''
Gaston, Oregon
In 1875 Gaston bought a farm in Washington County, Oregon
Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Wa ...
. He drained Wapato Lake Wapato can mean:
* Any of various plants in the genus ''Sagittaria''
* Wapato, Washington, a town named after the plant in the State of Washington in the United States
* USS ''Wapato'' (YTB-788), a United States Navy tug in service from 1966 to 1 ...
to reclaim 1000 acres of farmland, donating land for both a school and a church to the surrounding community. The town was named Gaston
Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to:
People
First name
*Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315)
*Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343)
*Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391)
*Gaston ...
in his honor. He returned to Portland in 1896.
Histories
In the 1890s, Gaston began working on two major works of history and biography. His writing was not always unbiased, especially in the case of railroad executive Ben Holladay. He published the massive '' Portland, Oregon: Its History and Builders'' in 1911 and '' The Centennial History of Oregon'' in 1912.[
]
Death
Gaston sold his house and moved to Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
, in 1913 in a hope that the health of his daughter Mary would improve. He became ill and died unexpectedly soon after the journey.[
]
See also
*Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands
The Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands (commonly known as O&C Lands), are approximately of land located in eighteen counties of western Oregon. Originally granted to the Oregon & California Railroad to build a railroad between Portl ...
References
Further reading
* " The Author" (bio from ''Centennial History of Oregon'', Vol. I)
Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders, Vol. 1 (S.J. Clarke, 1911)
Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders, Vol. 2 (S.J. Clarke, 1911)
The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912 - Vol. 1 (S.J. Clarke, 1911)
* The Story of the Shasta Route, ''Pacific Monthly
''The Pacific Monthly'' was a magazine of politics, culture, literature, and opinion, published in Portland, Oregon, United States from 1898 to 1911, when it was purchased by Southern Pacific Railroad and merged with its magazine, '' Sunset''. ' ...
'', 1907.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaston, Joseph
1833 births
1913 deaths
19th-century American railroad executives
History of transportation in Oregon
Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon
19th-century American newspaper editors
Journalists from Oregon
Historians of the Pacific Northwest
Burials in Oregon
People from St. Clairsville, Ohio
Oregon lawyers
Ohio lawyers
Writers from Portland, Oregon
Journalists from Ohio
American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American lawyers