Lot Whitcomb (1807–1857) was an American commercial entrepreneur and politician who established the city of

Milwaukie, Oregon Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city ...

. After making a fortune milling and shipping lumber and timber for California gold miners, Whitcomb launched the first steamship in 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 ...

.Ralph Friedman, ''In Search of Western Oregon.'' Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers, 1990; pp. 433–434.

Biography

Early years

Lot Whitcomb was born in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

on April 24, 1807.Howard McKinley Corning (ed.), ''Dictionary of Oregon History.''

956 Year 956 ( CMLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Summer – Emperor Constantine VII appoints Nikephoros Phokas to commander of the ...

Second Edition. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1989; pg. 263. He married the former Irene Chamberlain in 1828, and together they would have four children, all daughters. Around 1830 Whitcomb moved to

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, where he began work as a contractor.Eugene E. Snyder, ''Early Portland: Stump-Town Triumphant: Rival Townsites on the Willamette, 1831-1854.'' Portland, OR: Binford & Mort, 1951; pg. 56. He subsequently moved to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, where he served a term in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

. In the spring of 1847 Whitcomb and his family were part of a party of 13 families leaving Illinois for

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in order to take the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...

to the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

, a location which was then receiving considerable attention in the contemporary press.Snyder, ''Early Portland: Stump-Town Triumphant,'' pg. 57. This group met up with others seeking to pioneer in Oregon and a massive train of 114 animal-drawn wagons ensued. The party reached

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 ...

in November 1847, where Whitcomb would remain for the rest of the year.Snyder, ''Early Portland: Stump-Town Triumphant,'' pg. 58.

Establishment of Milwaukie

Early in 1848 Whitcomb made a

donation land claim The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Preem ...

and made use of parts brought with him on the journey to establish a water-powered sawmill at the confluence of Johnson Creek with 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 ...

. On his claim he platted the town of Milwaukie in 1848. In the summer of 1848 news that gold had been discovered in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

made its way to the Willamette Valley and an exodus of fortune-seekers from Oregon ensued.Snyder, ''Early Portland: Stump-Town Triumphant,'' pg. 59. Whitcomb decided that a surer path to fortune lay with the manufacture and supply of lumber to the boomtowns of Northern California, however, and he built a

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, the ''Milwaukie,'' and bought a

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

, the ''Forest,'' to carry lumber and other goods to markets in California. Whitcomb's mill turned out 6,000 board feet of rough 3-inch planks every day in two 12-hour shifts — material which brought $300 per thousand board feet in San Francisco, triple the prevailing price in Oregon.Snyder, ''Early Portland: Stump-Town Triumphant,'' pg. 61. Whitcomb's fortunes were further enhanced by a flood during the winter of 1849–50, in which many of his competitors in the lumber industry saw their mills washed away or badly damaged by floodwaters. Whitcomb similarly enriched himself with establishment of a flour mill, with which he was able to provide flour to miners at extremely profitable prices. The milling and shipping business proved lucrative and other ships were added to Whitcomb's fleet, including the barks ''Louisville,'' ''Ocean Bird,'' and ''Keoka,'' all added by 1851.Snyder, ''Early Portland: Stump-Town Triumphant,'' pg. 62. Whitcomb used some of his profits to launch a newspaper, the ''Western Star,'' based in Milwaukie.Charles H. Carey, ''General History of Oregon Through Early Statehood''

922 __NOTOC__ Year 922 ( CMXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Summer – Battle of Constantinople: Emperor Romanos I sends Byza ...

Second Edition. Portland, OR: Binfords & Mort, 1971; pg. 486. This paper would be moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

In 1851 and its name changed to the ''Oregon Weekly Times.''

Steamship operator

In the same year he started his newspaper, Whitcomb built his steamship, '' Lot Whitcomb''. John C. Ainsworth captained the vessel, which was long and had side wheels that were in diameter.Carey, 'General History of Oregon Through Early Statehood,'' pg. 741.

Jacob Kamm Jacob Kamm (12 December 1823 – 16 December 1912) was a prominent early transportation businessman in Oregon, USA. Early life Kamm was born on 12 December 1823, in Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. His family migrated to America when he was 8 to ...

, who installed the steamship's machinery, was the engineer. Whitcomb, in a ''Western Star'' editorial on November 21, 1850, promoted the steamboat, meant for "river navigation between Oregon City and Pacific City, touching at every point where there is business."Carey, 'General History of Oregon Through Early Statehood,'' pp. 651–652. After the ship was launched, it made regular trips between

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 Astoria, at the mouth of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. However, river

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

s between Milwaukie and Portland made the latter more accessible to large vessels, and Portland soon won the competition for sea-going commerce. Whitcomb sold the ship to an Oregon City group, which in turn sold it to the

California Steam Navigation Company The California Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1854 to consolidate competing steamship companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. It was successful in this effort and established a profitable near-m ...

in 1853 for use on the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...

Political career

Whitcomb's other activities included a term (1852–53) as

Clackamas County Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...

representative to the House chamber of the

Oregon Territorial Legislature Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Representati ...

. He served as

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

at Milwaukie from 1851 through 1857.

Death and legacy

Lot Whitcomb died March 31, 1857. He was 49 years old at the time of his death. After their deaths, Lot and Irene Whitcomb were buried in the private Whitcomb cemetery in Milwaukie but were later moved to River View Cemetery in Portland. Lot Whitcomb Elementary School in Milwaukie is named after Whitcomb. In Oregon City, Lot Whitcomb Drive bears his name.

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

1594, ''SS Lot Whitcomb'', was also named after him.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitcomb, Lot 1807 births 1857 deaths 19th-century American politicians American businesspeople in shipping Burials at River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon) Businesspeople from Oregon Businesspeople from Vermont Members of the Illinois House of Representatives Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature Oregon pioneers People from Milwaukie, Oregon 19th-century American businesspeople