Peter Grant Stewart (September 6, 1809 – August 27, 1900) was a jeweler and pioneer of 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 what later became the U.S. states 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 ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. A native of New York state, he traveled 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

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, ...

and settled first 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 later in what became Washington. He was served on the Second Executive Committee of the

Provisional Government of Oregon 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, a ...

, and his homesite became part of Fort Canby 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 ...

Early life

Peter G. Stewart was born in

Stamford, New York Stamford is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 2,000 at the 2020 census. The town is in the eastern part of the county and has a village called Stamford. Geography The northeastern town line is the border o ...

, on September 6, 1809. Then in 1817, he moved to

Jefferson, New York Jefferson is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The town is on the southwestern border of the county and is east of Oneonta. History The town was first settled around 1793 by New ...

, then to

Middleburgh, New York Middleburgh is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,515 at the 2000 census. The Town of Middleburgh contains a village called Middleburgh. The town is on the county's eastern border and is west of Albany. ...

, and then in 1840 to

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

. During this time Stewart worked as jeweler and watchmaker, and married Rebecca Rawlings Cason on September 1, 1842, in

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 ...

. Cason was born in 1826 in

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 ...

Oregon Trail

On May 22, 1843, the Stewart party left

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

with two wagons in the " Great Migration" of that year. The Stewart party included his new wife and his in-laws traveled as they traveled over the

. On the journey Stewart is credited with helping fellow immigrant

James W. Nesmith James Willis Nesmith (July 23, 1820 – June 17, 1885) was an American politician and lawyer from Oregon. Born in New Brunswick to American parents, he grew up in New Hampshire and Maine. A Democrat, he moved to Oregon Country in 1843 where he ...

with rescuing William Vaughn from drowning while crossing the

Kaw River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwesternmost part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwesternmost portion of the extensive Mississippi River dr ...

. Also in this wagon train were other prominent people of the era. This includes Doctor

Marcus Whitman Marcus Whitman (September 4, 1802 – November 29, 1847) was an American physician and missionary. In 1836, Marcus Whitman led an overland party by wagon to the West. He and his wife, Narcissa, along with Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife, E ...

from the mission near

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

and

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 ...

who would soon open the

Applegate Trail The Applegate Trail was an emigrant trail through the present-day U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon used in the mid-19th century by emigrants on the American frontier. It was originally intended as a less dangerous alternative ...

with his brothers.Oregon State Library
Additionally, along the journey the party encountered Lieutenant

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, who was on a surveying mission.

Oregon Country

Stewart arrived in the Oregon Country in 1843. After a short time in Oregon, Stewart volunteered to help rescue 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 ...

wagon train in 1845. In 1850 while living 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 ...

, Stewart purchased part of the townsite of Pacific City in what was then Lewis County from

Elijah White Dr. Elijah White (1806–1879) was a missionary and agent for the United States government in Oregon Country during the mid-19th century. A trained physician from New York State, he first traveled to Oregon as part of the Methodist Mission in t ...

. There he built an "iron house" and saw mill at this site near the entrance of the

to the Pacific Ocean and Cape Disappointment, near the present-day

Ilwaco, Washington Ilwaco ( ) is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 936 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1890, the city was home to the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company along the Long Beach Peninsula, with its core economy ba ...

. By 1853 he was part owner of the Pacific Steam Saw Mill Company at that site. Later in 1853 the United States government took the property to use as a light house, and to use as military installation, Fort Canby. At that time the government did not pay Stewart as he only had

squatter's rights Adverse possession, sometimes colloquially described as "squatter's rights", is a legal principle in the Anglo-American common law under which a person who does not have legal title to a piece of property—usually land ( real property)—may ...

to the land, but later at the age of 82 he petitioned the state of

who then sent a memorial to Congress to ask the Federal Government to appropriate funds for Stewart's benefit. Oregon then did the same, and Oregon Senator

John H. Mitchell John Hipple Mitchell, also known as John Mitchell Hipple, John H. Mitchell, or J. H. Mitchell (June 22, 1835December 8, 1905) was an American lawyer, politician, and convicted criminal. He served as a Republican United States Senator from Oregon ...

introduced a bill to pay Stewart for the property in 1891. In 1899 Peter Stewart was then paid $7,500 for the loss of his property by the United States government. After Pacific City, he returned to the jewelry and watch making business. Stewart plied this trade 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 ...

from 1854 to 1860. Then in 1861 he moved to

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 ...

where he and his business were burned out in 1862 and again in 1873. In between fires, Peter Stewart's wife died in 1863, and he then remarried in 1872 to Eliza Rosecrans. Years later Peter Stewart moved to

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

where he died August 27, 1900, at the age of 90.

Government

In May 1844, Stewart was elected by the pioneer settlers to the Second Executive Committee of the

. He received 140 votes to finish second in the voting and receive one of the three positions along with

Osborne Russell Osborne Russell (19 June 1814 – 1 May 1884) was a mountain man and politician who helped form the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Maine. Early life Osborne Russell was born 19 June 1814, in the village of Bowdoinha ...

and

William J. Bailey William J. Bailey (January 13, 1807 – February 5, 1876) was a British-born physician who migrated to the United States, where he became a pioneer and politician in the Oregon Country, particularly the Willamette Valley. Bailey participated in the ...

. Peter Stewart served on the Executive Committee from May 25, 1844 to July 14, 1845. This committee was then replaced with a single executive and

George Abernethy George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American sta ...

was elected as governor.Oregon State Archives: Governor's Records Guides
/ref> He was then chosen to be the first judge for the District Court of

Clackamas County, Oregon 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 ...

. Then in 1853 he served as surveyor for the community of Pacific City. Lastly, from 1870 to 1879 Stewart served as city recorder for the town of Gervais in the

French Prairie French Prairie is located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem. It was named for some of the earliest settlers of that part of the Oregon Country, Fr ...

Family

Stewart's first wife Rebecca's parents were Fendal Carr Cason, a member 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 ...

, and Rebecca Holladay Cason. Oregon's first territorial recorder, John Long, was Stewart's brother-in-law. Peter fathered nine children, all by his first wife: Nellie, Margaret, Frederick, James, Katherine, Charles, Catherine, Mary, and George. Catherine died on the journey over the Oregon Trail and Nellie, born in 1863, was the youngest.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Peter G. Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Oregon Trail 1809 births 1900 deaths Oregon pioneers People from Stamford, New York People from Gervais, Oregon People from Ilwaco, Washington