Philip Foster (January 29, 1805 – March 17, 1884) was one of the first settlers in
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, United States. The farmstead he established in
Eagle Creek in 1847 became a stopping post for
pioneers heading west along the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and 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 is now the state of Kans ...
. Approximately 10,000 emigrants are believed to have passed through. The farm was listed on 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 ...
in 1980.
Early life
Foster was a successful businessman from
Argyle, Maine
Argyle is an unorganized territory (township) in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 255 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the unorganized territory has a total area of 26.7 s ...
. In the early 19th century he, like many others, headed west, recognizing the prospects of business in the
Oregon Country. In 1842, the Fosters and
Francis William Pettygrove's family (Foster's wife, Mary Charlotte, was Pettygrove's sister) sailed from New York for Oregon on the ship ''Victoria'', an A.G. & A.W. Benson vessel via the
Sandwich Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...
(Hawaii). They were delayed on the Sandwich Islands for six months before heading on 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 eas ...
, arriving in
Oregon City in 1843.
Oregon
In Oregon City on 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 ...
Foster and Pettygrove established a general store. The two-story building served both as a store and a home for the Foster family. Foster subsequently formed many partnerships, including establishing a
flour mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...
with Dr.
John McLoughlin. In 1844, Foster became the second treasurer of the
provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
in the Oregon Country.
In 1845,
Sam Barlow was unwilling to pay 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 di ...
bateaux
A bateau or batteau is a shallow-draft, flat-bottomed boat which was used extensively across North America, especially in the colonial period and in the fur trade. It was traditionally pointed at both ends but came in a wide variety of sizes. ...
to float down the dangerous
Columbia River, so he, his family, and the rest of their
wagon train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
searched for another route around
Mount Hood. Joined by subsequent wagon trains, Barlow,
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 ...
and emigrant Lock scouted for routes around the mountain. Palmer spotted possible passage from the heights of Mount Hood. Barlow with fellow traveler
William H. Rector set out to blaze a trail, but they became lost on the mountain. After being rescued by local Indians and cattle drovers, Barlow met Foster at his Oregon City store where Barlow bought provisions and hired oxen to rescue his snowbound party.
Foster became Barlow's business partner in building the Mount Hood Toll Road (now known as the
Barlow Road
The Barlow Road (at inception, Mount Hood Road) is a historic road in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was built in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster, with authorization of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon, and served as the la ...
) in 1846, which became the last leg of the overland Oregon Trail to Oregon City. Philip Foster moved his family from Oregon City and settled along the toll road, where he had a store, cabins for rent, orchards, gardens, and pastures for grazing stock. The Fosters received thousands of wagons and guests. At the sometimes overcrowded rest stop known as "Foster's Place" or "Foster's Ranch," some travelers paid to sleep on the family's parlor floor. The family also provided home-cooked meals for the emigrants. Charging whatever they could, the Fosters thrived. Foster also established various facilities at his residence including blacksmith services, a designated cabin for housing overnight customers, as well as a thriving general store.
Philip Foster Farm has been preserved and is now open to visitors. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Philip Foster died Monday, March 17, 1884, of a heart attack at his home in Eagle Creek in the doorway of the kitchen, th
Philip Foster Farm Mary-Charlotte died in 1880 of
typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
.
References
Further reading
* Joel Palmer's diary;
Oregon Historical Society archives, Philip Foster Collection.
External links
The Final Leg of the Trailfrom the End of The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Philip Foster FarmOfficial Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Philip
1805 births
1884 deaths
19th-century American businesspeople
Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon
Oregon pioneers
People from Penobscot County, Maine
People from Oregon City, Oregon