Thomas Dove Keizur (his name is incorrectly spelled Keizer, Keiser, Kaizur, Kaiser, Keysur, Keyser, Kizer, or Kisor in various documents) was one of the earliest American pioneers to settle in 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 1843, he led his large family from
Missouri to
Oregon over the
Oregon Trail. He homesteaded in Oregon's
Willamette Valley in an area north of modern-day
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 ...
. Keizur was one of eight citizens elected to serve on Oregon's third pre-provisional legislative committee which helped lay the foundation for the establishment of the
Oregon Territory. He was also the first captain of the
Oregon Rangers
The Oregon Rangers was the first organized militia of the white settlers located in the Willamette Valley in the contested region of the Oregon Country, later the U.S. state of Oregon. First established in 1844, the force was never called out to ...
, the first militia unit organized in Oregon. Today, the city of
Keizer, Oregon, is named in his honor.
Early life
Keizur was born on 20 November 1793 in
Buncombe County, North Carolina. His parents were George A. and Mary (Dove) Keisur.
[McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Keizer", ''Oregon Geographic Names'' (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 526.]["The Trail to Oregon"](_blank)
''They Lived Along a Rocky River'', WordPress, San Francisco, California, posted 14 March 2014; accessed 18 February 2018. Keizur married Mary Girley in 1812. Together, they had ten children, five boys and five girls.
[Lossner, Ann]
"Keizer’s First Families, Part 1: The Keizurs and Pughs"
''Keiser Times'', Keizer, Oregon, 30 May 1980 (article reprinted from the book, ''Looking Back People and Places in the Early Keizer Area'' with the permission of its author, pp. 5–7).
In 1828, the Keizurs moved from North Carolina to
Giles County, Tennessee
Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,346. Its county seat is Pulaski.
History
Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, a Senator from Virginia who sponsored the ...
. Five years later, he moved further west to
Van Buren County, Arkansas.
["T. D. Keizur Statue"](_blank)
City of Keizer, Keizur, Oregon, accessed 15 February 2018.[Wild, Tammy]
''Keizer''
Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2015, pp. 10–11.
In 1842, the Keizur family traveled to Missouri hoping to join an emigrant wagon train bound for the Oregon County. However, they arrived too late to start crossing the continent with that year's migration. As a result, the family spent a year in Missouri waiting for the 1843 wagon train to form up.
Oregon Trail
Keizur and his family left
Independence, Missouri, for Oregon on 20 May 1843. On the journey to Oregon, Keisur was joined by his wife, five sons, five daughters, two sons-in-law, eight grandchildren, and a brother of one of his sons-in-law.
["1843 The Oregon Trail"](_blank)
''New Perspectives on the West'', Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland, Oregon, accessed 18 February 2018.
There were over one hundred wagons and approximately 900 pioneers traveling west to Oregon in 1843. In addition, the pioneers brought a herd of 5,000 cattle that followed as the wagons moved along the trail. The trek was guided by
Marcus Whitman, who was returning to his mission station on 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 ...
.
[Hanson, T. J.]
"1843 Emigrants"
''Oregon Country, The Story of the 1843 Oregon Trail Migration'', Inkwater Press, Portland, Oregon, 2006. To prevent over grazing along the route the pioneers divided into smaller traveling groups. The Keizurs joined what became known as the
Applegate party, which traveled slowly with the cattle herd. Along the trail, Keiser became an active leader among the emigrants.
[Thompson, G. N.]
"Early Days Recalled, Story of Keizer Real Saga of the West"
''Statesman Journal'', Salem, Oregon 14 November 1929, p. 6.[Thompson, G. N.]
"New School at Keiser Recalls Early History of the Community"
''Statesman Journal'', Salem, Oregon 15 September 1940, p. 10.
The Keizurs covered over on the Oregon Trail. First, their wagon train followed the
Platte River and then headed north to
Fort Laramie in
Wyoming. From there, they followed the
North Platte River and the
Sweetwater River before crossing the
continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
at
South Pass in central Wyoming. Once on the west side of the continental divide, the wagon train headed for
Fort Bridger and then turned north to
Fort Hall
Fort Hall was a fort in the western United States that was built in 1834 as a fur trading post by Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth. It was located on the Snake River in the eastern Oregon Country, now part of present-day Bannock County in southeastern Ida ...
. From there, the party followed the
Snake River
The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...
and then the Columbia River to the Willamette Valley.
It took six months for the Keizurs and their fellow emigrants to cross the continent.
Oregon pioneer
The Keizur family arrived in the Willamette Valley in mid-November. They spent the winter in temporary quarters on the west bank of the Willamette River across from the
Methodist mission station at Mill Creek which had been established by
Jason Lee. In the spring of 1844, the family re-crossed the river and established a number claims on the west bank. The Keizur family land claims were north of the mission. In total, the adult members of the Keizur family claimed of farm land along the Willamette River.
["Donation Land Claim"](_blank)
City of Keizer, Keizer, Oregon, accessed 15 February 2018.
Thomas Keizur himself claimed . He filed his claim under the provisional government's original land act. His property was bordered on the west by the Willamette River. To the north his land ended at Cummings Lane, a road that was built by the Keizur family. The eastern boundary was River Road and then Cheery Avenue heading south to what is today Salem Industrial Drive. The southern boundary ran from the junction of Cheery Avenue and Salem Industrial Drive west to the river. After Oregon became a
United States territory, Keizur refiled his claim in accordance with the
Donation Land Claim Act of 1850.
In 1844, Keizur was one of eight citizens elected to the Oregon Country's third pre-provisional legislative committee. He was one of the three representatives from the Champoeg district. This was the first legislative body in the Oregon Country selected in a regular election. Members of the two previous legislative committees were selected at open public meetings. The committee met twice. Both sessions were held 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 ...
. The first meeting was at the home of
Felix Hathaway from 18 to 27 June 1844. The second meeting took place at the home of Doctor
John E. Long
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
from 16 to 21 December the same year. These meetings helped lay the foundation for the establishment of the
Oregon Territory.
[Carey, Charles H.]
"Under Provisional Government"
''General History of Oregon'', Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, Portland, Oregon, 1922, p. 389.[Scott, H. W.]
"The Formation and Administration of the Provisional Government of Oregon"
''The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society'' (Volume II, Number 2), Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, June 1901, pp. 109–110.[Brown, James Henry]
''Brown's Political History of Oregon''
Lewis and Dryden Printing Company, Portland, Oregon, 1892, pp. 127–130.
In 1844, a dispute between settlers and a local Indian lead to several deaths at
Willamette Falls near
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 ...
. After the deaths, a citizens committee of Willamette Valley residents met on 9 March 1844 to discuss forming a militia. The committee was chaired by W. H. Wilson with Keizur serving as the meeting secretary. The committee approved formation of a mounted rifle company to protect settlers. As a result, a militia company of 25 men, known as the Oregon Rangers, was organized. Keizur was elected captain of the company. Keizur was duly commissioned by the executive committee of Oregon's provisional government. This was the first military unit authorized and formed in the Oregon Country. The company met several times for training, but was not called into action.
[Carey, Charles H.]
"Indian Relations"
''General History of Oregon'', Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, Portland, Oregon, 1922, p. 542.
In 1846, a special citizens meeting was held at the farm of
Daniel Waldo
Daniel Waldo (September 10, 1762 – July 30, 1864) was an American clergyman. Born in Windham, Connecticut, Waldo served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a missionary and clergyman. In 1856, at the age of 94, Waldo was nam ...
to discuss the need for a militia company. Keizur was elected chairman of the meeting. Attendees voted reestablish the Oregon Rangers mounted rifle company.
Charles Bennett was appointed captain of the company. After the meeting, 45 attendees volunteered to serve in the company. Keizur signed the meeting minute which were published in the ''Oregon Spectator'' newspaper.
During the 1851–1852 session of the
Oregon Territorial Legislature Keizur and two other citizen were appointed to a commission tasked with determining the route of a territorial road between
Lafayette in
Yamhill County
Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe.
Yamhill Cou ...
to Salem in
Marion County. It appears that Keizur was unable to participate in the commission since records show that another citizen ended up serving in his place. When the proposed route was finally announced in 1853, Keizur and other Marion County residents signed a petition against building the road along the proposed route. As a result of the protest, the road was not built.
Keizur's wife, Mary, died in 1853.
Keizur died on 19 June 1871 in Marion County, Oregon. He was 78 years old at the time of his death.
[Lynn, Capi]
"Keizer History Tour"
''Statesman Journal'', Salem, Oregon, 2 August 2017.
Legacy
Keizur's service in the 1844 pre-territorial legislature helped lay the groundwork for Oregon's territorial government and eventual statehood.
When he was elected captain of the Oregon Rangers, he became the state's first militia commander and thus the founding leader of what is today the
Oregon National Guard
The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsib ...
.
The Keiser post office was established in 1948, as a Salem delivery station.
On 2 November 1982, the city of Keizer was incorporated and named in honor of Thomas D. Keizur. At the time, the city's population was 19,650. The city continues to grow. As of 2016, the estimated population of Keizer was 38,980.
Quick Facts, United States Census Bureau, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed 19 February 2018.
In 2010, a large bronze statue of Keizur on horseback was installed at the Keizer Civic Center. The statue honors Keizur for his service in pre-territorial legislature and as commander of the state's first military organization. It also recognized him as the founding father of the city of Keizer.
References
External links
Oregon Legislative GuideCity of Keizer—T. D. Keizur Statue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keizur, Thomas D.
1793 births
1871 deaths
Oregon pioneers
Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon
American city founders
People from Keizer, Oregon
People from Buncombe County, North Carolina
Farmers from Oregon