William Overton was a
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
of the
Oregon Country in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
region of
North America. In the mid-1840s he purchased the land claim, along with
Asa Lovejoy, for the site which would become
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
. Overton sold his share shortly thereafter to
Francis Pettygrove
Francis William Pettygrove (1812 – October 5, 1887) was a pioneer and one of the founders of the cities of Portland, Oregon, and Port Townsend, Washington. Born in Maine, he re-located to the Oregon Country in 1843 to establish a store in ...
.
Background
According to historian
Harvey W. Scott, who published a comprehensive history of Portland in 1890,
little was known about Overton. It was generally agreed that he originated from
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and settled in
Oregon City, possibly arriving with
Joseph Gale
Joseph Goff Gale (April 29, 1807 – December 13, 1881) was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country. There he assisted in the construction of the first sailing vesse ...
by way of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, though he spent his first months in Oregon, from November 1, 1841 to the early part of 1842, working at the Methodist mission at
The Dalles
The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...
.
Overton was described by
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 ...
as a "desperate, rollicking fellow."
[ He and Lovejoy visited a site along 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 ...
between present-day Jefferson and Washington streets while traveling from Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of th ...
to Oregon City by canoe in 1843 or 1844. The site had been previously cleared of trees, perhaps by natives
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
, and had become a popular stopping point for those traveling the Willamette. It was generally agreed that a large city would be established somewhere in the vicinity of the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.[ Overton wanted to make a claim on the land, but prevailed upon Lovejoy to record the claim of , and the two men set about clearing more trees and building habitable dwellings.][ Overton's cabin was open in the front—effectively a shed. The original Portland plat was 16 blocks, laid out in 1845.
]
Disappearance and aftermath
Overton "drove staves and shingles" on the site, and sold them at Oregon City. He offered to sell his share to Jimmie Stephens, a cooper, for 300 barrels, but Stephens declined. Lovejoy and Pettygrove were considering plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...
ting a city on the site.Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, upon hearing that his mother was ill and living there, and was never heard from again. It was rumored that he was hanged in Texas,[ although records indicate he may have ended up in ]Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
.
Overton Street in Northwest Portland
Northwest Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon, United States.
Northwest Portland includes the Pearl District, most of Old Town Chinatown, the Northwest District, and various residential and industrial neighborhoods. A range of ...
is named after him.
See also
* History of Portland, Oregon
The history of the city of Portland, Oregon, began in 1843 when business partners William Overton and Asa Lovejoy filed to claim land on the west bank of the Willamette River in Oregon Country. In 1845 the name of Portland was chosen for this com ...
* List of people who disappeared
References
External links
William Overton
The Oregon Encyclopedia
The ''Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' is a collaborative encyclopedia focused on the history and culture of the U.S. state of Oregon.
Description
The encyclopedia is a project of Portland State University's History Department, thOreg ...
website (Last accessed 7 December 2019)
* Leah Sottile
"One History Sleuth’s Radical Theory: Everything We Know About How Portland Began Is Wrong"
''Portland Monthly
''Portland Monthly'' (also referred to as ''Portland Monthly Magazine'') is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers food, politics, business, design, events and culture in Portland, Oregon. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 b ...
'', first published 19 May 2016 (Last accessed 7 December 2019)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, William
1840s missing person cases
19th-century American people
Missing person cases in Oregon
Oregon pioneers
People from Portland, Oregon
People from Tennessee