John Minto IV (October 10, 1822 – February 25, 1915) was an American

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 dev ...

born in

Wylam Wylam is a village and civil parish in the county of Northumberland. It is located about west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is famous for the being the birthplace of George Stephenson, one of the early railway pioneers. George Stephenson's Birth ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was a prominent sheep farmer 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 ...

and a four-time

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

representative in the state legislature. Minto also volunteered for the militia during the

Cayuse War The Cayuse War was an armed conflict that took place in the Northwestern United States from 1847 to 1855 between the Cayuse people of the region and the United States Government and local American settlers. Caused in part by the influx of disease ...

and years later helped locate Minto and Santiam passes through the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

east of

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 ...

Early life

His father, John Minto III, was a coal miner and a gunsmith in England, with family roots tracing back to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. His siblings were Margaret, Mary, William, Jane, Annie, Robert, Isabell, and Sarah. The Minto family immigrated to the United States in 1840, sailing on the ship ''Rocious'' which arrived in New York City on June 26, 1840. In 1848 part of the family immigrated to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, including the father. The father died in 1855 on a ship while traveling to Oregon to meet his son. The younger Minto began working at age eight and until 22 worked in the coal mines. In 1844 Minto left

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and moved to Oregon, crossing the plains with the Gilliam company. This was after deciding not to go to Iowa when he reached

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. Instead he went to

Saint Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which inclu ...

to head for

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 ...

. On this journey he would meet his future wife, and traveled with future Oregon politician

Nathaniel Ford Nathaniel Ford (c. 1795 – January 9, 1870) was an American politician and Oregon pioneer during the time of the Oregon Territory. A native of Missouri, he worked as a sheriff in that state before moving to the Oregon Country where he was select ...

and later general, during the Cayuse Wars,

Cornelius Gilliam Cornelius Gilliam (April 13, 1798 – March 24, 1848) was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon who was best known as the commander of the volunteer forces against the Cayuse in the Cayuse War. A native of North Carolina, he served in the Black ...

in the same party.

Oregon

Minto arrived in Oregon City on October 18, 1844. In early 1845 went to

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 ...

to drive the cattle of Captain R.W. Morrison 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, ...

, Morrison being part of the group that Minto had emigrated with. Prior to this journey, Minto had traveled to

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 the ...

to get assistance from Doctor

John McLoughlin John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, (October 19, 1784 – September 3, 1857) was a French-Canadian, later American, Chief Factor and Superintendent of the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver fro ...

of 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 div ...

. However, doctor McLoughlin was out and they first dealt with James Douglas, McLoughlin’s later replacement as Chief Factor. Douglas put Minto and company up for the night, and the next day McLoughlin gave Minto some provisions for the journey to The Dalles and a boat to use. Once in The Dalles, Minto assisted the other travelers in his party who had been stranded there due to winter, and drove the cattle to the Willamette Valley. He married July 8, 1847 to Miss Martha Ann Morrison, the daughter of Captain Morrison. Martha was born December 17, 1831 in

Montgomery County, Missouri Montgomery County is a County (United States), county in the east central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 11,322. Its county seat is Montgomery City, Missouri, Montgomery C ...

. The couple had eight children together: John Wilson, Mary, Robert, William Jasper, Irwin, Douglas, Harry Percy, and May. May died as an infant and only three survived their long-lived father. In Oregon, Minto began working for

Peter H. Burnett Peter Hardeman Burnett (November 15, 1807May 17, 1895) was an American politician who served as the first elected California interim government, 1846–1850#Interim governors, Governor of California from December 20, 1849, to January 9, 1851. Bur ...

making cedar rails, before logging for a sawmill. Then in 1845 he purchased the original

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

claim at Mission Bottom from David Carter, and began farming. He then sold that property and took up a donation land claim south of Salem where he set up orchards and began sheep farming. Minto became a prominent sheep farmer and was selected as the secretary for the state agricultural society. He purchased the island property that bears his name (at ) in 1867 and put it to use in agriculture. During the

that started after the

Whitman Massacre The Whitman massacre (also known as the Walla Walla massacre and referred to as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu by the National Park Service) was the killing of the Washington missionaries Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa, along with eleven others, ...

in 1847, Minto joined the volunteer army of pioneers that went east to battle the Native Americans. Then following the discovery of gold 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 ...

, he traveled south and spent a season in the gold mines before returning with some gold to use in financing his agricultural enterprise.

Political career

John Minto was a member of the Republican Party. In 1862, he was elected to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

to serve Marion County. He won additional terms in the House in 1868, 1880, and 1890. He later served on the State Board of Horticulture after appointment by Governor

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

Later years

In 1873, John Minto was appointed by the county to determine if there was a pass through the Cascades east of Salem as had been rumored by accounts of trappers. Minto located the pass, which was named after him, and supervised the construction of a trail. Then, from information he received from John B. Waldo of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Santiam Pass Santiam is a place name of the U.S. state of Oregon, referring to the indigenous Santiam people. It may refer to: * Santiam Academy * Santiam Hospital * Santiam Junction, Oregon * Santiam Junction State Airport * Santiam Pass Santiam is a place nam ...

. Part of the group for this survey was Captain L. S. Scott, who had been in charge of

Fort Hoskins Fort Hoskins was one of three "forts" (which were actually unfortified posts) built by the U.S. Army to monitor the Coastal Indian Reservation in Oregon Territory (later the U.S. State of Oregon) in the mid- 19th century. The Fort Hoskins Site is ...

during part of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The Oregon Pacific Railroad began construction over the pass, but encountered financial difficulties and was never completed. The western approach to Minto Pass is now Forest Service Trail #3471, which connects with the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

a east via a difficult trail. The area is now contained in the

Mount Jefferson Wilderness The Mount Jefferson Wilderness is a wilderness area located on and around Mount Jefferson in the central Cascade Range of Oregon in the United States. The wilderness lies within the Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest. The wi ...

. John Minto died in Salem on February 25, 1915, at the age of 92. He was buried at

Salem Pioneer Cemetery Salem Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the I.O.O.F. Cemetery or Oddfellows Cemetery) is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States. Overview Salem Pioneer Cemetery is one of two historic cemeteries located next to each other at the intersection ...

. Minto-Brown Island Park in Salem is partly on Minto's former farm.Minto-Brown Island Park.
City of Salem. Retrieved on March 14, 2008.

Works authored

* The Number and Condition of the Native Race in Oregon When First Seen by White Men, ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'' (1900) * * *

References

External links

Reminiscences of Earliest Salem by John Minto
from salemhistory.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Minto, John Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Salem, Oregon Oregon Country Oregon Trail 1822 births 1915 deaths Oregon pioneers People from Wylam Ranchers from Oregon 19th-century American politicians