Francis Fletcher
Encyclopedia
Francis Fletcher was a prominent pioneer
of the U.S. state
of Oregon
and a member of the Peoria Party
.
Born in Allerston
, Yorkshire
, England
, he immigrated with his parents, William and Mary Fletcher and four brothers, to Nassagaweya Township, Ontario
, Canada
in 1825. Moving as a young man to Peoria, Illinois
he joined the Oregon Dragoons and traveled overland on what was to become the Oregon Trail
, arriving in the Willamette Valley
of Oregon in 1840. There he took a Donation Land Claim
along the Yamhill River
adjacent to his lifelong friend and fellow dragoon Amos Cook. On May 2, 1843 Cook and Fletcher were among the settlers present at Champoeg, Oregon
who voted to create the Provisional Government of Oregon
, the first American government west of the Rocky Mountains
.
In 1843 he married Miss Elizabeth Smith who had arrived in the Willamette Valley earlier that year after crossing the Oregon Trail with her parents, Andrew and Polly Smith. The Fletchers raised eight children. Fletcher volunteered for service in the Cayuse War
of 1848 and was on the first board of trustees of Willamette University
. He died on his farm near Dayton, Oregon
. His house in Dayton is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and a member of the Peoria Party
Peoria Party
The Peoria Party was a group of men from Peoria in the U.S. state of Illinois, who set out on May 1, 1839 with the intention to colonize the Oregon Country on behalf of the United States and drive out the English fur trading companies operating there...
.
Born in Allerston
Allerston
Allerston is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about five miles east of Pickering. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 309.There is a village church, St Mary's....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he immigrated with his parents, William and Mary Fletcher and four brothers, to Nassagaweya Township, Ontario
Nassagaweya Township, Ontario
Nassagaweya Township is a geographic township and former municipality in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada.The township was created in 1819, its name derived from the Mississauga word nazhesahgewayyong, meaning 'river with two outlets.' This refers to the fact that watercourses in the township drain...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1825. Moving as a young man to Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
he joined the Oregon Dragoons and traveled overland on what was to become the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
, arriving in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
of Oregon in 1840. There he took a Donation Land Claim
Donation Land Claim Act
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...
along the Yamhill River
Yamhill River
The Yamhill River is an tributary of the Willamette River, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the South Yamhill River and the North Yamhill River about east of McMinnville, it drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...
adjacent to his lifelong friend and fellow dragoon Amos Cook. On May 2, 1843 Cook and Fletcher were among the settlers present at Champoeg, Oregon
Champoeg, Oregon
Champoeg is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the Willamette Valley in the early 1840s. It is positioned halfway between Oregon City and Salem and the site of the first provisional government of the Oregon Country...
who voted to create the Provisional Government of Oregon
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
, the first American government west of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
.
In 1843 he married Miss Elizabeth Smith who had arrived in the Willamette Valley earlier that year after crossing the Oregon Trail with her parents, Andrew and Polly Smith. The Fletchers raised eight children. Fletcher volunteered for service in the Cayuse War
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 Euro-American settlers...
of 1848 and was on the first board of trustees of Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
. He died on his farm near Dayton, Oregon
Dayton, Oregon
Dayton is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. As of July 2007 its estimated population was 2,495.-History:...
. His house in Dayton is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.