Lone Fir Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Lone Fir Cemetery in the southeast section of Portland, Oregon
, United States
is a cemetery
owned and maintained by Metro
, a regional government entity. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, the first burial was in 1846 with the cemetery established in 1855. Lone Fir has over 25,000 burials spread over more than 30 acres (121,405.8 m²).
sold the family farm to Colburn Barrell with the caveat that Barrell maintain the gravesite. The following year Barrell’s steamboat the Gazelle
, exploded near Oregon City
killing a passenger and Barrell’s business partner Crawford Dobbins. Barrel then set up a cemetery by setting aside 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) and burying the casualties of the explosion at the site of Emmor Stephens, calling it Mt. Crawford. Plots at the cemetery were then sold for $10 with 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) additional being added to Lone Fir by 1866. That year Barrel offered to sell the cemetery to the city of Portland for $4,000, but the city declined and instead Barrell sold it to a group of investors. Those investors then re-named the cemetery to Lone Fir as there was only a single fir tree at the site.
In 1903, a $3,500 memorial to the soldiers of the Indian Wars, Mexican-American War, the American Civil War
, and the Spanish-American War
was built at the cemetery. The Soldier’s Monument was paid for by donations by over 500 citizens. Then in 1928 Multnomah County
took over control and maintenance of Lone Fir. In 1947 the county paved part of the cemetery and later constructed a building on the site. This was the location of many Chinese graves, which were removed the next year. In 2004 it was discovered that more graves likely remained at the site. In 2005 city leaders proposed removing the government building that was constructed over the graves of these Chinese immigrants and re-connecting that portion with the main cemetery; it was removed in August 2007. In January 2007 Metro took over control of this section of the cemetery after a transfer from the county. On August 16, 2007, the cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Currently the cemetery is located between Stark Street on the north and Morrison Street to the south, with Southeast 20th Avenue bounding on the west and Southeast 26th on the east. Lone Fir covers 30.5 acres (123,429.2 m²) and has over 25,000 graves, with over 10,000 of those unknown due to poor maintenance. It is home to the Pioneer Rose Garden.
The cemetery is the final resting place for several of the former mayors of the city, as well as other politicians and famous citizens.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
owned and maintained by Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
, a regional government entity. Listed 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...
, the first burial was in 1846 with the cemetery established in 1855. Lone Fir has over 25,000 burials spread over more than 30 acres (121,405.8 m²).
History
Lone Fir’s first burial came in 1846 when Emmor Stephens was buried several miles east of the small community of Portland. In 1854 Emmor’s son James B. StephensJames B. Stephens
James B. Stephens was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon. A cooper by trade, he operated one of the first ferries across the Willamette River at what was East Portland, Oregon. His father was the first burial at Portland's Lone Fir Cemetery...
sold the family farm to Colburn Barrell with the caveat that Barrell maintain the gravesite. The following year Barrell’s steamboat the Gazelle
Gazelle (sidewheeler 1854)
Gazelle was an early sidewheeler on the Willamette River in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. She did not operate long, suffering a catastrophic boiler explosion less than a month after her trial voyage.-Design and construction:...
, exploded near Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
killing a passenger and Barrell’s business partner Crawford Dobbins. Barrel then set up a cemetery by setting aside 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) and burying the casualties of the explosion at the site of Emmor Stephens, calling it Mt. Crawford. Plots at the cemetery were then sold for $10 with 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) additional being added to Lone Fir by 1866. That year Barrel offered to sell the cemetery to the city of Portland for $4,000, but the city declined and instead Barrell sold it to a group of investors. Those investors then re-named the cemetery to Lone Fir as there was only a single fir tree at the site.
In 1903, a $3,500 memorial to the soldiers of the Indian Wars, Mexican-American War, the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
was built at the cemetery. The Soldier’s Monument was paid for by donations by over 500 citizens. Then in 1928 Multnomah County
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
took over control and maintenance of Lone Fir. In 1947 the county paved part of the cemetery and later constructed a building on the site. This was the location of many Chinese graves, which were removed the next year. In 2004 it was discovered that more graves likely remained at the site. In 2005 city leaders proposed removing the government building that was constructed over the graves of these Chinese immigrants and re-connecting that portion with the main cemetery; it was removed in August 2007. In January 2007 Metro took over control of this section of the cemetery after a transfer from the county. On August 16, 2007, the cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Currently the cemetery is located between Stark Street on the north and Morrison Street to the south, with Southeast 20th Avenue bounding on the west and Southeast 26th on the east. Lone Fir covers 30.5 acres (123,429.2 m²) and has over 25,000 graves, with over 10,000 of those unknown due to poor maintenance. It is home to the Pioneer Rose Garden.
Notable burials
- J. A. Chapman, Mayor of Portland
- William Williams Chapman (1808–1892), U.S. Representative from Iowa TerritoryIowa TerritoryThe Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
- George Edward ColeGeorge Edward ColeGeorge Edward Cole was a Delegate from the Territory of Washington.Born in Trenton , Oneida County, New York, Cole attended the public schools and Hobart Hall Institute....
(1826–1906), postmaster of Portland, Territorial Governor of Washington - George Law CurryGeorge Law CurryGeorge Law Curry was a United States political figure and newspaper publisher predominately in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he published a newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri, before traveling the Oregon Trail to the unorganized Oregon Country...
(1820–1878), Governor of Oregon TerritoryOregon TerritoryThe Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
and U.S. Senator - Thomas J. DryerThomas J. DryerThomas Jefferson Dryer was a newspaper publisher, Freemason, mountain climber, and politician in the Western United States.He was born on January 10, 1808, in Ulster County, New York. Dryer founded the Weekly Oregonian, which has survived as the daily Oregonian, and served as its publisher...
(1808–1879), first editor of The OregonianThe OregonianThe Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850... - Melvin Clark GeorgeMelvin Clark GeorgeMelvin Clark George was a U.S. Representative from Oregon.-Early life:He was born near Caldwell, Ohio to Presley and Mahala Nickerson George. He moved with his parents over the Oregon Trail in 1851 and settled on a homestead near Lebanon in Linn County, Oregon...
(1849–1933), U.S. Representative - J.C. HawthorneJames C. HawthorneDr. James C. Hawthorne was an American physician and politician in the states of California and Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he was the founder of the Oregon Hospital for the Insane in East Portland, Oregon...
, founder of Oregon Hospital for the Insane - Frederick Van Voorhies HolmanFrederick Van Voorhies HolmanFrederick Van Voorhies Holman was a prominent lawyer and civic leader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Legal counsel for the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company and other businesses, he was active in Democratic Party politics and in...
, attorney and city promoter - Harry LaneHarry LaneHarry Lane was an American physician and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he worked as the head of the state insane asylum before entering local politics and served as mayor of Portland...
(1855–1917), Mayor of Portland, U.S. Senator - Asa LovejoyAsa LovejoyAsa Lawrence Lovejoy was an American pioneer and politician in the region that would become the U.S. state of Oregon. He is best remembered as a founder of the city of Portland, Oregon...
(1808–1882), delegate to the Oregon Constitutional ConventionOregon Constitutional ConventionThe Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 drafted the Oregon Constitution in preparation for the Oregon Territory to become a U.S. state. Held from mid-August through September, 60 men met in Salem, Oregon, and created the foundation for Oregon's law. The proposal passed with a vote of 35 for... - Earl RileyEarl RileyEarl Riley was an Oregon politician and businessman, and mayor of Portland, Oregon 1941-1949.He was born Robert Earl Riley on February 18, 1890 in Portland, Oregon to Harriett Miranda and Lester N. Riley...
, mayor of Portland - Henry S. Rowe, mayor of Portland
- Samuel L. Simpson, poet
- William Wallace ThayerW. W. ThayerWilliam Wallace Thayer , was a Democratic politician active in U.S. states of Idaho and Oregon. Most notably, he served as the sixth Governor of Oregon from 1878 to 1882 and Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 1888 to 1889.-Background:Thayer was born on a farm near Lima, New York, on...
(1827–1899), Governor of Oregon, Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme CourtOregon Supreme CourtThe Oregon Supreme Court 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. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol... - Socrates H. Tryon, namesake for Tryon Creek State Natural AreaTryon Creek State Natural AreaThe Tryon Creek State Natural Area is a state park located primarily in Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the only Oregon state park within a major metropolitan area...
See also
- Anti-Chinese violence in OregonAnti-Chinese violence in OregonAnti-Chinese violence in Oregon began while the present-day U.S. state was still the Oregon Territory .In Oregon mobs drove Chinese workers out of small towns and workplaces territory-wide in the winter of 1885 and summer of 1886. Many of the Chinese expelled across Oregon made their way to...
- Hillsboro Pioneer CemeteryHillsboro Pioneer CemeteryThe Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery is in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located at the west end of the town along the Tualatin Valley Highway and adjacent to Dairy Creek. The cemetery comprises three formerly private cemeteries...
- River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon)River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon)River View Cemetery in the southwest section of Portland, Oregon, United States, is a non-profit cemetery founded in 1882. It is the final resting place of many prominent and notable citizens of Oregon, including many governors and United States Senators...
External links
- Metro Pioneer Cemetery Program
- Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery
- Find-A-Grave: Lone Fir Cemetery
- Willamette Week: Portland's most interesting residents don't walk the streets. At least you'd better hope they don't.
- Interesting burials at Lone Fir
- History in stone: Metro's pioneer cemeteries are filling up and wearing out - The Oregonian