Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
William H. Packwood papers , 1915 January 24
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Lockley, Fred, 1871-1958; Packwood, William H., 1832-1917
- Title
- William H. Packwood papers
- Dates
- 1915 January 241915-01-241915-01-24
- Quantity
- 0.025 linear feet, (1 container) : 1 folder
- Collection Number
- CA 1915 Jan 24
- Summary
- William Henderson Packwood (1932-1917) was an Oregon pioneer, who in 1857, was the youngest delegate sent to Oregon's Constitutional Convention. The collection (1915) contains a letter to Fred Lockley regarding Packwood's boyhood, along with a typed memoir of the Packwood family's overland journey to Oregon in 1849.
- Repository
-
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Historical NoteReturn to Top
"William Henderson Packwood (1932-1917) holds a unique place in Oregon history as the youngest participant of Oregon's Constitutional Convention of 1857. This mostly self-educated pioneer became one of Oregon's most versatile entrepreneurs. His occupations included soldier, Indian fighter, miner, cattle rancher, merchant, ditch and road builder, ferry owner, and public servant. He was a founding father of two Baker County mining boom towns—Auburn and Sparta. He is also the great-grandfather of Oregon Senator Robert Packwood."
"Packwood was born October 23, 1832, near Mount Vernon, Illinois. The family settled in Sparta for a while and then, when he was fourteen, moved to Springfield, where Packwood clerked in a store, often meeting Abraham Lincoln on his way to work."
He first came to Oregon in the 1950s. "In 1857, Curry County sent the twenty-four-year-old Packwood as its delegate to Oregon's Constitutional Convention to draft a constitution in preparation for statehood. In later years, Packwood took pride in his work on the state seal committee, which adopted his suggestion of a sea view and an elk."
"The gold rush of 1862 lured Packwood to Eastern Oregon. Arriving at Blue Canyon, he helped lay out the town of Auburn, which that summer swelled to several thousand miners—customers for Packwood's hastily built mercantile store. In September 1862, before there was a state-sanctioned court, Packwood was elected as one of three judges who condemned a murderer to hang."
"Auburn briefly served as the county seat for newly-created Baker County. Packwood was appointed Baker County's first school superintendent; he then married the county's first teacher, Johanna O'Brien, and appointed a successor for her position. Their long marriage produced five children."
[Source: Oregon Encyclopedia online, oregonencyclopedia.org]
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection (1915) contains a letter to Fred Lockley regarding Packwood's boyhood, along with a typed memoir of the Packwood family's overland journey to Oregon in 1849.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Description |
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Guide to the William H. Packwood Papers |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
- Pioneers--Illinois
- Pioneers--Oregon Territory
- Pioneers--Oregon--Baker County
Personal Names
- Lockley, Fred, 1871-1958
- Packwood, William H., 1832-1917
- Packwood, William H., 1832-1917
Family Names
- Packwood family
Form or Genre Terms
- Correspondence
- Memoirs