Socrates Hotchkiss Tryon Sr. (January 24, 1816 – May 15, 1855) was a

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...

physician in what became the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A native of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, he later lived in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

before moving to the

Oregon Territory The 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 United States, Union as the Oreg ...

where he settled the land that now comprises part of the

Tryon Creek State Natural Area The 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. The park lies between Boones Ferry Road and Terwilliger Boulevar ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and

Lake Oswego Lake Oswego ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah County, Oregon, Multnomah and Washington County, Oregon, Washington counties ...

. He was also a member of the 1846 Iowa Constitutional Convention.

Early life

Socrates Tryon was born on January 24, 1816, Pawlet Township, Vermont, to Laura Hotchkiss and Jesse Tryon. The younger Tryon was educated at

Castleton Medical College The Castleton Medical College Building, now known as the Old Chapel, is a historic building of the Castleton Medical College on Seminary Street in Castleton, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1818, it was the first medical college in Vermont, a ...

in Rutland County, graduating in the Spring of 1836. His grandfather, Socrates Hotchkiss, was also a physician in Vermont. Socrates Tryon later moved to the

Iowa Territory The 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. The remai ...

where he lived in Linn County and served as the clerk for the United States District Court in 1840. The territorial governor had appointed him as sheriff of the county in January 1839, but Tryon declined the position. Tryon represented Linn and Benton counties at Iowa's Second Constitutional Convention held in May 1846, which led to the admission of Iowa into the Union in December of that year. Tryon then moved to

with his wife, Frances (née Safley), and son, Socrates Hotchkiss Tryon Jr., before moving north to the Oregon Territory. There he was one of the first physicians in Oregon, settling a

donation land claim The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Pree ...

in 1850 near what later became the city of Lake Oswego.

Oregon

The Tryons had a second child, Sallie, born in 1852. Tryon farmed land near what later became Stampher Road in Lake Oswego, built a sawmill, and constructed a house on the property. It was one of the few homes built in

Clackamas County Clackamas County ( ) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the na ...

during the territorial period, 1848–59, before Oregon became a state. Described in ''Classic Houses of Portland Oregon, 1850–1950'', the house was demolished in the 1990s. Prior to its demise, it was the only house in the Portland metropolitan area that remained on its original donation land claim. Rectangular in form, it was a rural farmhouse built on a foundation of brick and stone and included "greatly simplified"

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

details. It stood on a promontory overlooking 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 ...

. Socrates Tryon died in Oregon on May 15, 1855, and was buried in

Lone Fir Cemetery 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 ...

in southeast Portland. He left the land to his wife, which in 1869 she gave to Socrates Tryon Jr., Sallie, and her husband, A.A. Cleveland. In 1874 they sold the to the Oregon Iron Company. Frances and Socrates Tryon Jr., were also buried at Lone Fir Cemetery.

Legacy

For nearly 25 years, the company cut virgin

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

and

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

on the old Tryon homestead to use in its

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

in Lake Oswego. More logging occurred from 1912 until 1961, and in 1969

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

bought part of the old property to use as a park. More land was added and a state park was created in 1970, later changed to

Tryon Creek Tryon Creek is a tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia River, its watershed covers about in Multnomah and Clackamas counties. The stream flows southeast from the Tualatin ...

, which flows through Tryon Creek State Natural Area and the former Tryon property to join the Willamette River near Lake Oswego, was named for Tryon.McArthur, pp. 970–71 The Oregon Iron Company's logging road later became Old Iron Mountain Trail in the state natural area.

References

Works cited

* McArthur, Lewis A., and McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) ''Oregon Geographic Names'', seventh edition. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. .

External links

Socrates Tryon (1816-1855)
in ''The Oregon Encyclopedia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Tryon, Socrates Hotchkiss Oregon pioneers 1816 births 1855 deaths Burials at Lone Fir Cemetery People from Iowa Territory People from Oregon Territory People from Linn County, Iowa People from Pawlet, Vermont Businesspeople from Oregon Physicians from Oregon 19th-century American businesspeople