Bushrod Washington "Bush" Wilson (1824–1900) was a pioneer, business leader, and local politician in the American state of

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 ...

. He is best remembered as one of the pioneering first citizens of the town of

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Oregon, Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton Co ...

, and as the founder of the Willamette Valley & Coast Railroad (WV&C), established in 1874.

Biography

Early years

Bushrod Washington Wilson was born July 18, 1824, at

Columbia Falls, Maine Columbia Falls is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 476 at the 2020 census. It derives its name from the Class I-III Rapids on the Pleasant River (Pleasant Bay) that flow through the town. Columbia Falls and ...

, into a family which on his paternal side dated its American roots back to the immigration of Gowan Wilson from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1657.Charles Henry Carey, ''History of Oregon: Volume II.'' Chicago: Pioneer Historical Publishing Co., 1922; pg. 204. His mother was a member of the Pineo family, which dated its North American roots back to French

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

who emigrated to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1617. When Wilson was 10 his father moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to work as a

millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...

. Bush went to school until he was 12, at which time he left to go to work at an early age, taking a job as an office boy for

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

and making the acquaintance of young newspaper publisher

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congres ...

. The family would move again in 1838, this time to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Wilson's father remarried in 1840, and Bush did not get along with his new stepmother, causing him to leave home to make his own way in the world.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 271. He worked his way across the country from St. Charles, Illinois, to New York City, returning to the city of his boyhood. In October 1843, at the age of 19, Wilson joined the crew of a

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

ship out of

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

, spending the next two and a half years at sea. The journey took him to the

Society Islands The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...

in the

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

where he would remain for six months, followed by a season on the Northwest coast, where the ship on which he served would take 12,000 barrels of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

. From there he travelled to the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

spending a season on the equator before returning again to the Northwest. After the end of his voyage he returned to New York City for a time, until the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

of 1849, which motivated him to sail around the horn of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

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 ...

to try his hand at mining. He arrived in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in July 1850 and spent just two weeks in the city before heading out to try his hand mining on the Yuba and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Rivers — losing money and falling ill in the process. Discouraged by the situation in California, Wilson sought to pursue greener pastures to the north, having heard promising things about mining opportunities upon the

Umpqua River The Umpqua River ( ) on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately long. One of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west ...

of 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 ...

.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 273. On October 15, 1850, he boarded the

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Reindeer'' as a passenger and set out for the new opportunity.

Move to Oregon

After adverse weather which made the journey slow and treacherous, the ''Reindeer'' arrived at the mouth of the Umpqua, located near the southern boundary of the Oregon territory, on November 8, 1850. Wilson and his compatriots arrived to a virtually deserted place, and considered themselves "fooled as to the diggings on the Umpqua." Wilson and four would be miners purchased a canoe from local Native American people and began to head up the river. Together with a companion Wilson made his way by foot over the Coast Mountain Range to the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a 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, the ...

, eventually arriving at the junction of the Willamette and Marys rivers — the site of the present city of Corvallis, then a settlement called "Marysville." There Wilson and his associate joined founding settlers Joseph C. Avery,

James F. Dixon James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince James ...

, and a small handful of others who had established homesteads under the

Donation Land Claim Act 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-Pre ...

. Wilson first worked as a carpenter, taking a land claim and building his own cabin, working for wages from others in his spare time. Wilson had no aspirations at farming, instead spending the 1851 agricultural year building a 20 by 30-foot house, one full story and a loft in height.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 275. Wilson was extremely enthusiastic about his new home, anticipating that Marysville would eventually be "one of the largest places in Oregon" and a "center of travel to and from California" as a commercial center on the banks of the north-and-south running Willamette River. Construction was booming and Wilson was able to clear a handsome $3 a day working as a carpenter, with all the construction work that could be handled. In 1855 Wilson married former

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

resident turned Oregon pioneer Priscilla Owsley Yantis. The couple would ultimately raise 13 children, 9 of whom survived their childhood years to adulthood.Carey, ''History of Oregon, Vol. 2,'' pg. 206. He also spent time improving his homestead claim, clearing and cultivating a parcel of land, which he ultimately sold for $3,500.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 276. He speculated on town land parcels ultimately owning 20 lots valued at from $50 to $300 each. In 1858 Wilson liquidated many of his assets and used the money to purchase a steam-powered

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

and

planing mill A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and Wood drying, seasoned Wood, wooden boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the Thickness planer, planer and matcher, the Moulding plan ...

located in

Peoria, Oregon Peoria is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Linn County, Oregon, United States. It is on the right bank of the Willamette River at river mile 141 between Eugene and Corvallis. Lacking stores and services, i ...

, located about 7 miles east of Corvallis.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 277. The facility was capable of turning out 12,000 board feet of lumber per day, material which allowed Wilson to clear an average of $7 per day. Martin stayed in the lumber business for just one year, ultimately selling the mill in 1859, carrying the loan and charging 20% interest. In search of a new occupation, Wilson decided to once again try his hand at placer mining, purchasing and operating gold mining claims on the

Owyhee River The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon in the Western United States and its Pacific Northwest region. It is long.Owyhee Rive accessed November 3, 2019 The river' ...

in southern

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

.Carey, ''History of Oregon, Vol. 2,'' pg. 205. This time he managed to do "better than the majority and came out about even." Wilson also constructed and operated the first

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

across the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...

, near the site of today's Lewiston. He plied this trade for a short time before returning to Corvallis in 1861, where he also ran a ferry across the Willamette for about a year.

Political career

Wilson's earliest political allegiance was to the Whig Party.''Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley, Oregon: Containing Original Sketches of Many Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present: Part 2.'' Chicago, IL: Chapman Publishing Co., 1903; pp. 971-972. He had free-soil proclivities and supported the abolition of slavery. Following the demise of the Whig Party and establishment of the Republican Party, he became a member of that organization. In 1862 he was hired as deputy county clerk for Benton County. At the next election he successfully ran for county clerk, winning an office that he would ultimately hold for 15 consecutive terms — a period of thirty years. Wilson was a prominent member of the

Republican Party of Oregon The Oregon Republican Party is the U.S. state, state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in Februar ...

and was frequently urged by his political friends to run for

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

— requests which were invariably turned aside. In an 1875 letter to his brother Joseph, Bushrod Wilson noted the pecuniary rationale for his aversion to candidacy in state-level politics, writing:

I have been offered, time and again, high positions in the state but I positively refused. They don't give state officials enough to live in the style that would be required...

It has additionally been noted by one biographer of Wilson that the monetary aspect of public service may have had a decisive impact on Wilson's decision not to run for re-election as county clerk in 1894, since that year marked a change of the system of pay of the position from a fee-based schedule to salary.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 279. Whereas in 1894, Wilson realized an annual salary of about $2,400 under the old system, his 1895 salary would have totaled just $1,500 per year — likely helping to spur the decision to retire from the position. Wilson was active in community affairs and was a thirty-second degree

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

. He was also one of the founders of the Corvallis Library Association in December 1872.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 281. He was also elected chair of the Benton County Board of Immigration in May 1885.

Business career

In July 1874 Wilson organized the Willamette Valley & Coast Railroad Company (WV&C), which aimed to construct an east-west railway from

Yaquina Bay Yaquina Bay ( ) is a coastal Estuary, estuarine community found in Newport, Oregon. Yaquina Bay is a semi-enclosed body of water, approximately 8 km2 (3.2 mi2) in area, with free connection to the Pacific Ocean, but also diluted with fre ...

at today's

Newport, Oregon Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 ...

, all the way across Oregon, ultimately connecting with a track being laid by the

Chicago & Northwestern The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

as part of a potentially lucrative

transcontinental railway A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the tracks of a single railroad ...

project. The scheme would allow for the transport of grain from the Willamette Valley to the coast, where it could be transported by ship to various locations around the world. After paying for the initial surveys out of pocket, Wilson obtained financial commitments from other local investors, who became stockholders in his railway firm. He served as president of the corporation for one year, followed by six years as secretary after the fledgling company was absorbed by the Oregon Pacific Railroad.Martin, "Bushrod Washington Wilson," pg. 282. Wilson was involved in a business subsidiary of the Oregon Pacific, the Oregon Development Company. The company established regular steam vessel service between Yaquina Bay and

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

and ran boats from Portland to Corvallis on the Willamette in an effort to develop region trade, making the area more lucrative for the Oregon Pacific's rail lines. He was also an investor in the

Oregon & California Railroad The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad ...

, running a line from

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 was influential in gaining federal money for the development of the Yaquina Bay harbor. In 1885, Wilson and two other investors established the Gazette Publishing Company, which purchased the local Republican daily, the '' Corvallis Gazette,'' from its previous publisher, M. S. Woodcock. This holding company published the paper for only one year before selling the paper to Frank Conover.

Death and legacy

Bushrod Wilson died at Corvallis, Oregon on March 4, 1900. He was 76 years old. He died with no property, having sold his lots in Corvallis and other assets by 1883 to cover the cost of his railroad investments. Wilson's body was interred at Crystal Lake Cemetery in Corvallis."Bushrod W. Wilson,"
Find-A-Grave, www.findagrave.com/ At the time of his death, Wilson had held the position of county clerk for a longer period of time than any other person in the history of Oregon.

Footnotes

External links

"Guide to the Bushrod Washington Wilson Letters to Joseph P. Wilson, 1846-1875,"
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, Eugene, OR. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Bushrod Washington 1824 births 1900 deaths Politicians from Corvallis, Oregon Oregon Republicans People from Washington County, Maine People from Oregon Territory