Levi Scott (pioneer)
Encyclopedia
Levi C. Scott was a politician in the Oregon Territory
of the United States
in the 1850s. A native of Illinois, he was a captain during the Cayuse War
, helped lay the Applegate Trail
, served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature
, and in 1857 was a member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention
. Scott also founded Scottsburg, Oregon
, and is the namesake for several natural features in Southern Oregon
.
and was living in Burlington
. In May 1844, Levi and his son John Scott (b. 1828) immigrated to what was then Oregon Country
and settled near Dallas, Oregon
.
, Lindsay Applegate
and others, set off to create a southern route into the Willamette Valley
. The route authorized by the Provisional Government of Oregon
would travel southwest from Fort Hall
and take the Rogue Valley
and Umpqua Valley before turning north to the Willamette Valley settlements. This Southern Route has become known as the Applegate Trail
.
During the Cayuse War
Scott was made a captain and was responsible for sending dispatches for the Provisional Government south to California
. Following his involvement in the war, he settled in 1848 along Elm Creek in Douglas County, Oregon
, with the valley named Scotts Valley in his honor. In 1850, Scott founded Scottsburg
along the Umpqua River
. Mount Scott in Crater Lake National Park
in Southern Oregon
is also named after Levi.
Scott then entered the political field when he was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature
in 1852. He represented three southern counties, Umpqua
, Douglas
and Jackson
as a Whig in the upper chamber Council. Scott won re-election twice, serving through the 1854-55 session. He returned to politics briefly in 1857 as a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention
. Scott represented Umpqua County as an Anti-Democrat.
, in the Southeastern
part of the state on April 21, 1890. In addition to the town, valley, and mountain named after him, Scott Mountain in Douglas County is also named after Levi.
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 Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1850s. A native of Illinois, he was a captain during 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...
, helped lay the Applegate Trail
Applegate Trail
The Applegate Trail was a wilderness trail through today's U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon, and was originally intended as a less dangerous route to the Oregon Territory.-Background:...
, served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
, and in 1857 was a member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention
Oregon Constitutional Convention
The 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...
. Scott also founded Scottsburg, Oregon
Scottsburg, Oregon
Scottsburg is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the Umpqua River and Oregon Route 38, and is about 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It was once a growing town but after a large flood in December 1861 the town declined.Scottsburg was named for...
, and is the namesake for several natural features in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
.
Early life
Levi Scott was born on February 8, 1797, in what would become the state of Illinois. He was married and had two children, and by 1844, he had moved to IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and was living in Burlington
Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
. In May 1844, Levi and his son John Scott (b. 1828) immigrated to what was then Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
and settled near Dallas, Oregon
Dallas, Oregon
The city of Dallas is the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 14,583 at the 2010 census.Dallas is located on Rickreall Creek, approximately 15 miles west of Salem, at an altitude of 325 feet above sea level...
.
Political career
In 1846, Scott, along with his son, as well as Jesse ApplegateJesse Applegate
Jesse Applegate was an American pioneer who led a large group of settlers along the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country. He took part in the early government of Oregon, and helped establish the Applegate Trail as an alternative route to the Oregon Trail.-Early life:Jesse Applegate was born in Henry...
, Lindsay Applegate
Lindsay Applegate
Lindsay Applegate was a pioneer known for blazing the Applegate Trail, an alternative end of Oregon Trail in the U.S. state of Oregon. The trail was blazed with his brothers Charles and Jesse in 1846.-Early life:...
and others, set off to create a southern route into 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...
. The route authorized by 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...
would travel southwest from Fort Hall
Fort Hall
Fort Hall, sitting athwart the end of the common stretch shared by the three far west emigrant trails was a 19th century outpost in the eastern Oregon Country, which eventually became part of the present-day United States, and is located in southeastern Idaho near Fort Hall, Idaho...
and take the Rogue Valley
Rogue Valley
The Rogue Valley is a farming and timber-producing region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine and Jackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart of Southern Oregon near the California border. The...
and Umpqua Valley before turning north to the Willamette Valley settlements. This Southern Route has become known as the Applegate Trail
Applegate Trail
The Applegate Trail was a wilderness trail through today's U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon, and was originally intended as a less dangerous route to the Oregon Territory.-Background:...
.
During 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...
Scott was made a captain and was responsible for sending dispatches for the Provisional Government south to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Following his involvement in the war, he settled in 1848 along Elm Creek in Douglas County, Oregon
Douglas County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Crater Lake National Park * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Siuslaw National Forest * Umpqua National Forest * Willamette National Forest -Adjacent counties:* Lane County, Oregon -...
, with the valley named Scotts Valley in his honor. In 1850, Scott founded Scottsburg
Scottsburg, Oregon
Scottsburg is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the Umpqua River and Oregon Route 38, and is about 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It was once a growing town but after a large flood in December 1861 the town declined.Scottsburg was named for...
along the Umpqua River
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 Cascade Range and south of the Willamette Valley,...
. Mount Scott in Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park is a United States National Park located in southern Oregon. Established in 1902, Crater Lake National Park is the sixth oldest national park in the United States and the only one in the state of Oregon...
in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
is also named after Levi.
Scott then entered the political field when he was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
in 1852. He represented three southern counties, Umpqua
Umpqua County, Oregon
Umpqua County was a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was created on January 24, 1851, by the Oregon Territorial Legislature embracing the lands along the Umpqua River in southwestern Oregon. Gold had been discovered in the Umpqua region, which brought a rapid increase of settlers to...
, Douglas
Douglas County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Crater Lake National Park * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Siuslaw National Forest * Umpqua National Forest * Willamette National Forest -Adjacent counties:* Lane County, Oregon -...
and Jackson
Jackson County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...
as a Whig in the upper chamber Council. Scott won re-election twice, serving through the 1854-55 session. He returned to politics briefly in 1857 as a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention
Oregon Constitutional Convention
The 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...
. Scott represented Umpqua County as an Anti-Democrat.
Later life
He died in Malheur County, OregonMalheur County, Oregon
Malheur County is a county located in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon. Most of the county observes the Mountain Time Zone, although the southern quarter of the county observes the Pacific Time Zone along with the...
, in the Southeastern
Southeastern Oregon
Southeastern Oregon is a geographical term for the area along the state of Oregon's borders with Idaho, California, and Nevada. It includes the populous areas of Burns, Klamath Falls and Lakeview.-Counties:-Cities and towns:Burns |Chemult |Chiloquin |...
part of the state on April 21, 1890. In addition to the town, valley, and mountain named after him, Scott Mountain in Douglas County is also named after Levi.