Peter G. Stewart
Encyclopedia
Peter Grant Stewart was a jeweler and pioneer of the Oregon Country
in what later became the U.S. states of Oregon
and Washington. A native of New York
state, he traveled the Oregon Trail
to the Willamette Valley
and settled first in Oregon City
and later in what became Washington. He was served on the Second Executive Committee
of the Provisional Government of Oregon
, and his homesite became part of Fort Canby at the mouth of the Columbia River
.
, on September 6, 1809. Then in 1817, he moved to Jefferson, New York
, then to Middleburgh, New York
, and then in 1840 to Springfield, Missouri
. During this time Stewart worked as jeweler and watchmaker, and married Rebecca Rawlings Cason on September 1, 1842, in Missouri
. Cason was born in 1826 in Virginia
.
with two wagons in the “Great Migration” of that year. The Stewart party included his new wife and his in-laws traveled as they traveled over the Oregon Trail
. On the journey Stewart is credited with helping fellow immigrant James W. Nesmith
with rescuing William Vaughn from drowning while crossing the Kaw River. Also in this wagon train were other prominent people of the era. This includes Doctor Marcus Whitman
from the mission near Walla Walla, Washington
and Jesse Applegate
who would soon open the Applegate Trail
with his brothers. Additionally, along the journey the party encountered Lieutenant John C. Frémont
of the United States Army
, who was on a surveying mission.
wagon train in 1845. In 1850 while living in Oregon City
, Stewart purchased part of the townsite of Pacific City in what was then Lewis County from Elijah White
. There he built an “iron house” and saw mill at this site near the entrance of the Columbia River
to the Pacific Ocean
and Cape Disappointment
, near the present-day Ilwaco, Washington
. By 1853 he was part owner of the Pacific Steam Saw Mill Company at that site. Later in 1853 the United States
government took the property to use as a light house, and to use as military installation, Fort Canby. At that time the government did not pay Stewart as he only had squatter's rights
to the land, but later at the age of 82 he petitioned the state of Washington who then sent a memorial
to Congress to ask the Federal Government to appropriate funds for Stewart’s benefit. Oregon then did the same, and Oregon Senator John H. Mitchell
introduced a bill to pay Stewart for the property in 1891. In 1899 Peter Stewart was then paid $7,500 for the loss of his property by the United States government.
After Pacific City, he returned to the jewelry and watch making business. Stewart plied this trade in Oregon City
from 1854 to 1860. Then in 1861 he moved to Portland, Oregon
where he and his business were burned out in 1862 and again in 1873. In between fires, Peter Stewart’s wife died in 1863, and he then re-married in 1872 to Eliza Rosecrans. Years later Peter Stewart moved to Tacoma, Washington
where he died August 27, 1900, at the age of 90.
. He received 140 votes to finish second in the voting and receive one of the three positions along with Osborne Russell
and William J. Bailey. Peter Stewart served on the Executive Committee from May 25, 1844 to July 14, 1845. This committee was then replaced with a single executive and George Abernethy
was elected as governor. He was then chosen to be the first judge for the District Court of Clackamas County, Oregon
. Then in 1853 he served as surveyor for the community of Pacific City. Lastly, from 1870 to 1879 Stewart served as city recorder for the town of Gervais
in the Willamette Valley
on French Prairie
.
, and Rebecca Holladay Cason. Oregon's first territorial recorder, John Long, was Stewart's brother-in-law. Peter fathered nine children, all by his first wife: Nellie, Margaret, Frederick, James, Katherine, Charles, Catherine, Mary, and George. Catherine died on the journey over the Oregon Trail and Nellie, born in 1863, was the youngest.
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...
in what later became the U.S. states of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington. A native of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state, he traveled the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
to 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...
and settled first in 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...
and later in what became Washington. He was served on the Second Executive Committee
Executive Committee (Oregon Territory)
An Executive Committee was the title of a three-person committee which served as the executive Branch of the Provisional Government of Oregon in the disputed Oregon Country. This arrangement was announced on July 5, 1843, after three months of study by the Provisional Legislature at Champoeg...
of 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...
, and his homesite became part of Fort Canby at the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
.
Early life
Peter G. Stewart was born in Stamford, New YorkStamford, New York
Stamford may refer to two municipalities in Delaware County, New York in the United States:*Stamford , New York*Stamford , New York, located entirely within the town...
, on September 6, 1809. Then in 1817, he moved to Jefferson, New York
Jefferson, New York
----Jefferson is a town in Schoharie County, New York, USA. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census.The Town of Jefferson is on the southwestern border of the county and is east of the City of Oneonta.- History :...
, then to Middleburgh, New York
Middleburgh, New York
Middleburgh is the name of some settlements in New York, United States:* Middleburgh , New York, in Schoharie County* Middleburgh , New York, also in Schoharie County...
, and then in 1840 to Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
. During this time Stewart worked as jeweler and watchmaker, and married Rebecca Rawlings Cason on September 1, 1842, in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Cason was born in 1826 in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Oregon Trail
On May 22, 1843, the Stewart party left Independence, MissouriIndependence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
with two wagons in the “Great Migration” of that year. The Stewart party included his new wife and his in-laws traveled as they traveled over the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
. On the journey Stewart is credited with helping fellow immigrant James W. Nesmith
James W. Nesmith
James Willis Nesmith was an American politician and lawyer from Oregon. Born in Canada to American parents, he grew up in New Hampshire and Maine...
with rescuing William Vaughn from drowning while crossing the Kaw River. Also in this wagon train were other prominent people of the era. This includes Doctor Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman
Marcus Whitman was an American physician and Oregon missionary in the Oregon Country. Along with his wife Narcissa Whitman he started a mission in what is now southeastern Washington state in 1836, which would later become a stop along the Oregon Trail...
from the mission near Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
and Jesse Applegate
Jesse 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...
who would soon open 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:...
with his brothers. Additionally, along the journey the party encountered Lieutenant John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, who was on a surveying mission.
Oregon Country
Stewart arrived in the Oregon Country in 1843. After a short time in Oregon, Stewart volunteered to help rescue the Joel PalmerJoel Palmer
General Joel Palmer was an American pioneer of the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in Canada, and spent his early years in New York and Pennsylvania before serving as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives.Palmer traveled to the Oregon...
wagon train in 1845. In 1850 while living in 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...
, Stewart purchased part of the townsite of Pacific City in what was then Lewis County from Elijah White
Elijah White
Dr. Elijah White was a missionary and agent for the United States government in Oregon Country during the mid-19th century. A trained physician from New York State, he first traveled to Oregon as part of the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley...
. There he built an “iron house” and saw mill at this site near the entrance of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Cape Disappointment
Cape Disappointment (Washington)
Cape Disappointment is a headland located at the extreme southwestern corner of Washington State on the north side of the Columbia River bar, at . The point of the cape is located on the Pacific Ocean in Pacific County, approximately two miles southwest of the town of Ilwaco...
, near the present-day Ilwaco, Washington
Ilwaco, Washington
Ilwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington, United States. The population was 950 at the 2000 census and decreased to 936 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. By 1853 he was part owner of the Pacific Steam Saw Mill Company at that site. Later in 1853 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government took the property to use as a light house, and to use as military installation, Fort Canby. At that time the government did not pay Stewart as he only had squatter's rights
Adverse possession
Adverse possession is a process by which premises can change ownership. It is a common law concept concerning the title to real property . By adverse possession, title to another's real property can be acquired without compensation, by holding the property in a manner that conflicts with the true...
to the land, but later at the age of 82 he petitioned the state of Washington who then sent a memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
to Congress to ask the Federal Government to appropriate funds for Stewart’s benefit. Oregon then did the same, and Oregon Senator John H. Mitchell
John H. Mitchell
John Hipple Mitchell, also known as John Mitchell Hipple, John H. Mitchell, or J. H. Mitchell was a controversial American lawyer and politician, who served as a Republican United States Senator from Oregon on three occasions between 1872 and 1905...
introduced a bill to pay Stewart for the property in 1891. In 1899 Peter Stewart was then paid $7,500 for the loss of his property by the United States government.
After Pacific City, he returned to the jewelry and watch making business. Stewart plied this trade in 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...
from 1854 to 1860. Then in 1861 he moved to Portland, Oregon
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...
where he and his business were burned out in 1862 and again in 1873. In between fires, Peter Stewart’s wife died in 1863, and he then re-married in 1872 to Eliza Rosecrans. Years later Peter Stewart moved to Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
where he died August 27, 1900, at the age of 90.
Government
In May 1844, Stewart was elected by the pioneer settlers to the Second Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of OregonProvisional 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...
. He received 140 votes to finish second in the voting and receive one of the three positions along with Osborne Russell
Osborne Russell
Osborne Russell was a mountain man and politician who helped form the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Maine....
and William J. Bailey. Peter Stewart served on the Executive Committee from May 25, 1844 to July 14, 1845. This committee was then replaced with a single executive and George Abernethy
George Abernethy
George Abernethy was an American pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government in what would become the state of Oregon in the United States...
was elected as governor. He was then chosen to be the first judge for the District Court of Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
. Then in 1853 he served as surveyor for the community of Pacific City. Lastly, from 1870 to 1879 Stewart served as city recorder for the town of Gervais
Gervais, Oregon
Gervais is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,009 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 2,250 residents. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in 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...
on French Prairie
French Prairie
French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem...
.
Family
Stewart's first wife Rebecca's parents were Fendal Carr Cason, a member of the Oregon Territorial LegislatureOregon 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 Rebecca Holladay Cason. Oregon's first territorial recorder, John Long, was Stewart's brother-in-law. Peter fathered nine children, all by his first wife: Nellie, Margaret, Frederick, James, Katherine, Charles, Catherine, Mary, and George. Catherine died on the journey over the Oregon Trail and Nellie, born in 1863, was the youngest.