WPA Interviews

INTERVIEW - Miss Emma Smeed

My name is Emma Smeed, and I am the daughter of the first settler on the site of what is now Albany, Oregon.

My father was Hiram Smeed. He was born November 26, 1824 in New York State. His father and mother died while he was still quite young and my father first lived with an uncle, and later, as he grew older and able to do some work, with various other people.

Having no family ties to bind him, it was natural that he became something of a wanderer, or that when he was barely 19 years of age he should join the great movement for the Pacific Coast.

The emigrant train with which my father reached Oregon was that of 1845 and Abner Hackleman was its captain. When the train reached Oregon, Stephen Meek lured a part of the train from the usual route with the promise that he could lead them over the Cascades by way of a shorter, easier route. My father was among those who followed Meek and left the main train. The result is all recorded in History. Meek was an unsuccessful guide, and those who followed him were left far out of the way and suffered greatly from privation, thirst, and disease. Finally Meek was forced to flee from the wrath of the angry emigrants, and the way was made painfully back to the Columbia. During this time of suffering my father with three others left the train to try and locate water. This they were successful in doing, and after three days they returned and led the thirsty people to it. They then went on to the Columbia and descended the river by boat. After reaching the Willamette Valley my father continued directly on to the site of Albany, then called Tekanah, and joined others of the original train here, among them being Abner Hackleman and Anderson Cox. Anderson Cox, by the way, was the man with whom my father started from the east.

My father then took up the land included in the present west end of Albany, Abner Hackleman took up the land next, to the east, and Anderson Cox took a claim eastward of that.

Anderson Cox ran the first sawmill in the neighborhood of Albany. He was turning our lumber from his mill at a very early date, probably as early as 1852. Abner Hackleman took up land and left it in my father's care while he returned to the east to bring on his family. He never returned, however, for he died in the east, and two years later his son, Abraham Hackleman came on and settled on the land which his father had staked out."

(When questioned as to the story, widely circulated, that Abner Hackleman had staked out two claims, one for himself and one for his son, and left them in charge of Hiram Smeed, and that Smeed, when the younger Hackleman returned, would give up but one of these claims, but kept the other, Miss Smeed replied:)

That story is all wrong. Abner Hackleman took up only one claim. My father took up his own claim and Hackleman had nothing to do with that part of the land." (Note: The Hackleman family back up Miss Smeed in this part of the narrative, and agree that Smeed took no unfair advantage of the elder Hackleman's death. L. Haskin, Field Worker.)

My father lived in the first cabin ever erected on the present site of Albany. It was built on the banks of a little creek which ran into the Willamette River. The exact spot is at the southwest corner of First and Ellsworth Streets. At the present date the place is occupied by the Hurley Drug Store, but the building there is an old one and was well known for years as the Rivere House, one of Albany's prominent hotels. My father got his water from the little creek which ran into the Willamette near there. I have a picture of that old cabin." (She showed it to the worker - and oil paining hanging upon her parlor wall.) "This picture was painted by Mrs. Lillian Howe about twenty years ago. It was painted from a pencil sketch drawn by Willard D. Davis, and he got his idea of the scene from the description of his father, J. J. Davis, pioneer of 1847, who had actually seen the cabin. It shows the little cabin, about 12 x 14 feet square, the brook at which my father got his water, and the fir trees which bordered the line of the river bank near by.

My father, being only a young lad and without money had little resources with which to start here in Oregon. When the gold strikes occurred in California he was very anxious to go to improve his condition. He therefore sold out his squatters rights here at Albany to Thomas and Walter Monteith for the sum of $400.00 and with this money to finance his way he hastened to the mines. He was in California on two separate times, but not for long. His entire stay there was scarcely more than a year. However, he did very well and returned to Albany with sufficient means to buy out another settlers rights and establish himself in a home. This second claim he purchased from Uncle Chris Miller. The land was in the section now known as Sunrise Addition in Albany, in the southwest part of the town. He kept this land for many years, but finally sold it to Milton Hale, another very early pioneer, and the first ferryman on the Santiam River.

Uncle Chris Miller, after selling out to my father, moved eastward and again took up land in the Knox Butte neighborhood.

Another piece of land now included in the environs of Albany, and which my father tried to, but never succeeded in owning, was that tract now included in the Masonic Cemetery, just west of town. On my father's land there was very little timber, and he wished to secure more. He therefore hired a young man by the name of Harvey Gordon to take up the above tract which was well timbered. Gordon was to settle on the tract, father paying all expenses, and when the deed was secured was to turn it over to my father. However, before the title was secured Gordon contracted typhoid and died. Of course an agreement such as had been arranged between my father and Gordon had no legal status. Upon Gordon's death, he being a very active Mason, the land fell into the hands of the Masonic Lodge. Thus my father, though he actually bought and paid for the tract never owned it.

The first ferry established across the Willamette was situated almost directly north of my father's first cabin. It crossed the river just where the present steel bridge now stands at the end of Ellsworth Street. Ashley Pierce was the first ferryman. Pierce ran that ferry for many years-almost until the building of the first steel bridge here.

One of the very oldest houses still standing in Albany is what was known as the Demas Beech house. It is located on Water Street near Ellsworth, just east of the south approach of the present bridge. I do not know who first built this house, but for years it was an inn at the ferry and steamboat landing. Within my own memory it was purchased by a Mr. Upham and run as a hotel.

My father was married in 1848. Mother's name was Rachel Jane Wood. She was born in 1831 in Indiana, but came to Oregon from Iowa the same year that father came, but not in the same train. At that time she was just fourteen years of age.

My mother's father was an Englishman, but he died when my mother was very young. Her grandfather came from England at a very early date and took up land on the present site of Boston. Then he returned to England for his family but died while there. When his son, Samuel Wood reached his majority he also came to America but the land which his father had taken had been claimed by others, so he settled elsewhere. In later years the family tried to reclaim their Boston inheritance, but were unsuccessful

My father and mother had six children, four boys and two girls. The following are their names:

Samuel Smeed, born October 28, 1850.

Simeon Smeed, born April 26, 1852.

Monroe Smeed, born December 26, ----? (Named after mother's father).

------ Smeed, born August 10, 1862.

Ida Smeed, born August 10, 1862. (Married Frank Wilbur).

Emma Smeed, born June 28, 1866. (The narrator, youngest of the family and only one surviving).

A number of these children of Hiram Smeed have descendants, both children and grandchildren.

My father was a volunteer both in the Cayuse and Rogue Indian wars. He was never wounded but encountered many very trying times. At one time in the Cayuse war, in "Eastern Oregon", but just where I do not know, he was out on scout duty and was cut off from the main force for a number of days. He had no supplies and was forced to subsist on rose berries. This, I believe, was somewhere near the old Whitman Mission. It was during the years 1848 and 1849 that he was enlisted, but after he and mother were married. Father was an officer in both Indian wars, but whether a Captain or a Lieutenant I cannot say. The volunteers in those Indian campaigns were forced to equip themselves and furnish their own mounts as it was too far to Washington for any official equipment to reach here in time to be of value.

Among the early neighbors here at Albany, one who lived out in the southwest portion of town, near the present Albany College grounds was Isaac Hutchins, first Sheriff of Linn County.

The land in Sunrise Addition which my father bought from Chris Miller was sold in 1887. After selling it he purchased this land where I now live, which is not far from his original cabin site, and I have lived here ever since. My father died in 1888, and my mother in 1922.

The first school which was established in Albany was not held on the Tekanah Park block, as is so frequently stated, but right here on this lot where I now live. It was taught by a man named -------- Taylor. Later the same building was used as a Baptist Church. In the same building Elder Joab Powell used to preach often, although the Baptist members in Albany were few. However, they were a free handed congregation for one day while the Elder was preaching the house of a family named Pennington caught fire and was burned up. At the next meeting a collection was taken up for the unfortunate family, and $400.00 were raised at a single offering.

My father belonged to no church but his people had all been Baptists. Uncle Sim Smeed was a Baptist preacher. His field was mostly in Central Oregon. I never saw him.

Concerning very early schools, the present Catholic Church was formerly an old school building on the Maple Street grounds. The Catholics purchased the building for their first church. Later, when they needed a larger building they raised the old schoolhouse up, built beneath it and around it, and it now forms the central part of nave of the present church building. There is also an old building at the corner of E. 5th and Jackson Streets which now houses the Pate Creamery which was part of the old Madison Street School.

The very first schools at Albany were not public schools but were kept in private houses. Ellen Hackleman, wife of Abraham Hackleman, was one of these early teachers. It is said that she taught school in her home, getting the children about her and teaching them while at the same time busily engaged in picking her geese.

Another very early teacher at Albany was Abigal Scott Dunniway. She was also the first carpet weaver at Albany.

The Indians about Albany were always very friendly and never gave any serious trouble. The last of them to remain about were the well known characters Old Lucy and Old Pete. They were husband and wife and lived over on the island; that is, what is now called Bryant's Park. Old Lucy washed for mother every Monday for years and years. All of the Indians made their camps over on the island. Every spring they would come out on the flats about our place to dig camas.

Milton Hale was always very good to the Indians and got along well with them. He owned the land near the old ferry on the Santiam near the town of Syracuse, and on that land there was a cemetery. When Old Lucy and Old Pete died Milton Hale took them to the old family cemetery near Syracuse and had them buried there.

Copyright © 2000 Patricia Dunn. All rights reserved. This transcription may not be reproduced in any media without the express written permission by the author. Permission has been given by the Transcriber to publish on the LGS web site.