The History of Wheeler County, c1983 : PalmerFamilyWeb

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The History of Wheeler County, c1983

THE CHAPMAN FAMILY

Among the early settlers in the area that was to become Wheeler County, were three Chapman brothers, George, Isaac (Ike) and Joseph. They were the sons of Joseph and Mary Chapman, who immigrated into the Oregon territory from Iowa, making the trek across the plains by covered wagon and ox team. The year was 1852. In the family of Joseph and Mary, besides the three boys, was a daughter, Jane Chapman (later Dunlap) and some older children of Mary's with the surname of Mitchell.
Ike, the second son of the Chapman children, was four years old at the time of the crossing. Joe the youngest of the family was born at Eola in Polk County, Oregon where the family first settled. In 1861 the family left the Willamette Valley and headed for environs east of the mountains. After a couple of years in the Klickitat region in Washington State, George and Ike came to that section of Grant County that was later to become a part of Wheeler County. Joe, and some of the rest of the family, followed in 1872. Here they were to spend the rest of their lives.
As a young adult, Ike homesteaded on Horseshoe Creek near the town of Spray, although at that time the local trading and social center was the twin communities of Richmond Waldron. George and Joe took up their land claims in the Twickenham area.
In 1878 Isaac married Sarah F. Gile, who came from Wisconsin. To this union was born seven children, Bertha, the eldest, married E.M. Andrews; Charles, married Edna Berry; Nettie, married Clay Shoun; Henry married Nellie Jackson; Julia, became the wife of Rafe Hankins; and William (Bill), was married to Edith Wright. Joseph, the youngest, died as a youth. Of this family there were three, Charles, Nettie and Bill who remained life long residents of Wheeler County.
Charles and Edna ranched at Clarno, Nettie and Clay on Mountain Creek near Mitchell and Bill and Edith on the John Day River near Spray. William 1. Chapman, Jr. still owns the river ranch where his father and mother moved in 1921.
Like most of the early settlers the Chapmans were not chroniclers. They left little written record. Only fading memories of family conversations are left to recall anecdotes of the trials and tribulations of these pioneers. Here are a few of them.
After establishing their holdings in the region, George and Ike made a trip into California where they purchased a breeding herd of Morgan horses. This was a good move from a financial standpoint. The Morgan was a dual purpose breed, suitable for both riding and draft uses and filled a most vital need in the economic life of that era. They were also noted for their toughness and a somewhat "ornery" disposition which was a fitting matchup to the temperament of the toughminded pioneers.
Later the Chapmans founded sheep and cattle herds which they ran on the surrounding open ranges. They became successful ranchers, although maybe this should not be considered such a notable achievement since it was said of those times that the most successful ranchers were the best riders with long ropes and short memories.
As an interesting sideline, Ike planted what was perhaps the first commercial orchard in the country. He raised a variety of fine fruit in the sheltered and pest free Horseshoe Canyon. People came from as far away as Prineville to purchase the prized commodity. Since a jolting buckboard was not an ideal way to transport fresh fruit, the customers often took advantage of pioneer hospitality and used the ranch facilities to can and dry the fruit on the spot.
There were memorable events affecting the local region that were also a significant part of Oregon history. One such event was the Indian uprisings. During that time the women and children of the communities were sent to The Dalles as a precaution against raids that never materialized. The Chapman boys could speak some of the native dialects and, as a rule, got along well with their red neighbors. Friendships probably nurtured by the traces of Cherokee blood that coursed through their own veins.
Then there was the serious confrontation between the sheep and cattle men. Being both cattle and sheep owners, the Chapmans were once again left unscathed. There was one incident when Ike was warned to remove his sheep from a certain area. He didn't do it. Instead he took a couple of his cowboys with Winchesters and spent some time with the herders. Nothing came of the matter.
The hardships of frontier life were often compounded by nature's whims. The so called "year of the double winter" must have been especially trying for the struggling pioneers. This freakish weather phenomenon never experienced before or since, was a series of heavy snows and cold spells that started in early fall and lasted into late spring. It virtually wiped out the cattle and sheep herds in the region.
One story that intrigued this young listener was about a wily mountain lion that roamed the ranch premises for some months. Bold enough to be seen occasionally in the daytime, he made an easy living on the chickens that ran free around the barn lot, successfully eluding all attempts to do him in. (Tracking hounds were to come later). One night there was a brief commotion on the front porch where a small puppy was sleeping, followed by the little fellow's cries fading away in the darkness. There was little questioning his fate when the big cats try, As were plainly visible on the yard footpath the next morning.
In those days the aggressive silvertip or bald faced bear still roamed the high mountain valleys. They sometimes created havoc by raiding sheep camps at night, causing the sheep to pile up and suffocate if they were in a confined area. Often it was necessary to build the herder's camp on a platform high in the trees for protection against the dangerous marauders. The silvertip was a subspecies of the grizzly that is probably now extinct. The last grizzly of record in Oregon was killed on Pisgia Mountain, near Mitchell, around 1920.
In the lower valleys, rattlesnakes were everywhere, an ever present nuisance during the summer months. One big fellow was found part way up the steps of an inside stairway in the Horseshoe ranch house.
What was the common heritage that belonged to all the wild West did not pass by Wheeler County. There were tales of bad men, shootings, posses and frontier justice. Events for which names and details are, regrettably, long since forgotten.
The Chapmans probably did their part in contributing to the legacy of place names still used in the region. Names like Hardscrabble, Shoofly and Bearway, but there is nothing in the locales where they lived that bears their own name. Today little is left to remind one of the imprint they made on Wheeler history. Submitted by Mitchell Chapman

From: The History of Wheeler County, c1983 The Times-Journal

ID	109
Linked to	George Washington CHAPMAN Isaac Mitchell CHAPMAN Sarah Fillee GILE

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