Philip Foster
Encyclopedia
Philip Foster was one of the first settlers in Oregon
, United States
. The farmstead he established in Eagle Creek
in 1847 became the first outpost of civilization after 2,000 miles of travel for pioneers heading west along the Oregon Trail
. Approximately 10,000 emigrants are believed to have passed through. The farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
, Maine
. In the early 19th century he, like many others, headed west, recognizing the prospects of business in the Oregon Country
. In 1842, the Fosters and Francis William Pettygrove
's family (Foster's wife, Mary Charlotte, was Pettygrove's sister) sailed from New York for Oregon on the ship Victoria, an A.G. & A.W. Benson vessel via the Sandwich Islands
(Hawaii
). They were delayed on the Sandwich Islands
for six months before heading on to the Willamette Valley
, arriving in Oregon City
in 1843.
Pettygrove and Philip Foster established a general store. The two-story building served both as a store and a home for the Foster family. Foster subsequently formed many partnerships, including establishing a flour mill with Dr. John McLoughlin
. In 1844, Foster became the second Treasurer of the provisional government
in the Oregon Country.
In 1845, Sam Barlow
was unwilling to pay the Hudson's Bay Company bateaux to float down the dangerous Columbia River
, so he, his family, and the rest of their wagon train
searched for another route around Mount Hood
. Joined by subsequent wagon trains, Barlow, Joel Palmer
and emigrant Lock scouted for routes around the mountain. Palmer spotted possible passage from the heights of Mount Hood. Barlow with fellow traveler William H. Rector set out to blaze a trail, but they became lost on the mountain. After being rescued by local Indians and cattle drovers, Barlow met Foster at his Oregon City store where Barlow bought provisions and hired oxen to rescue his snowbound party.
Foster became Barlow's business partner in building the Mount Hood Toll Road (now known as the Barlow Road
) in 1846, which became the last leg of the overland Oregon Trail to Oregon City. Philip Foster moved his family from Oregon City and settled along the toll road, where he had a store, cabins for rent, orchards, gardens, and pastures for grazing stock. The Fosters received thousands of wagons and guests. At the sometimes overcrowded rest stop known as "Foster's Place" or "Foster's Ranch," some travelers paid to sleep on the family's parlor floor. The family also provided home-cooked meals for the emigrants. Charging whatever they could, the Fosters thrived. Philip Foster Farm
has been preserved an is now open to visitors. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Philip Foster died in 1884 of a heart attack in Eagle Creek at his home, the Phillip Foster Farm. Mary-Charlotte died in 1880 of typhoid fever
.
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The farmstead he established in Eagle Creek
Eagle Creek, Oregon
Eagle Creek is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located seven miles southwest of Sandy, seven miles north of Estacada, and five miles southeast of Carver, at the junction of Oregon Routes 224 and 211, on the Clackamas River.-Background and history:The...
in 1847 became the first outpost of civilization after 2,000 miles of travel for pioneers heading west along 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...
. Approximately 10,000 emigrants are believed to have passed through. The farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
Early life
Foster was a shrewd businessman from ArgyleArgyle, Maine
Argyle is an unorganized territory in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 253 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. In the early 19th century he, like many others, headed west, recognizing the prospects of business in the 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...
. In 1842, the Fosters and Francis William Pettygrove
Francis Pettygrove
Francis William Pettygrove , commonly known as William Pettygrove, was a pioneer and one of the founders of the cities of Portland, Oregon, and Port Townsend, Washington. Born in Maine, he re-located to the Oregon Country in 1843 to establish a store in Oregon City...
's family (Foster's wife, Mary Charlotte, was Pettygrove's sister) sailed from New York for Oregon on the ship Victoria, an A.G. & A.W. Benson vessel via the Sandwich Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
(Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
). They were delayed on the Sandwich Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
for six months before heading on 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...
, arriving 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...
in 1843.
Oregon
In Oregon City on the Willamette RiverWillamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
Pettygrove and Philip Foster established a general store. The two-story building served both as a store and a home for the Foster family. Foster subsequently formed many partnerships, including establishing a flour mill with Dr. John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin
Dr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
. In 1844, Foster became the second Treasurer of the provisional government
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...
in the Oregon Country.
In 1845, Sam Barlow
Sam Barlow
Samuel Kimbrough Barlow was a pioneer in the area that became the U.S. state of Oregon, and was key in establishing the Barlow Road, the most widely chosen final segment to the Oregon Trail.-Biography:...
was unwilling to pay the Hudson's Bay Company bateaux to float down the dangerous 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...
, so he, his family, and the rest of their wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
searched for another route around Mount Hood
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
. Joined by subsequent wagon trains, Barlow, Joel Palmer
Joel 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...
and emigrant Lock scouted for routes around the mountain. Palmer spotted possible passage from the heights of Mount Hood. Barlow with fellow traveler William H. Rector set out to blaze a trail, but they became lost on the mountain. After being rescued by local Indians and cattle drovers, Barlow met Foster at his Oregon City store where Barlow bought provisions and hired oxen to rescue his snowbound party.
Foster became Barlow's business partner in building the Mount Hood Toll Road (now known as the Barlow Road
Barlow Road
The Barlow Road is a historic road in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was built in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster, with authorization of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon, and served as the last overland segment of the Oregon Trail...
) in 1846, which became the last leg of the overland Oregon Trail to Oregon City. Philip Foster moved his family from Oregon City and settled along the toll road, where he had a store, cabins for rent, orchards, gardens, and pastures for grazing stock. The Fosters received thousands of wagons and guests. At the sometimes overcrowded rest stop known as "Foster's Place" or "Foster's Ranch," some travelers paid to sleep on the family's parlor floor. The family also provided home-cooked meals for the emigrants. Charging whatever they could, the Fosters thrived. Philip Foster Farm
Philip Foster Farm
Philip Foster Farm is a historic site in Eagle Creek, Oregon, United States, near the city of Estacada. The farm is on a land claim purchased in 1847 by American pioneer Philip Foster. Foster built a store, house, and barn at the farm...
has been preserved an is now open to visitors. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Philip Foster died in 1884 of a heart attack in Eagle Creek at his home, the Phillip Foster Farm. Mary-Charlotte died in 1880 of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
.
Further reading
- Joel Palmer's diary; Oregon Historical SocietyOregon Historical SocietyThe Oregon Historical Society is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preserves, and makes available materials of historical character...
archives, Philip Foster Collection.
External links
- The Final Leg of the Trail from the End of The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center