Longtime resident of Bishop, Inyo, California. Born at Henry County, Indiana. Crossed the Oregon Trail with his family beginning in the spring of 1863 via ox cart. The Powers family journey across the trail is detailed in a multi-page essay written by his sister Laura Powers Frager. They briefly settled near Carson City at Genoa, Nevada before relocating south to Bishop Creek (later Bishop), Inyo County, California.
Worked as a farmer. Married Alzina Cenora Burdick on 29 Nov 1870, and the couple soon purchased her father Alden Burdick's ranch/farm homestead property in Bishop from him. Alzina's mother Alzina Shepard Burdick was buried on the west side of the property; more local residents began to bury their dead nearby, and the area is now known as the West Line Street (or "Pioneer") Cemetery of Bishop. In addition, the Burdick/Powers land the is where the modern hospital and schools now stand.
William served as the treasurer for the Bishop Creek Water Company in Dec 1896 (Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle-Union, 16 Feb 1978, p. 15). Appears to have been known at times within the community as "Will Powers" (Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle-Union, 10 Jul 1951, p. 14).
Obituary states that he died while camping with family at McGee Creek in Long Valley, Mono County, California, around ten miles northwest of Bishop.
Inyo Register, 25 Jul 1918, p. 1:
"William H. Powers - One of the Earliest Permanent Residents of This Neighborhood
One of the builders of the community passed away Tuesday, in the sudden death of William Haymond Powers. The end came almost without warning. He and members of his family, with others, had been camped on McGee creek, in Long Valley, for over two weeks. Tuesday morning he did not feel well, complaining of a pain in his chest. About 7 o'clock that evening there came a sudden attack, and he passed away.
Mr. Powers was born August 18, 1846, in Henry county, Indiana, and lived there with his parents until the spring of 1863. That year the family crossed the plains, with ox teams and desert schooners, and by fortunate chance missed all trouble with the Indians. They settled in Carson Valley, Nevada. William and his older brother Jacob came to Bishop in the spring of 1866, as drivers of an ox team belonging to Elisha Mallory, for whom he worked for several years.
Mr. Powers, aided by the young lady who later became his wife and by [August Anthony] Cashbaugh and John Clarke, made the first flag flown by civilians in this part of the valley. Red and blue flannel blankets and white flour sacks were used for its material. Flying it from a willow staff, the young men visited all the scattered dwellings in this end of the valley, on the Fourth of July, 1867, making their journey in a vehicle drawn by an ox and a mule. This was probably the first recognition of the national holiday in northern Inyo, except a celebration in Owensville three years before.
[Thomas] Soper had a squatter's claim to a tract of land, and sold it to Mr. [Alden] Burdick, who in turn sold it to W.H. Powers. The latter was married to Miss Alzina Burdick November 29, 1870, and the young couple made their home on that property thenceforward. There were born their children, all of whom are living. These include [William] Allen Powers, Mrs. Myrtle McKellips, of Merced county, Mrs. Melva Carpenter, of Bakersfield, Mrs. Leota Van Fleet, of Bishop, Ernest Powers, of Bishop, Mrs. Jessie White, of Lothair, Montana, Mrs. Nora Cox, of Bishop. The devoted and loved wife and mother [Alzina Powers] passed away in May of last year, and her loss shadowed the husband's remaining days.
William Powers was an exemplary citizen, in the days when wide-open conditions ruled as well as when upright living was more the established order. He was a man of integrity and uprightness in every sense. He lived out man's allotted span of life in the respect and esteem of all, and leaving to those who survive him a memory to be revered and treasured.
He is survived, in addition to his children, by two sisters, Mrs. E.M. [Sarah Powers] Chamberlain and Mrs. Jacob [Laura Powers] Frager, and three brothers, [Edward West] Powers, Stanton R. Powers, and Charles Powers."
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Obituary for William Haymond Powers from the Engineering & Mining Journal, Volume 106, published in 1918:
"William Haymond Powers, pioneer of Inyo County, Calif., died at Bishop on July 23. He was born in Henry County, Indiana, in 1848, and, with his parents, crossed the plains to Nevada in 1863, traveling by ox team. The family settled in Carson Valley, but later, in 1866, William and his elder brother Jacob went to Bishop, Calif. William Powers and Miss [Alzina] Burdick, whom he married in 1870, made, with others, the first American flag seen in Inyo County, from red and blue woolen blankets and white flour sacks."
Longtime resident of Bishop, Inyo, California. Born at Henry County, Indiana. Crossed the Oregon Trail with his family beginning in the spring of 1863 via ox cart. The Powers family journey across the trail is detailed in a multi-page essay written by his sister Laura Powers Frager. They briefly settled near Carson City at Genoa, Nevada before relocating south to Bishop Creek (later Bishop), Inyo County, California.
Worked as a farmer. Married Alzina Cenora Burdick on 29 Nov 1870, and the couple soon purchased her father Alden Burdick's ranch/farm homestead property in Bishop from him. Alzina's mother Alzina Shepard Burdick was buried on the west side of the property; more local residents began to bury their dead nearby, and the area is now known as the West Line Street (or "Pioneer") Cemetery of Bishop. In addition, the Burdick/Powers land the is where the modern hospital and schools now stand.
William served as the treasurer for the Bishop Creek Water Company in Dec 1896 (Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle-Union, 16 Feb 1978, p. 15). Appears to have been known at times within the community as "Will Powers" (Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle-Union, 10 Jul 1951, p. 14).
Obituary states that he died while camping with family at McGee Creek in Long Valley, Mono County, California, around ten miles northwest of Bishop.
Inyo Register, 25 Jul 1918, p. 1:
"William H. Powers - One of the Earliest Permanent Residents of This Neighborhood
One of the builders of the community passed away Tuesday, in the sudden death of William Haymond Powers. The end came almost without warning. He and members of his family, with others, had been camped on McGee creek, in Long Valley, for over two weeks. Tuesday morning he did not feel well, complaining of a pain in his chest. About 7 o'clock that evening there came a sudden attack, and he passed away.
Mr. Powers was born August 18, 1846, in Henry county, Indiana, and lived there with his parents until the spring of 1863. That year the family crossed the plains, with ox teams and desert schooners, and by fortunate chance missed all trouble with the Indians. They settled in Carson Valley, Nevada. William and his older brother Jacob came to Bishop in the spring of 1866, as drivers of an ox team belonging to Elisha Mallory, for whom he worked for several years.
Mr. Powers, aided by the young lady who later became his wife and by [August Anthony] Cashbaugh and John Clarke, made the first flag flown by civilians in this part of the valley. Red and blue flannel blankets and white flour sacks were used for its material. Flying it from a willow staff, the young men visited all the scattered dwellings in this end of the valley, on the Fourth of July, 1867, making their journey in a vehicle drawn by an ox and a mule. This was probably the first recognition of the national holiday in northern Inyo, except a celebration in Owensville three years before.
[Thomas] Soper had a squatter's claim to a tract of land, and sold it to Mr. [Alden] Burdick, who in turn sold it to W.H. Powers. The latter was married to Miss Alzina Burdick November 29, 1870, and the young couple made their home on that property thenceforward. There were born their children, all of whom are living. These include [William] Allen Powers, Mrs. Myrtle McKellips, of Merced county, Mrs. Melva Carpenter, of Bakersfield, Mrs. Leota Van Fleet, of Bishop, Ernest Powers, of Bishop, Mrs. Jessie White, of Lothair, Montana, Mrs. Nora Cox, of Bishop. The devoted and loved wife and mother [Alzina Powers] passed away in May of last year, and her loss shadowed the husband's remaining days.
William Powers was an exemplary citizen, in the days when wide-open conditions ruled as well as when upright living was more the established order. He was a man of integrity and uprightness in every sense. He lived out man's allotted span of life in the respect and esteem of all, and leaving to those who survive him a memory to be revered and treasured.
He is survived, in addition to his children, by two sisters, Mrs. E.M. [Sarah Powers] Chamberlain and Mrs. Jacob [Laura Powers] Frager, and three brothers, [Edward West] Powers, Stanton R. Powers, and Charles Powers."
--------
Obituary for William Haymond Powers from the Engineering & Mining Journal, Volume 106, published in 1918:
"William Haymond Powers, pioneer of Inyo County, Calif., died at Bishop on July 23. He was born in Henry County, Indiana, in 1848, and, with his parents, crossed the plains to Nevada in 1863, traveling by ox team. The family settled in Carson Valley, but later, in 1866, William and his elder brother Jacob went to Bishop, Calif. William Powers and Miss [Alzina] Burdick, whom he married in 1870, made, with others, the first American flag seen in Inyo County, from red and blue woolen blankets and white flour sacks."
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