Stevens, William M. First white settler south of the McKenzie River in the Willamette Forks area - 1847, house on Game Farm Rd.∼The Eugene Weekly Guard
Lane County, Oregon
June 15, 1901

Pioneers Given New Graves
—
William M. Stevens was the first settler to locate a claim in all that fair land that stretches from the Willamette to the McKenzie river, commonly known as the "Forks of the Willamette." He located his donation land claim of a mile square in October, 1847, and with his three eldest sons, Isaac, Ashley and Alvin, commenced the erection of a dwelling in the following December.

Mr. Stevens was accidently killed by a horse May 25, 1860. The pioneer was laid to rest in the Armitage cemetery, and there, too, were laid the companion who shared his joys and sorrows, a son, Harrison, and a daughter with her three children. The other day the surviving sons removed the honored dust to the Gillespie cemetery, across the rive from Eugene. The boards that held the earth from the sister's coffin, buried in 1854, were found sound. In grave of the mother, buried twenty-two years ago, the silk tie with which she was buried about her throat retained its color and texture. ∼THE EUGENE DAILY GUARD 1-23-1912

THE EARLY HISTORY OF SPRINGFIELD

In the summer of 1847, W. M. Stevens and Jacob Spores, accompanied by their families, crossed the plains and arrived at a small settlement near Salem about the middle of Oct. Mr. Spores did not remain there long, but came up the river and located on a claim north of what is now known as the Coburg bridge. Mr. Stevens left his family at the settlement near Salem and came on horseback to where Spores was located. He rode to the top of the butte overlooking the part of the valley now occupied by Springfield, and was so favorably impressed by its appearance that he returned to Salem for his three oldest sons, and with their help built a house and fenced three acres of ground. This house was built during the winter of 1847, and was the first one constructed on that side of the river, its exact location being two miles north of Springfield, and his claim proved to be a veritable garden spot. It took Mr. Stevens and his sons the greater part of the winter to finish the above mentioned task, and as soon as spring opened the rest of the family was brought down from the settlement. There were ten children in the family, three girls, and seven boys, at the time of the arrival, but early in 1849 a daughter, Mandelia, was born, and she was the first white child to be born in Lane County. The children were Harrison, Ashley, Bee, Isaac, James, father of mayor Stevens, William,, and Charles; Mrs. S. J. Armitage, Mrs. George Thompson, Mrs. Green Linville and Mandelia, who died at the age of five. Uncle Isaac is the only son living, and Mrs. S. J. Armitage of Eugene, Mrs. Geo. Thompson of San Francisco, and Mrs. Green Linville of Lakeview, Ore. are the surviving daughters. William M. Stevens was accidently killed by a horse May 25, 1860. He was in a corral trying to catch the horse and was struck in the breast by a rail which was dislocated by the horse in his efforts to get away. Mrs. Stevens death occurred in September 1879. During the famous gold strike in California in 49, Mr, Stevens Sr. operated a ferry at the foot of the butte near the present location of the Charles Rivett residence, and it was made of two canoes lashed together. At the same time the two older sons operated a ferry on the McKenzie, near where the Coburg bridge now is. Their boat was made of boards cut by the old whipsaw method. In order to span the river they were forced to make a rope of rawhide, which took five large hides in its construction. During the first year the family were so unfortunate as to lose their entire bunch of hogs. Feed was scarce and the porkers were turned loose to feed on camas that grew in abundance over the ground upon which the town of Springfield now stands. It was thought that they became the prey of wolves and cougars.∼"Illustrated History of Lane County, Oregon." Portland, Oregon: A. G. Walling,
publisher, 1884. pg. 488.

WILLIAM M. STEVENS
(Deceased) The subject of this sketch was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 27, 1805, where he grew to man's estate and married Hixey V. Jones, with whom, in 1828, he moved to what was then known as Ray county, East Tennessee. Here his eldest son, Harrison Andrew, was born, January 1, 1829. In 1836 he transferred his location to Polk county, Missouri, and there resided until
determining to cross the plains to the "ultima thule" of Oregon, for he had heard of the large donation claims being given there to men of families by the government. May 7, 1847, found Mr. Stevens crossing the Missouri line alone with his family, but falling in with other trains on the route, they together made the journey and endured the hardships attending such an expedition, eventually arriving at Barlow's Gate, near the Cascade mountains, on the twenty-fifth of September. From that point he moved onto and rented a piece of land near Salem from Charley Matt, where a crop was raised, but being dissatisfied with the location, Mr. Stevens sought elsewhere for property more suited to his requirements. In the month of October he came to the dwelling of Jacob. C. Spores, accompanied by Mr. Ware, where they were ferried across the McKenzie river by Indians, their horses swimming the stream, and proceeding but a short distance found a tract of land that accorded with his taste, "located" it and then returned to Salem, brought his three eldest sons with him and commenced the erection of a house in December, 1847, the rest of his family joining him on Christmas Day of that year. This was the first house erected in what is known as the Forks of the Willamette, the timber used in its construction being the first cut by a white man in that vicinity. At first they had frequent visits from bands of Indians, who, beyond evincing an obtrusive curiosity, scarcely ever molested them, yet their presence was not re-assuring, and caused much anxiety to the female members of the family. In the fall of 1848 Mr. Stevens and his sons broke forty acres of ground directly back of the homestead with a wooden plow and iron share and six yoke of oxen, which was afterwards sown to wheat; in the spring of 1849, they planted corn and garden produce on fifteen acres of land, the balance of the six hundred and forty acres taken up affording pasturage for the sixteen yoke of oxen and seventy-five head of cattle Mr. Stevens had brought with him. The return of vegetables was enormous. Our subject now erected a cabin for Captain Felix Scott in the summer of 1849, the second dwelling in that section of the county, while during that year he conducted what was afterwards called Briggs' Ferry on the South Fork of the Willamette. Further particulars of the life of this pioneer will be found in the special history of the settlement of the Forks of the Willamette. He resided on his farm, leading a useful life, but on May 25, 1860, it was cut short by accident, the immediate cause being a horse, an animal the he looked upon with almost human affection. He left a large family, consisting of the following sons and daughters:
ASHLAND ORLANDO, the second son of the above pioneer was born in Ray county, Tennessee, August 22, 1830, and came to Oregon with his parents and now occupies the old homestead. He married Mary Margaret Steward, who came to Lane county in 1852, on August 15, 1855, she being a native of Missouri, and has a surviving family of three daughters, viz: Mary Elon, Marth Elizabeth, and Rowena Belle.
ALVIN BURT, the third child, was born in Tennessee, March 14, 1832, and is now a resident of California.
SARAH JANE, now Mrs. George H. Armitage, was born in Tennessee, October 4, 1833, and resides with her husband near Eugene city.
ISAAC E. was born in Tennessee, March 1, 1835, and is now a resident of Lane county.
MARY ANN was born in Hickory county, Missouri.
JAMES ANDERSON was born in Polk county, Missouri, January 26, 1839, and now resides on the farm adjoining the old homestead. He accompanied his parents to this State and county and, November 22, 1868, married Emily F. Greenwood, who was born November 23, 1848, and crossed the plains in 1852. Their family consists of Charles Lenn, Welby and Maggie.
EMMALINE MATILDA, the third daughter of Mr. Stevens, was born in Polk county, Missouri March 16, 1841, and is now Mrs. Linville.
WILLIAM HENRY was born in Polk county, Missouri, Marcy 7, 1843, and died on the farm adjoining the old homestead on the north, October 11, 1883.
CHARLES JEFFERSON was born in Polk county, Missouri, January, 28, 1845, and died December 20, 1864.
MANDELY CAROLINE, the youngest child of the old pioneer, was born under the family roof-tree in Lane county, February 18, 1849, and died, February 5, 1854.