Lone Fir Cemetery
Some Interesting Burial Facts
Name
Lot
Block
History
GPS Lat.
GPS Lon.
Backenstos, J.S.
47
8M
Lt. Col., Commander 1st Military Force to arrive in Oregon
000.0000
000.0000
Barrell, Aurelia & Coburn
1
1
founders of Mt. Crawford Cemetery, later called Lone Fir.


Beck, John Al
2
9M
Jeweler in Portland, wife's stone is a simple slab as she died in need though originally was a very elegant jeweled woman.


Brown, Archie
36
9
On august 23, 1878, they robbed a pawn shop, knocked the owner out and ran.  A constable tried to stop them and they shot at him, missed and hit a boy, Louis Joseph.  They made their escape but were captured, tried, convicted and hung.


Johnson, James
Caples, William, Dr.
31
16
First  practicing physician in Portland

Ceaser, Julius
231
19
Loved baseball.  When greeted would reply, "Play Ball".  This legend is on his grave stone.  Written up in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" column.


Chapman, J.A.
36
3
Mayor, city of Portland, for three terms, 1867-1868; 1875-1877; 1882-1885


Chapman, William, W., Col
7
7M
One of the main factors in making Portland a city, establishing trade, etc., named paper "The Oregonian".


Cole, George E.
61
6
Former postmaster, City of Portland.


Curry, George Law
75
6
Governor, State of Oregon, 1853-?


Dekum, Frank
2H
18
Dekum Building was named after him.


Dobbins, Crawford
1
1
Partner of Barrell and was killed in a steamboat explosion.  The cemetery was originally named after him.


Dryer, Thomas J.
19
3
First editor of The Oregonian.


Evans, William M.
53
8M
Wells attended Evans, a young lawyer, when he was ill with typhoid fever and pneumonia. The two had been friends in Virginia and had come west together.  Soon after Evans died, wells also died.  They lie side by side.


Wells, John T. Dr. (USN)
Frush, W.H.
16
2
Saloon keeper in a bar on 1st street owned by Coburn Barrell.


Fuller, David
6
1
Died in the steamboat explosion with Dobbins.


George, Melvin Clark
19
10M
In 1851 at age 2 came to Oregon over the Old Oregon Trail, Republican member of  Congresses 1881-1885, State circuit court 1897-1907, supervised the construction of the Burnside Bridge.

Hawthorne, James, Dr.
44
8M
Hawthorne Blvd., was named after him.


Hume, William
45
12
Father of the salmon canning industry.


Lake, John
18
2
While all other burials in the cemetery face east, these three persons had relatives that requested they face the north toward a group of trees that fringed the cemetery.


Lake Eleanor
Hawthorne, John
Lane, Harry
51
9
Mayor of the City of Portland for one term 1905-1909


Lovejoy, Asa L.
50
8M
Flipped coin with F.W. Pettygrove to name the city the two of them founded.  Lovejoy lost and the city was named Portland instead of Boston.


Lownsdale, D.H.
24
1
Lownsdale Square was named after him.


The Macleary vault
3
17
Built in 1877 for $13,500 (over a quarter million dollars in today's money) by Don Macleay of whom "Macleay Park" is named.


McNemee, Hannah
67
1
First or second pioneer child born in Oregon.


Millard, Emma
24
2
Organist of the Presbyterian Church which stood where the Dekum Building now stands.


Mitchell, Michael
64
west
He was a jig dancer who was locked out of his rooming house and was found frozen the next morning.  Inscription reads, "Here lies one who has taken steps, that won the applause of men."


Morris, Rodney B.
59
8
Son of Bishop B.W. Morris.  He died at the age of 19, while trying to save the lives of three people.


Murray, Hiatha
42
22
Original owner of the cemetery land.


Murry, Seldon
Ordway, Elliot
1A
18
First person in the cemetery to be buried during the Spanish American War.


Riley, Robert "Earl"
47
8
Mayor of the city of Portland from 1940 - 1948


Robb, John W.
1
9
Murdered in Astoria


Roeder, Frederick
3A
6M
Drowned-stone in replica of disaster that took his life.


Rowe, Henry S.
69
8M
Mayor of  the City of Portland from 1900 - 1902


Stephens, Emmor
18
1
Original burial in 1846 on son's farm prior to sale to Coburn Barrell.


Stephens, Elizabeth
18
1
Original owners of the first ten acres of the cemetery.  Their monument is very interesting.  On one side it shows them as they were, carvings made from a photograph of them.  On the other side the inscription reads, "Here we lie by consent after 57 years, 2 months, 2 days sojourning on earth awaiting nature's immutable laws to return us to the elements of which we were formed".


Stephens, James B.
Simpson, Samuel L.
21
13
 Poet.  As he was about to drowned himself in the Willamette river he reflected on its serenity and its peacefulness.  He had a change of heart and instead wrote the poem "Beautiful Willamette"


Thayer, William Wallace
47
22
Sixth Governor of Oregon - 1878


Tryon, Socrates H.
11
10M
After completing his medical degree, Dr. Tryon moved from Vermont to Hawaii.  In 1849, he left Lahaina and moved to Oregon and settled on 645 acres in Tryon Creek canyon. At age 39 Dr. Tryon died of sciatic rheumatism.  In the 1970's the Tryon Creek area became the world's first state park in a city, the first with a management plan, the first with a nature center, and the first with an "all-abilities" walking trail.