The country adjacent to
Lebanon
was first
called Kees Precinct, after Morgan and Jacob Kees (71), who settled
there in 1848. The first elections were held in 1848 at the house of
Morgan Kees, which stood on the site of
Lebanon
, the poll
being 38 votes. Judges were Morgan Kees, Jeremiah Ralston and William
Gore; clerks Elinor Galaher and Asa. H, Peterson (72).
Jeremiah Ralston had the site of
Lebanon
surveyed and recorded in 1851, and named the town after
Mount Lebanon
in
Syria
(73). However, accounts of how the name originated differ.
It is claimed that Ralston named his town site after
Lebanon
,
Ohio
, from which place he started west (74). Also that he named it after his
birthplace,
Lebanon
,
Tennessee
, near
Nashville
(75).
An
account of how the country around
Lebanon
looked in the
early days is furnished by Mrs. Rebecca N. Bell Hope, a girl pioneer of
1851 (76):
“The
vast prairie from the Santiam to the Calapooya and further, was covered
with native grass, tall and waving in the sea breeze wafted
here from the
Pacific Ocean
. Small herds
of Spanish cattle belonging to the settlers who lived along the timber
and surrounding hills grazed unmolested.
“The
day was drawing to a close when we came to a log house. The road passed
close by with no fence between. With a large wooden pump standing alone
close to the house it looked inviting. We halted to drink from the well
and to rest for a short time. This was the house of Jeremiah Ralston and
family, the founder of our city of
Lebanon
.
His
son William, then a single man, owned a claim south of his father. His
little house then stood between Mr. Ford’s dwelling and the road just
beyond the (present) power station.
“Lebanon
in its infancy
was by some named ‘Pinhook'. It bore this name for a while before it
assumed the name given it by its founder.
“Peterson
Butte was then Washington Butte and the post office was so called. The
office was one mile out towards the
Butte
.”
Jeremiah
Ralston started for
Oregon
in the spring
of 1847. He was born near
Nashville
,
Tennessee
, in 1797, and
died near Soda Springs, this County, in August, 1877 (77). His wife was
Jemima (Ashpaugh) Ralston of Hamilton County, Ohio, who died
December 25,
1894
, aged 77. The couple had nine children. Mrs. Maud Ralston Kirkpatrick
tells about their arrival in
Oregon
(75):
“Jeremiah
Ralston with his wife and four children started for
Oregon
in the spring
of 1847. The children were William, Joseph, Jane and Jeremiah. Another
son, Charles, father of Mrs. Kirkpatrick, was
born during the crossing of the plains. When Ralston arrived at the
site of
Lebanon
he had 12 yoke
of oxen and three wagons. In those wagons, besides his household goods,
he brought supplies and merchandise with which to start a store. On the
site of Lebanon Ralston found two squatters living — Thomas Morgan and
William Hawk, who had erected a cabin and made some improvements.
Ralston traded $30 and a yoke of oxen for their rights.”
Thomas
Morgan was born in
Iowa
in 1835; he
died at
Plainview
,
Linn
County
,
March 20, 1926
(78). William Hawk was born in
Indiana
in 1824. He
came to
Oregon
in 1845, on
Christmas Day, arriving in
Oregon
City
. He went to
the Cayuse war, and his claim with that of Wm. M.
Smith, was occupied by the Messrs. Taylors, who wore notified to
leave the land by the citizens of
Linn
County
at a meeting
hold
April 9, 1848
,
to
protect war volunteers’ claims (79). He married Sarah Griffith,
daughter of Elisha Griffith, in
Linn
County
, after the
war. The couple had 12 children, eight off whom were living in 1878. Ho
was in the Rogue River War of 1856 for three months, come back to his
farm in Linn County and stayed there (80).
Mrs.
Maud Ralston Kirkpatrick (75) goes on to say that of neighbors to the
Ralston’s there were at that time none, though. shortly thereafter
arrived Morgan and Owen Kees, Wm. B. Gore, Russell Hill and the Wassum
family. Others who followed quickly were the Thomas Summers family, the
Petersons, Cheadles, Parrishes and Settles.
The Kees and the Wassams, nearest neighbors, were distant
relatives of the Ralstons. Jeremiah Ralston laid out and plotted the
town of
Lebanon
in 1852. He
and Morgan Kees each contributed five acres of land, while Owen Kees
gave $1,800 towards an endowment fund for a school, the Santiam Academy,
which was duly incorporated by the
Territorial
Legislature on
January 18,
1851
.
This school become an institution of considerable importance.
At
this period in the early history of the county, (72) the people
generally were engaged in stock raising, that being at the time the most
lucrative business available, as the price of cattle was high, and there
was abundance of the finest pasturage everywhere. In 1851, the name of
the precinct was changed to
Lebanon
, and it was
about this time that the
village
of
Lebanon
was
commenced... The first store was started by Messrs J. and William
Ralston. In 1853 Mr. Leland
built a store.
“The
village has a very pleasant location at the junction of the
Albany
prairie and
the timbered lands bordering the south fork of the
Santiam
River
. The
surrounding country is very fertile and well settled up (1878). The
Albany
and
Santiam
Canal
commences a
short distance from the town, which furnishes a cheap mode of
transportation in boats to
Albany
.
“The
Santiam
Academy
, which is
under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1878), is one of
the principal institutions in the county. It was founded in 1854,
Professor L. Woodward being its first principal; the gentleman at
present (1878) officiating in that capacity is Professor L.J. Gilbert
“There
is (1878) a good flouring mill, owned by Messrs. Jonathan Wassom, John
Little, Richard Cheadle and James L. Cowen; it has three run of stones,
with a capacity of 160 barrels of flour per day. There is also an
excellent sash and planing mill owned by Mr. S. A. Nickerson; both these
works are run by water power. There are three hotels in the town, and
business houses of all kinds. It can also boast a fine hall, which was
recently built by the Lebanon Cornet Band. This town is annually visited
by numbers of people en route to the summer resorts of Soda Springs,
Fish
Lake
, and various
points in the adjacent mountains. There is a daily stage line to
Albany
. The Free
Masons, Odd Fellows and Grangers have lodges in the town. There are also
several churches and a handsome cemetery. The local trade is estimated
to reach $150,000.”
The
U. S. Census of 1870 gave
Lebanon
precinct
a population of 515. In 1880 the town of
Lebanon
was credited
with 270 inhabitants. In 1890 the town of
Lebanon
was listed as
having 829 people; in 1900 - 922; in 1910 — 1820; in 1920 — 1805; in
1930 — 1851. and in 1940 — (
Lebanon
precinct, 859;
North Lebanon
precinct, 903;
and
South Lebanon
precinct,
967).a total of 2,729.
A
post office came rather late to
Lebanon
itself,
Washington Butte post office, near
Lebanon
, served the
town for several years (81). Russell Hill was the first postmaster,
followed by J. W. Bell.
Lebanon
post office
was probably established about 1862. The town was incorporated in 1891.
McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory for 1880—81 lists Lebanon as
having jewelry store run by
A. H. Peterson & Son; and a general merchandise store, owned by J. M. Ralston & Co. R. L.
Polk & Co., Oregon, Washington & Idaho gazetteer for 1886—87
credits Lebanon with two Presbyterian churches; two; schools; a library
with 300 volumes; two flour mills; a sash, door and blind factory; a
bank, fire department and a sawmill eight miles southeast of town. The
volume claims the first session of the U. S. Circuit Court west of the
Rocky Mountains
was held here.
In the Gazetteer for 1891—92
Lebanon
is listed with a paper mill, a weekly paper and electric lights.
