Which future American president saved the lives of Waters Carman and two other young men in 1831?
Stay tuned to the end of the newsletter to find out more!
After his first wife died and his business went bankrupt, Waters Carman left his children with his father and joined the California gold rush in 1849. Without much luck, he moved to Oregon and became a border in the household of Albert Durham, founder of Oswego.
He worked in Durham's lumbermill on Sucker Creek (Oswego Creek) for a short time before marrying widow Lucretia Allyn Gurney and building a house on their donation land claim. This house is still the oldest existing house in Lake Oswego today.
But before he came west, Waters Carman was living in Illinois, which is where this incident took place.
Each year, we present the C. Herald Campbell award to someone (or a group of someones) who exemplify the Oswego Heritage Council's mission to preserve and promote local history. We were excited to present it to Lake Oswego High School's History Bowl Club for the hard work their students have put toward the Heritage House.
The club has done all sorts for us: spread dirt in the garden, decorated and cleaned the house, set-up and tore-down exhibits, transcribed documents, and even acted as ghosts from the archives for our Halloween event.
The award was accepted by co-presidents of the club, Kai Plumbo and Jake Brenden. Kai joined our board a few months ago, so you'll likely see him around! If you do, make sure to congratulate him on the award.
Kathryn Sinor
Executive Director
CHECK OUT OUR 2025 ANNUAL REPORT!
Recently, longtime supporter Joe Smith donated this scythe, pictured in the c. 1938 photo of Donald Meyer (son of Clara and Don Meyer, great grandson of Waters Carman) harvesting field grass. The Meyer family was a dairy farming family living at the intersection of Atwater Lane and Atwater Road. Donald Meyer was a good friend of the Tedrow and Smith families until his death in 1997, which is how the scythe came to be in Joe's possession.
Joe wrote, "As I was salvaging some wood from the attic, I saw this wood handle and when I pulled it out, it became a scythe. I suspected it was Donald's Scythe because he was the only person in our neighborhood who ever used one. At minimum it was in the attic 20 years. [...] I know Dad had borrowed it from Donald a couple times in the early 1950s so he was familiar with it. When I compared the scythe with a picture from the Meyer historical picture collection, it was a match. I kept it in my shop for 7 years while I was trying to find a suitable home. When the completion of the new Heritage House Museum created an opportunity, I donated it in January 2026."
If you have historic photographs from Lake Oswego, including its early residents, we'd love to see them! They may be used in an upcoming project. You don't have to gift them to our archives; we'd be happy to scan them and return them to you. Reach out to us by responding to this newsletter, emailing director@oswegoheritage.org, or giving us a call at (503) 635-6373.
ALSO... DO YOU SPEAK GERMAN?
If you speak German and would be willing to help us translate some World War I-era records for research into one of our family collections, we'd be grateful to have your help!!! The story of this family takes us directly to the frontlines of the war, and we're eager to learn more but need German to do so. Reach out to us by responding to this newsletter, emailing director@oswegoheritage.org, or giving us a call at (503) 635-6373.
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Interested in being a museum docent? Want to volunteer to help the Oswego Heritage House open for additional hours?
Come to our DOCENT TRAINING on Saturday, April 4th, from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. You'll discover behind-the-scenes of our new exhibit, learn how to guide guests, and get an understanding of the logistics it takes to be a museum docent.
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JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH, AT 5:30 PM FOR OSWEGO PIONEER CEMETERY:
REMEMBERING DEAD STRANGERS
More than just a resting place, the Oswego Pioneer Cemetery serves as an outdoor archive of our community’s heritage. Join us for a look into the cemetery’s 170-year history, ongoing maintenance efforts, and some remarkable life (and death) stories of the people who turned Oswego from just another place into a home.
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INTERESTED IN THIS SEASON'S CHAUTAUQUA LINE-UP?
March 4th: The Oswego Pioneer Cemetery by Courtney Clements and Angie Baker
April 1st: Living on Cascadia: Are We Ready for the Big One? by Professor Scott Burns
May 6th: Porch Time: Home Life and Leisure in the Early 20th Century by Kay Demlow
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You’re Invited!
Join us Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Cultural Center at Historic City Hall for the opening celebration for a brand new, community-curated exhibit!
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Hear from exhibitors to describe how their site and story are part of the unique fabric of places and people that make up this region. While not an exhaustive representation of regional history, this installation highlights the richness and diversity of our community. On view at the Community Cultural Center at Historic City Hall in West Linn, this evolving exhibit will return in future years with new voices and new stories. The Oswego Heritage Council is featured as part of this exhibit!
Our opening celebration will be a chance to connect with exhibitors, network with other local history enthusiasts, and share some delicious treats.
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When: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Historic City Hall, 22825 Willamette Drive, West Linn, OR
Host: Willamette Falls & Landings Heritage Area Coalition
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JOIN US AT THE MUSEUM OF THE OREGON TERRITORY FOR STORIES FROM THE OSWEGO HERITAGE COUNCIL ARCHIVES!
In 2020, a collection of love letters was discovered in the attic of a historic house in Lake Oswego. They revealed the story of a local man freshly back from World War I and the 306 love letters sent to him by multiple young women. Discover the voices of these women, the hardships they faced, and the love they shared, all the way from a Washington logging camp to a Portland hotel to an Oregon schoolhouse in a present-day ghost town. In this lecture by Kathryn Sinor, delve into the lives and perspectives that often get washed away to history, all through the eyes of an Oswego heartbreaker.
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Did you figure out which future American president saved the lives of Waters Carman and two other young men in 1831?
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One day in the spring of 1831, following 'the Winter of the Deep Snow' while trying to cross a raging stream in a canoe, Waters Carman found himself cold and wet trapped and clinging to a small flimsy tree.
Abraham Lincoln, John Hanks and John Johnson assisted by John Seamon and Waters Carman built the flatboat spoken of in his biography for Denton Offutt. He began in March 1831, just as the deep snow went off. Mr. Roll made the pins for putting the boat together. They made a dug-out canoe to go with the boat as a yawl. John Seaman and Waters Carman got into it to take the first ride. It upset with them and floated away while they took refuge in a tree. Lincoln saved them by swimming to the tree with a log, having a long rope attached.
After getting all on it, those on shore drew it in.
Want to learn more about Waters Carman's life before he came to Oswego? Explore the new biographical information, researched and assembled by OHC Archivist Mark Browne, on our website.
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