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by Sue Crispen Shaffer, Chairman
Cow Creek Band Of Umpqua Tribe Of IndiansWilliam Prior Thomason, direct descendant of the "First Families of Virginia" was born June 28, 1818 at Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky. His lineage dated back to the ancient Scottish Highlanders.
After being educated in private schools, he enlisted in the Mexican War in July 1847 and served under General Price with the Santa Fe Battalion, US Army, until October 1848. He then returned to the family plantation at Kearney, Missouri where he remained for a short period before his footsteps again turned West.
During much of his lifetime, Captain Thomason kept a daily diary, the volumes of which are treasured by his descendants. Following is a direct quotation from his diary of this time:
"Fort Leavenworth, April 10, 1849. I am at the fort again. There is an army preparing to start enroute across the Great American desert to Oregon Territory. This army is commanded by an officer by the name of Loering. Colonel Loering and also Major or Colonel Curtis and Major Sanderson were the head officers of the above named army, Captain Frost, the chief quarter master of Colonel Loering's army employed my service as guide across the great desert for which he agreed or promised to give me for my service one hundred and twenty five dollars equal to gold or silver coin per month. I was placed in the advance guard with three companies under Major Sanderson. When we arrived at Fort Laramie my service was not needed any longer. Major Sanderson gave me a discharge with a voucher certifying that there was one hundred and seventy five dollars due me for my service as guide and for the use of my horse from the quarter master department of Colonel Loering's army--for the above named service I have never received a dollar."For a period of the next eight years, he was engaged in guiding troops and emigrants across the Rockies to the Oregon Territory.
While at Old Fort Colville, he met Susan Notah, who was an interpreter for the Catholic Mission. They were married there on July 20, 1857 by Father Joseph. During the next few years he was employed transporting mules for the government. And here is a direct quote from the writings of Ellen (Nellie) Crispen, granddaughter of W. P. Thomason relating to his coming to Southern Oregon:
"William P. Thomason and his wife, Susan, with their two small daughters Mary and Matilda settled in the beautiful Elk Creek Valley, so named by W. P. Thomason in 1865. They at that time thought the stop was temporary as they were on their way to a mining camp in California, but an epidemic of cholera halted them, so they concluded to wait until it subsided.The following October their son, Robert Wesley, was born. He was later well known for his mining activities having discovered the Rainbow Copper Mine on Drew Creek in 1898, and with his brother, Lewis, developed the "Red Cloud" cinnabar mine located on the head waters of Cow Creek in 1904. Later, William, Madeline, Maude, Dolly and Lewis were born, also Elizabeth who died in infancy."
With his own holdings and the open range, Thomason ranged cattle and sheep over several thousand acres of land from the Callahan Range to what is now known as the summit. As a result a long standing range war and the grudge that resulted from it, Thomason was shot while sitting on the main street of Canyonville visiting with a friend, by a man by the name of Eddings on July 27, 1883. He was buried somewhere near to what is the present Canyonville Cemetery. Although what is known as the Thomason Cemetery at Drew was consecrated by the Catholic Church in about 1866 on property that was part of the original ranch, due to lack of transportation, it was necessary to bury him in Canyonville.
Several of his children lived their entire lives in the South Umpqua Valley. One daughter, Dolly, his only living child, aged 91 lives in Rose Haven Nursing Home in Roseburg. Direct descendants still living in this area are the Charles and Roy Jackson families at Drew and Sue Crispen Shaffer, who are great grandchildren of William P. Thomason and also several great-great grandchildren.
(Pioneer Days In Canyonville, Canyonville Lions Club 1968, pp. 31-36)
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