PLSO The Oregon Surveyor Sept/Oct 2019

24 Vol. 42, No. 5 The Oregon Surveyor | The Lost Surveyor as a surveyor not long after arriving in Or- egon and was also engaged in farming. By 1853, he was working as a Compassman on surveys in Washington. By 1861, he re- ceived a contract of his own to complete surveys of townships near Hermiston, Or- egon. In 1862, he was named by Abraham Lincoln as the Special Indian Agent for the Umatillas. T.W. Davenport surveyed and filed the plat of the Town of Umatilla on June 6, 1863. Umatilla has been spelled many ways as the white man apparently struggled to decipher the native word for the river of the same name. Lewis and Clark’s jour- nals record the spelling as “Youmalolam.” Since that time numerous other interpre- tations and spellings have been used. For a short time prior to 1863, Umatilla was known as Columbia or Columbia City, but that name did not last long. Since 1863, Umatilla, as it is called today, has been known as the Town of Umatilla, Uma- tilla Landing and Umatilla City. Umatilla Landing competed with Grande Ronde Landing for control of the commerce on this section of the Columbia River, how- ever, Umatilla Landing prevailed and the latter faded away. By 1864, our Lost Surveyor had returned to western Oregon and entered politics. He was first elected to the position of Marion County Surveyor, re-elected in 1866, elected to Representative in the State Legislature in 1868 and eventual- ly moved to the state Senate in 1882. In 1895, T.W. Davenport was appointed by Governor WilliamP. Lord as Oregon’s first State Land Agent. He held this position for four years and was known for his abilities to uncover fraudulent land claims, which eventually led to the Oregon Land Fraud Trials. It should come as no surprise to sur- veyors that in his political life Davenport was known as one who was not afraid to state his opinions! In the later years of his life, T.WDavenport became a prolific contributor tomagazines, to the Oregonian, and to the Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society. Through his writings he became known as “The Sage of Silverton.” Timothy Woodbridge Daven- port’s writings have been collected into a single volume, Timothy Woodbridge Daven- port: The CollectedWorks , available through the Silverton Country Historical Society. Timothy Woodbridge Davenport’s life was memorialized in “TheMorning Oregonian” of Monday May 8, 1911 with the headline “Pioneer’s Life Praised.” The article states that Homer receivedwords of condolence fromPresident TheodoreRoosevelt, aswell as many well-known national politicians and others. The life of our Lost Surveyor is best summarized in this article by his son’s words in the newspaper, “Fewmen in this country possessed the acquaintance of so many men connected with American his- tory as my father.” He goes on to state “… Of all the men I ever knew, my father, to my notion, possessed a more wondrous mind, was more of a child of nature and had a broader concept of a man’s duty in this world than any man I ever knew. His scholarly attainments, his ability to say the right thing, his philosophy of life were high even when compared with some of the brightest minds of the world…” Roos- evelt said of Davenport, “One of the finest types of pioneers, of the men who made the country.” Sounds like an Oregon Surveyor, a Lost Surveyor, we can all celebrate. x Umatilla Landing Park is located on the right bank of the river downstream and adjacent to the Umatilla River Bridge. A small interpretive display and picnic area are present. Plat of Umatilla filed by Davenport June 1886 continues T