66 'were short of stature, and altogether the most miserable, wild, and rascally looking tribe I had seen on this side of the Rocky mountains." From the fact that many of the men distinguished in the history of the state settled in early times there, or got their start in life there, the county has secured the credit of being a talisman of good luck to all its sons and daughters. To say of a man "that he got his start in Yamhill," is much more than the newcomer would think it counted for. It attracts attention, and if the subject will bear inspection, it gives him a good start in politics, education or the church. The state's most distinguished judge (Matthew P. Deady), and the most distinguished lawyer (David Logan), started in Yamhill. The county has furnished a Congressman (John R. McBride); a governor (George L. Woods); a United States senator, George W. McBride; the first president of the state university, John W. Johnson; the present state superintendent of public schools, L. R. Alderman; Dr. James McBride, delegate of the American Medical Association to the International Medical Congress at Budapest in 1911, and chairman of the section devoted to the investigation of neurotic and mental diseases, chief justice of the supreme court, Thos. A. McBride; General Joel Palmer, superintendent of Indian affairs; an associate justice of the supreme court, George H. Burnett; a judge of the state circuit court, William Galloway; Dr. James McBride, father of all the McBrides, and United States Minister to the Sandwich Islands, and many other men distinguished in all walks of life. The first cargo of wheat and the first cargo of flour shipped from Oregon to a foreign market was furnished by Yamhill county. And the first corporation that built a railroad in Oregon was organized at Amity, Yamhill county, on May 25, 1867. The first board of directors of which were James T. Belcher, of Lafayette, Wm. T. Newby, of McMinnville; Thomas R. Cornelius, of Washington county; W. C. Whitson, of Dallas, Polk county; and Joseph Gaston, of Portland. In many ways Yamhill county has been influential in the history and formation of the state. Among the early pioneers Peter H. Burnett was a Supreme Judge of the Provisional Government, and appointed one of the first United States Territorial judges, and afterwards became the first governor of California. Orville C. Pratt, another United States Territorial judge, also removed to California and became a judge of the Supreme court of that state. Old Lafayette once figured as the "Athens" of Oregon, and the classic halls of its old court house reverberated the thundering eloquence of Deady, Logan, Pratt, Williams, Burnett, Chapman, Dryer, Nesmith and others. And in commercial importance it was scarcely less important than in politics. At one time Lafayette had far more business than Portland, and more than thirty stores of all kinds flourished and sent away pack trains of merchandise to the mines of southern Oregon and northern California. The county has always led the way in educational matters, and has founded and liberally supports two of the best colleges in the state. The census returns of the population for Yamhill county are as follows: For the year 1850-1,512; 1860-3,245; 1870-5,012; 1880-7,945; 189010,692; 1900-13,420; 1910-18,285. And for Indians, for 1900-236; 1910-204. That the grand total of assesments for Yamhill county in the year 1853 was only $751,024. Land was not assessed, the title to all land being at that |