Mrs. Eliza Finley Brandon relates the following about her father, Richard Chism Finley and the old Finley mills (45):

“I was born in 1848.  My mother was Polly Ann Kirk, daughter of Alexander Kirk. She died in 1866.

“The other settlers encouraged father to establish a mill on the Calapooia. He selected a site at some small falls or rapids a short distance below the present town of Crawfordsville. A relative of the Courtneys had already claimed this site, but had made no improvements whereby he might legally hold it. After my father had built his cabin the man, MacAlester, returned and made threats against him, but finally left, never to return. The incident incensed the Courtneys and for a long time they would have no dealings with the Finleys.

“Father started his mill in 1847. In building it he became indebted to almost every one in the region. About the time the mill was completed in 1848 — news of the California gold strike reached the Calapooia. My father saw hopes of finding a quick way out of his debts and, on the day the mill was finished, ground wheat in it in the forenoon, and in the afternoon mounted a horse and rode away to the mines.

“He was quite successful and often sent gold dust to my mother to be used in paying off debts. When the settlers heard, they were anxious to see it.  Each would pour a little in his palm and finger it, then pour it back into the pouch. However, a little would always stick to the hand and my mother worked out a scheme to prevent this waste. She kept the dust as short a time as possible - in fact tried to apply it on debt payments as soon as it arrived.

“The first winter in Oregon, before the mill was finished, was hard on my parents. The family had almost nothing to eat at times. Wheat was ground in the coffee mill and bread was made from it merely by mixing it with water. There was not even salt to season it with, nor grease of any sort for shortening. Parched peas were ground for coffee. My father was always more or less of a cripple and could therefore do but little hunting. Once in a while he would get a poor thin deer, but the meat was so bad and rank that never afterwards could my mother bear the taste of venison. My father bought a small pig during the winter. He smoked it and hung the meat up in the cabin to keep it. My mother often told me how her hungry children would sit on the floor before the fireplace gazing up at that pork and crying to have some of it, but she had to save it for use in case of sickness.

“My father’s lameness made riding painful. He went to the mines on horseback but returned by ship from San Francisco to Oregon City.. When he reached there he was taken ill and sent word to mother. Mother went to Tim. Riggs, a neighbor, and secured the use of his horse. The two started for Oregon City. They would 'ride and tie’, that is, one would ride for a time, then tie the horse to a tree and walk on. The other would walk until the horse was reached, then ride till the first walker was overtaken and some distance beyond, when the horse would be tied again. Finally Oregon City was reached. Just as the two emerged from the woods they caught sight of Finley getting up from a chair on the porch of a house and walk through the door - and realized that he must be better. 

“The first house my father built was a log cabin.  It was in the field quite a distance back of the present John McKercher house, well away from mill. My mother insisted on this location because there were so many rough miners coming to the mill to get their wheat ground. The miners would come with their wheat from many, many miles away and were often compelled to remain overnight. My father kept them and fed them at the mill, but mother  would not allow them to stay at the house to associate with her ‘house full of girls’.

“The present Finley house, across the river south of the mill and fast going to ruin, was built for my oldest sister when she married father’s miller, Cyrus Vawter, about 1858.

“The first school in the Finley neighborhood was east of the old cemetery about one half a quarter (land measure). The first teacher was a man named Hull. He was a terrible cruel man. His only thought was to whip, and whip, and whip. Just a short time before I started to school he had thrown an open knife at one of the girl pupils. It struck her on the temple just above the eye and cut a deep gash. I cannot imagine how the settlers allowed such a man to go on teaching the children from year to year as they did.  I had heard so many stories about this man and his terrible ways that when it came my time to go to school I was terribly frightened.

“The first mill my father built on the upper Calapooia was not very large. The building was not over twelve or fifteen feet square, and was washed away during the great floods of 1861—62.  ‘The second mill was built before the first one was destroyed. It still stands.

“My father built the original mill at the old town of Boston, near Shedd. He owned a half-interest in it and Alex Brandon and P. V. Crawford each owned a one-fourth interest. It was soon destroyed by fire. I do not think that the fire was set to prevent Boston from becoming the county seat. With the flouring mill was a carding factory. There a fire was kept burn all the time to warm the wool as it was worked. I believe the fire started here.

“Soon after the fire the Boston Mill was rebuilt   All of the massive timbers for both mills were out and hewed by hand in the woods near Crawfordsville and hauled to Boston. This was done twice; once for each building, an immense task.

“The town of Boston was never very large.  I know that Crawford lived there, and Alex Brandon, my father’s partners. My own husband was Thomas Brandon; a brother of Alex.

Brownsville Quick Facts

Location:  Twp 13S, Rge 2W, Sect 31, also 14S, R2W, Sec 6 

Name Origin:  Hugh Brown, early settler. 

Other Names:  Kirk's Ferry, Calapooya 

Post Office Established:  18 May 1859 

First Postmaster:  James W. Meach 

Incorporation Date:  1876 

Population 1999:  1495 

Sketches & Photos:  J M Moyer, M.A.E. Swank, Brownsville Woolen Mills, Wagon Bridge

More Links:

Hugh Leeper Brown

Brownsville History

Brownsville Woolen Mill - Fire

Further Reading:

"Brownsville" by Margaret Standish Carey & Patricia Hoy Hainline