Early Life on the Farm
by Hugh Mount
Portland, OR
Hanson and Lavina Stevens made their way west on the Oregon Trail arriving in Oregon City on June 15th 1853. Hanson and Lavina made a land claim and were granted a 320 acre plot of land on the west bank of the Pudding River. Married settlers arriving before December 1st, 1850, were awarded 640 acres, half of which would be taken in the wife’s name on her own right.
There remain only a few reminiscences of early life on the farm. In one story Lavina was reportedly alone in the cabin when she noticed some Indians at the window. They indicated that they were hungry, so she opened the door and gave them some of her freshly baked bread. The next morning Hanson opened the door to find a newly killed deer on their doorstep in payment for the bread. They had heard no sound during the night.
Hanson and Lavina are buried side by side at the Bethany Cemetery near Silverton.
