Biography of Thomas R. Irwin, 1902, Baker Co. Oregon: Surnames: Irwin, Robinson, Coggan, Ramsey, Stone. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access and not to be removed separately without written permission. ************************************************************************ Transcribed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: W. David Samuelsen - November 2001 ************************************************************************ An Illustrated History of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties, pub. 1902 by Western Historical Pub. Co. of Chicago. page 343 Thomas R. Irwin Like many other citizens who have distinguished themselves in the industrial upbuilding of this section, our subject is a native of Ireland, his birthplace being Newtown-Limavady, Derry county, and the date 1839. In 1849 he accompanied his parents, Thomas and Hannah (Ramsey) Irwin, to the United States. For a number of years afterward he remained under the parental roof, but in 1864 he, his father and three brothers came west to Montana, where they remained two years. Our subject then came on to Portland, Oregon, the others returning east. For the ensuing three years he worked for wages, hauling lumber to Oregon City, on contract for a portion of the time, then removed to southern Oregon, where he lived about eighteen months. He then went to Central City, Nebraska, farming in the vicinity of that town for another period of a year and a half, after which he came again to Oregon, halting first in Union, but soon coming to Pine valley. In 1881 he pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land four and a half miles northwest of the Pine post-office, where he has been engaged in general farming and stock raising ever since. His energies are, however, too great to be confined to farming, and for the past fifteen or sixteen years he has also been engaged in mining. He has five or six ledges on Snake river, and most of the mines now being worked at Cornucopia were discovered by him, twenty-four mines in that locality being located in one year. This by energy and resourcefulness he has been enabled to add very materially to the wealth and prosperity of Baker county and earned the right to be considered one of its benefactors. In Portland, Oregon, in the year 1873, Mr. Irwin married Mrs. George Coggan, daughter of Ezra and Fannie (Robinson) Stone, natives of Ohio, and they have one child, Ira at home. At one time our subject had a white horse stolen from his barn, and it may be of interest to record his experiences in pursuing the thief. The horse was taken in Silver City, Idaho, and the thief at once struck out toward the Nevada line, whither he was followed by Mr. Irwin, who was guided by the tracks of the horse. The day before he came upon his man Mr. Irwin was set upon by seven Indians, whom he motioned back. The reds paid no attention, so he got off of his horse and shot two of their ponies, whereupon they concluded to go, through they followed him at a distance all day. The next day Mr. Irwin saw the thief going down towards the Humboldt, got ahead of him, met him, got the drop on him, and secured his prisoner and his horse.