An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, pages 331-332.

DR. BELLE (RINEHART) FERGUSON needs no introduction to the people of Wasco
county or the surrounding country, for her professional services and her high
standing as a lady of refinement and culture have won for her hosts of admirers
from every quarter and she is rightly considered one of the leading physicians
of central Oregon. Her birth occurred in Kansas and when still an infant she was
brought by her parents, Daniel J. and Arvazena (Spillman) Cooper, who are
mentioned in another portion of this work, to The Dalles. After completing a
thorough public and high school education, Miss Cooper entered St. Helens Hall,
in Portland and pursued literary studies farther. Then she matriculated at the
state university medical department and graduated at Portland in 1897. For two
years subsequent to that event, we find Dr. Rinehart practicing in The Dalles,
and then seeing the vast fields of erudition to be had, and well knowing the
need of especial skill and knowledge in the all important profession of
medicine, we find the doctor in the famous Polyclinic institution in New York
where she took a thorough post graduate course. Returning to The Dalles, she was
married to Dr. Ferguson, of whom mention is made in another place of this work.      

Formerly, Miss Cooper married Dr. Willard E. Rinehart, who was born near Albany,
Oregon. He was a member of the well known Rinehart family of Oregon,
representatives of which are in various portions of the state. The doctor was
for some time professor of anatomy in the Willamette University, Oregon. He was
a skilled and leading physician, having been graduated from the Jefferson
Medical College of Philadelphia, and the Bellevue Medical College of New York
city. The marriage of Dr. Rinehart and Miss Cooper occurred in The Dalles, in
1881, and to them four children were born, named as follows: Willard S., in the
United States naval service; J. Carl and H. Earl, twins, the former a graduate
of the Agricultural College at Corvallis, and the latter now studying; and
Phillip C., at college in Corvallis.  Mrs. Rinehart commenced the study of
medicine under the direction of her former husband and then completed as
mentioned above. Dr. Rinehart died in 1893.      

Mrs. Dr. Ferguson is connected with her husband and Dr. Reuter in the management
of the fine hospital which they have erected in The Dalles, a cut of which
appears elsewhere in this work.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.