Shaver, F. A., Arthur P. Rose, R. F. Steele, and A. E. Adams, compilers.  "An
Illustrated History of Central Oregon." ("Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam,
Wheeler, Crook, Lake, & Klamath Counties")  Spokane, WA: Western Historical
Publishing Co., 1905.  p. 1010.
 
CALEB TOWNSEND OLIVER

     is the owner and operator of one of the finest livery barns in southwestern
Oregon. It is located at Merrill, while he also has one at Klamath Falls, and
they are certainly a source of pride to the county. Being a practical horse man
and especially endowed with talent for me business, Mr. Oliver has made a
success in his enterprise, which is very gratifying and bespeaks both his
ability and his industry. In addition to general livery, feed and sale business,
wherein he is most careful in every particular to provide for his patrons
everything first class, he also has taken a great interest in breeding fine
horses for the betterment of the county stock. Mr. Oliver has eight as fine
stallions as are to be seen in southern Oregon, everyone of which is registered,
and everyone of which is a choice prize winner. His barn is next his Mascot
stables and his stallion, Mascot, is one of the finest horses in the west. At
this writing, he is a little over four years of age and when four years of age
weighed exactly twenty-two hundred pounds. When he has finished his growth, he
will weigh at least twenty-five hundred pounds. He is a cross between a
registered Clyde and a registered Percheron. He is one of the most beautiful
draft horses to be found and certainly the stock men of Klamath county are to be
congratulated that through the untiring efforts of Mr. Oliver, have been brought
to Klamath county such magnificent stallions.  Mr. Oliver owns choice driving
horses and has some of the best roadsters in this part of the state. His driving
teams are known all over and some of the finest rigs to be found on the roads
come from his barns. He takes great pride in securing the comfort and safety of
his patrons and altogether is one of the most successful gentleman and
up-to-date business men to be found in Klamath county.   
     Joseph C. Oliver was born in Iowa. With his parents, he went to Ohio when
young and graduated from Miami university. He was then retained in the college
as an instructor, continuing there until the breaking out of the Civil War.
Then he enlisted in the Eighty-ninth Ohio Infantry as private and was soon
promoted to a captaincy. He served under General Thomas and at the battle of
Chickamauga was taken prisoner. For three months he languished In that infamous
den, then with three companions, dug his way out. They were six weeks in getting
away and finally when they reached their own lines they were almost naked and
had traveled barefooted through snow and over the frozen ground. He then took
part in Sherman's march to the Sea and was in command of two companies.  He
participated in many hard fought battles and in numerous skirmishes and served
in all four years. Then he received his honorable discharge and since has been
very prominent in G. A. R. circles.  When the war ended he returned home and
again took up teaching and later was principal of the public schools in
Champaign, Illinois.
     At Goshen, Ohio, he was. married to Martha Washington Gatch, who was born
at Mulberry, Ohio. She had followed teaching school for several years and was a
very prominent educator. Her father, John D. Gatch, was born in Baltimore,
removing to Virginia and later settled in Ohio. They were descendants from
Godfrey Gatch and came from England in 1727 and settled in the vicinity of
Baltimore. The colony established was known as the Gatch settlement and the
Methodist church was organized by them which was known as Gatch chapel. One of
the noted members of the family was Rev. Philip Gatch, who was a powerful
speaker and one of the noted pioneers of Ohio. He did very much throughout Ohio
and especially in Clermont county, preaching the gospel, being a fervent and
devout Methodist. He attended the first conference ever held in America, which
was in 1773. He was appointed the first judge of Clermont county in 1800 and
represented that county and the first constitutional convention ever held in the
northwest territory, it being 1802. After that, he gave his whole life to
preaching the gospel and was a noble and successful man. He was born in 1751.
During colonial days, many of the Gatch family had titles of honor for various
works that they had done. They are a very prominent and strong American family.
Our subject's father taught in various places in the west then came to Santa
Barbara county, California in 1873 and was principal of the public schools there
until 1880, when he moved to Los Angeles and engaged in the real estate
business. He is still operating in this capacity and is one of the very
successful men of that state. The children of the family are Nellie, a teacher
in the schools of Los Angeles; Caleb T., who is our subject; J. Scott, a writer
of considerable merit now on the St. Louis Globe-Democrat; Byron L., a graduate
of Ann Arbor, and a leading attorney of Los Angeles and a noted orator; Myrtle
G., wife of Professor Frederick Stien, who is teaching in the Philippines. Our
subject was well educated and from a child showed a marked talent for handling
horses. Early in life, he gave himself to this and the result is that he is
today one of the most successful horsemen in the state of Oregon. He worked with
horses in various places in California and came to this county in 1884. He was
handling horses for a firm on salary for a time and finally located some sage
brush land near Merrill and commenced raising horses for himself. He had come to
this country on horseback from southern California. He succeeded very well until
1890, when a hard winter swept away all his stock. He restocked and stayed with
the business until 1904, at which time he owned two hundred of the finest horses
and cattle in Klamath county. Then he sold the ranch and engaged in his present
business, commencing in a very modest way. The business has grown continuously
since under his wise guidance and he stands today one of the representative men
of this part of the state. He early began bringing in pure bred stallions of
different breeds that he could purchase and the result is that Klamath county
has come to have some of the best horses to be found in the west.
     On October 21, 1890, Mr. Oliver married Miss Frances Gertrude Brown, a
native of Woodland, California and born August 20, 1873. Her father, John T,
Brown, was an early pioneer to California from Minnesota.  He had married West
Anna Lyle. To Mr. and Mrs. Oliver, one child, John Joseph, has been born.
     Since the above was written, Mr. Oliver has purchased the Exchange stables
of Klamath Falls, and is handling them in connection with those at Merrill. The
stables in both places are named Mascot Stables, and they are to be numbered
with the very best in the entire Northwest. Mr. Oliver named his stables from
his magnificent stallion Mascot, which, undoubtedly, is as fine a horse as can
be found on the coast.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in May 2011 by Diana Smith.  Submitter has
no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.