"Illustrated History of Lane County, Oregon." Portland, Oregon: A. G. Walling,
publisher, 1884.  pg. 483.
 
MAHLON H. HARLOW
     Is a native of Barren county, Kentucky, where he was born January 8, 1811,
being the second son of Anderson Harlow.  In 1825 he was taken to the vicinity
of Lexington, La Fayette county, Missouri, and was there educated, grew to
manhood, and, on August 19, 1835, married Frances B. Tandy.  And now the world
was agog with excitement at the marvelous intelligence that gold could be had in
California for the digging of it.  Therefore, on May 16, 1850, Mr. Harlow and
his family, with ox teams, joined the party captained by Jerome B. Geer, and
with it commenced the arduous and perilous journey to the El Dorado.  On
arriving at Salt Lake, however, information was received that the grass along
the route had been burned, thus depriving stock of food, consequently they went
into winter quarters at Brown's Fork, now Ogden City, on the Weber river.
During this season of delay theirs was no bed of roses.  About the first of
February, the emigrants of that vicinity held a meeting owing to the
intelligence received that it was the intention of the Mormons to impose a tax
upon them.  At this session a committee was appointed to wait upon Brigham Young
to remonstrate with him on this iniquity, while another was chosen to perfect
arrangements for assisting such of the emigrants as had met misfortune and thus
had no means left by which they could push their way to the Pacific coast.  The
Mormons took great umbrage at these proceedings and commenced a succession of
persecutions upon the emigrants, so much so that a large number of them, Mr.
Harlow among the number, abandoned the cabins which they had constructed to
shelter them from the inclemency of the winter weather, on the twenty-second of
February and moved twenty-five miles along the road to Oregon, finally camping
during the worst of the winter twenty miles from the Mormon settlement.  While
here quartered on Willow creek the Mormon authorities dispatched a company, and
taking Mr. Harlow prisoner carried him back to the fort for the purpose of
trying him, alleging as his offense, the harboring and secreting of rogues, but
as this was merely a trumped-up charge, he was acquitted.  There is some reason
to believe that the Mormons here broke a portion of the tenth commandment and
coveted some of Mr. Harlow's oxen.  About the middle of March the party moved on
to Box Elder creek where they camped until the end of the month.  Here a Mormon
official, known as a territorial officer, compelled the payment of a heavy
impost, Mr. Harlow and his mother-in-law being mulcted in the sum of fifty-two
dollars, tax on fifty-five head of cattle, three horses, five wagons and one
carriage.  About the end of the month the route was again taken up, and
traveling slowly, on April 2, 1851, the party crossed the "divide" between Salt
Lake valley and Snake river.  At Salmon Falls they had a brush with a band of
Indians, but although none of the emigrants were hurt, two of the red-skins were
dispatched to their "happy hunting grounds."  On arriving in the Territory,
after many a danger by flood and field, he took up his residence in Yamhill
county, where he remained until he settled in Lane county on October 4, 1851, on
the farm he now occupies, situated in the Willamette Forks, about two miles and
a half from Eugene City.  Save a few years passed in that town, here has Mr.
Harlow continuously resided.  In the spring of 1852 he commenced working at the
carpenter's trade, and, in 1856, assisted in building the court-house at the
county seat.  Those pioneer days were somewhat different from these of cheap
goods and quick travel.  In February, 1852, after having driven an ox team from
his home to Salem, Mr. Harlow there paid sixteen dollars per hundred weight for
flour, so that his family should not be without food while he raised a crop.
His family now consists of five daughters, (one daughter having died at the age
of 18 years and 6 months) and four boys.  In 1852, Mr. Harlow was elected the
first county clerk of Lane county, but resigned the position the following year.
He was appointed assessor by the county court in 1864 and assessed the county
that year.  By a life of honest labor and upright dealings this pioneer has
surrounded himself with a beautiful home and pleasant estate, a view of which
will be found elsewhere, and under his vine and fig tree attended by his olive
branches long may he prosper.
 
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in May 2005 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.