"An Illustrated history of Baker, Grant, Malheur and Harney Counties : with a
brief outline of the early history of the state of Oregon." Chicago?: Western
Historical Pub. Co., 1902.  Page 508.  Grant County.

ROBERT G. POWELL

     The esteemed gentleman whose name forms the caption of this article is one
of Grant county's enterprising and successful agriculturists and stockmen and a
worthy citizen of the republic and commonwealth that he has chosen for his home,
having manifested a public spirit and patriotism quite commensurate with the
sterling qualities of worth with which he is endowed, while his career here has
been dominated with a sagacity and display of integrity that have made him both
successful and highly respected in all his relations.
     The son of Henry and Catherine (McCutchin) Powell, he was born March 15,
1852, near London, in the province of Ontario, in Canada.  His early life was
spent on a farm and it was his good fortune to be educated in the justly famous
common schools of Ontario, which rightly take the lead as being the finest known
to civilization.  He remained with his parents until he was twenty-three years
of age and then opened an account with the world on his own credit.  Until 1875
he remained in his native county and then was lured by the tempting offers of
advantages to the United States, coming first to Esmeraldo county, working on a
farm and then later for one year in the Northern Bell mine.  In 1879 he came to
Mammouth City, Mono county, California, where he was married on May 1 of the
same year, Miss Bell F., daughter of Millet and Mehetabel W. (Baker) Smith, and
natives of Maine.  They have one child, Ernest Glen, born May 5, 1890, and a
bright lad that is now attending the graded school at Longcreek.  Mrs. Powell's
father was a native of New Hampshire and her mother of Massachusetts, but both
died in the state of Wisconsin.
     In January, 1881, they removed to Corvallis, Oregon, remaining until 1885,
when they came to Heppner and the following year settled on their present place,
which is eleven miles from Longcreek.  Here he has one thousand acres of land
under fence and well improved, with good house, commodious barn, fine orchard,
and other accessories for the carrying on of a first-class ranch.  He has large
herds of cattle and gives his attention mostly to raising them.  In 1882 Mr.
Powell's parents came from Canada to this county and settled in Heppner, where
the mother died in 1890.  The father was born November 23, 1822, and has been a
preacher in the Methodist church for fifty years.  At the present time he is
living in Montana.  Mr. Powell is one of those men that have never been covetous
of political preferment but still is interested in having the best men at the
helm of state, while his life of exemplification of those virtues that make the
citizen and the noble man has been a light in the community and he is the
recipient of the confidence of the entire populace.  On September 5, 1898, in a
serious runaway accident, Mrs. Powell received an injury that at one time
threatened her life.  She has, however, gradually recovered form the effects,
although she had a very narrow escape from death.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in October 2005 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.