Lockley, Fred.  "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the
Sea." Vol. 3.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928.  p. 218.

RICHARD WOODWARD

Richard Woodward, of Cascade Locks, who has been a lifelong resident of the
Columbia River Valley, with practically every part of which he is intimately
acquainted, was in the government service at Cascade Locks for nearly a third of
a century, doing faithful and efficient work, and is now retired, spending the
twilight years of his life in well earned leisure. Mr. Woodward was born at
Washougal, Washington, on the 30th of December, 1857, and is a son, of John
Davis and Sarah Cynthia (Ough) Woodward. His father was born in Indiana, May 18,
1828, and in young boyhood moved with his parents to Iowa, of which state they
were pioneers. In the public schools there he received his education and about
1850 came across the plains, with ox team and covered wagons. En route the
company got lost in the Blue mountains. They had a very hard time there, being
compelled to live on horse meat for awhile. Mr. Woodward and two other men,
Keith and Gardner, volunteered to go to The Dalles for help. In the meantime
another party caught up with the lost company and piloted them to The Dalles and
on over the old Barlow trail to the Willamette valley. Mr. Woodward and his
companions were lost in the Deschutes country but met a lone Indian, who guided
them to an Indian camp on the Deschutes river, and thence to The Dalles. From
there Keith and Gardner went on to their families in the Willamette valley. Mr.
Woodward remained at The Dalles and for about a year worked on the Irvine farm.
He then came to Cascade Locks and was there variously employed, working in
sawmills and on the portage road which was being constructed around the cascades
by Bradford Brothers. He worked there until about 1856, when he took up a
donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres, about eight miles west of
Stevenson, Washington. This was practically all timber land, and, after building
a small log house, he cleared off part of the land, also working outside some.
In 1871 he sold that place and bought a ranch in the Washougal valley, where he
lived for a few years and then sold out and moved to Cascade Locks, where he
squatted on one hundred and sixty acres of government land, and on this place he
lived until shortly prior to his death; which occurred December 25, 1897. He
fought in the Indian war of 1856 under Captain Nathan Olney, and while aboard
the steamboat "Mary," at the Cascade Locks, they were attacked by a band of
Indians. They got steam up as rapidly as possible and cut the rope that held the
boat to the dock. In the meantime the Indians were firing on them continually,
but they managed to get away without any serious casualties. His wife was born
at Washougal, Washington, in 1840, and was a daughter of Richard and Betsy
(Schleyboos) Ough. Her mother was a beautiful Indian princess, daughter of an
Indian chief of the Cascade tribe, a branch of the Chinooks, and was born in
1812, living to the age of ninety-nine years. At the age of twenty years she
became the wife of Richard Ough, who was born in England and was a boatswain on
an English man-of-war. He came to Oregon territory as an officer of the Hudson
Bay Company, in which capacity he was serving at the time of his marriage. They
lived for a time in Tualatin valley, and in 1852 moved to Clark county, where
they settled on a donation. claim of six hundred and forty acres, a part of
which is now within the city of Washougal, and there they spent the remainder of
their lives, Mr. Ough dying about 1884, and his wife on July 16, 1911. They
became the parents of eleven children. Mrs. Sarah Woodward died April 26, 1926.
To Mr. and Mrs. Woodward were born seven children: Richard; William, deceased;
James Henry, who lives in Portland, Oregon; Alfred S., who is a road supervisor
and lives at Corbett, Oregon; Samuel, who died in 1927; and two who died in
infancy.

Richard Woodward was educated in the public schools of Washougal and in the old
Harrison street school in Portland, after which he taught school for one year at
Cascade Locks. For several years thereafter he worked for his father, cutting
and hauling wood, after which he worked for three years on the construction of
the old. Oregon state road at Eagle creek, on the Columbia river. He then
engaged in commercial fishing and teaming, and also raised many hogs in
partnership with his brother, Alfred S., selling them to Chinamen who were
employed there in railroad construction work. For a few years Mr. Woodward
followed steamboating on the Columbia river, serving one year as mate, and in
1880 went to Portland, where he worked for the Oregon Transfer Company. He spent
three years in that city and then returned to Cascade Locks and went onto his
father's homestead, which he farmed for three years. In 1886 he went to Cascade
Locks and got a job as a carpenter in the construction of the locks, and was
employed in that line until November 9, 1896, when the locks were completed and
officially opened for service. During the two following years he was employed at
rock work for the government, after which he was appointed a lockman, under Val
W. Tonskins, and held that position for twenty-three years. He was then made
night watchman, in which capacity he served until December 30, 1927, when he was
retired on a pension. Altogether, he was in the government service thirty-two
years seven months and twenty-three days, in addition to about ten years at
contract work on the locks.

On November 7, 1883, Mr. Woodward was united in marriage to Miss Emma Allen, who
was born at Carson City, Nevada, and is a daughter of Charles and Amy (Grow)
Allen, the former a native of Illinois. The mother died when her daughter was
but fifteen days old, and the father died at Winlock, Washington, in 1896. He
had followed gold mining during the greater part of his life. Mr. and Mrs.
Woodward have seven children, namely: Clemmert, who is married and has two
children, Horace and Irene; Amy May, Charles Richard, Dolly Dot, Ella Cynthia,
Winnie Etta and John Chester. Mr. Woodward is a member of Cascade Locks Lodge,
No. 104, I. 0. 0. F.; Columbia Camp, No. 57, W. 0. W., at Cascade Locks, and he
and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah and the Neighbors of
Woodcraft. Mr. Woodward has led a busy and useful life, has been loyal and true
in everything that he has undertaken, and wherever known commands unqualified
confidence and esteem.

 
*******************

Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in November 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.