"History of Southern Oregon, Comprising Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Curry and
Coos Counties.  Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources."  A. G. Walling,
Publisher.  Portland, OR.  1884.  pg. 533.

WILLIAM M. MATHES

     Whose home -- one and a half miles from northeast of Phoenix -- is
illustrated in this volume, was born in Westmoreland county, Penn., November 9,
1829.  At the age of eight years his father died, when his mother with the
children removed to Huntington county, on the Juniatta river, and from thence,
when William was twenty, came to Fulton county, Ill.  In 1852 he crossed the
plains to Oregon.  At John Day's river his company was broken up and managing to
secure a pony on which to pack his clothes and a single blanket he procured two
pounds of flour and started out by himself to complete the journey.  Arriving in
the neighborhood of the Deschutes river he learned of a new crossing and
hurriedly hearing the directions pushed forward hoping to cross before night. 
But losing the way he traveled on, he new not whither, until late in the night. 
Finally all appearance of a road disappearing, and groping his way through
darkness and brush he espied what seemed to be an impenetrable gloom of darkness
just in front of him.  Deeming it wise to halt here for the balance of the
night, and hastily fastening the pony to a tree, he wrapped himself in his
blanket and was soon in the arms of morpheus.  At early dawn he awoke from his
slumbers and was horrified to find himself on the very brink of a huge precipice
whose yawning cavern below was the impenetrable gloom of the night before.  On
the 18th day of August, he left Barlows in a rain which increased in violence
all day and continued all the succeeding night.  At nightfall he came across a
camp of emigrants consisting of one man and his wife and seven children and also
the grandmother of the children.  Of the team, "one ox" only was alive.  The
women and children were all piled in the wagon.  The man was trying to keep
comfortable by a log fire he had kindled for the purpose.  Here Mr. Mathes
concluded to spend the night and with this unhappy emigrant kept sleepless watch
all that night of storm and rain without food or shelter -- the pony sharing the
fire with the men, turning first one side and then the other to the fire.  At
early dawn the journey was resumed, and breaking a piece of bread from the cake
he had made of his two pounds of flour, he ate it as he traveled.  At ten
o'clock he encountered a company of emigrants from Peoria, Ill.  Arriving at
this place the evening previous, eleven of their horses, poor from the long trip
of scanty feed, exhausted from the travel, and chilled by the rain of the
previous day, had perished during the night.  Still pressing on, at the crossing
of a rapid mountain stream he saw two men leading and supporting a poor horse
upon whose back a woman and three children were being carried across the water,
and to their destination, all other means of travel having been previously lost
in the terrible journey.  This day he crossed Little Sandy, whose swollen waters
carried him and his pony some distance below the ford where it was with great
difficulty that the latter made the land.  The rain having ceased, the second
night was spent in comparative comfort, barring hunger.  Here the balance of his
little store of provisions was eaten.  The next evening he arrived at Foster's
where there was plenty to eat, and his sufferings for the time being were at an
end -- but not the journey.  Starting from home for the mines, he never stopped
until he reached them at Jacksonville in September of that year, (1852).  From
Jacksonville he went to Jackass creek where he spent the memorable winter of
1852-3, living for two months on very poor venison without salt, even. 
Returning in the spring to Jackson creek he barely escaped striking a fortune
there, which so disgusted him that he left the mines forever and settled on the
land where he now resides, in May, 1853.  In 1861, Mr. Mathes returned to the
Atlantic states; was married October 3rd of that year and with his wife returned
to Oregon and the homestead in 1863.  In 1873, he returned to Wisconsin and
brought his mother to the coast.  Mrs. Mathes' maiden name was Christina
Riddle.  She was born in Edinburg, Scotland, January 16, 1842.  The children are
Harry G., Bertha L., Mary S., George W., Jessie A., and Donald Clyde.
 

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