Carey, Charles Henry.  "History of Oregon." Vol. 3. Chicago-Portland: Pioneer
Historical Pub. Co., 1922.  p. 370.
 
JOHN STORAN
 
     John Storan, who as a landscape gardener contributed much to the beauty and
adornment of Portland, had many interesting experiences through the course of an
active life, not the least of which was as an Indian fighter and by reason of
valiant service in this connection he was offered a commission. He was born in
Ireland, May 9, 1833, a son of John and Katherine (Quinn) Storan of Kilkenny,
Ireland. When a young lad he came to the United States and spent a number of
years in the east. In 1855 he went to St. Louis and while there enlisted as a
member of Company F, First United States Dragoons, of which he was made
corporal. He joined the regiment at Fort Union, New Mexico, and served for five
years, after which he was honorably discharged at Port Brooks, California. On
the 10th of September, 1862, he enlisted for active service in the Civil war for
three years, or the duration of the war, at San Francisco, and was mustered in
on the 21st of October as first sergeant of Company I, First Regiment of
Washington Territory, under command of Captain Daniel O. Regan, while Justus
Steinberger commanded the regiment as its colonel. Mr. Storan was offered a
promotion to a lieutenancy at the close of the war on account of his valiant
service on the Indian expedition into the Bruneau valley of Idaho, where his
company killed about forty Indians and captured many others.
 
     At Portland, Oregon, on the 18th of November, 1874, Mr. Storan was united
in marriage to Mrs. Emily H. Miller nee Couper, who by her former marriage had a
daughter, Alice Miller, now the deceased wife of Arthur Reckard. Mr. and Mrs.
Reckard had two children, Marshall and Emily.
 
     After his removal to Portland, when the days of Indian warfare and of
pioneer experiences were over, Mr. Storan turned his attention to landscape
gardening, doing work in connection with many of the finest homes of the city
and to his efforts the beautiful appearance of the lawns in Portland is largely
attributable. Politically Mr. Storan was a republican but never an office
seeker. He belonged to the Indian War Veterans of the North Pacific Coast and
was a member of George Wright Post, G. A. R., thus maintaining pleasant
relations with his old army comrades. He was always as true and loyal to his
country as when he followed the nation's starry banner as one of the defenders
of the Union and at all times was keenly interested in the development and
progress of the northwest, contributing to the result in many tangible ways.

 
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in July 2016 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.