"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. 522. HONORABLE LINDSAY APPLEGATE The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Henry county, Kentucky, September 18, 1808. In 1820 the family emigrated to Missouri and settled near St. Louis, then a small French village. Educational advantages were poor, and as a consequence young Lindsay had received but little education up to his fifteenth year, when, with a few young associates, he escaped from home and enlisted under General Ashley, of St. Louis, for a trapping expedition to the Rocky mountains. One division of the expedition with the heavy baggage ascended the Missouri river, while the remainder with pack trains proceeded by land. At the Pawnee town the river party was attacked and defeated by the Indians and driven back to Council Bluffs. Here young Applegate and others were taken sick and sent with the wounded back to St. Louis. After this he returned home, but his restless spirit longed for a more adventurous life than was there afforded him, and he followed trading on the Mississippi river for a time, then worked for a while in the newly discovered lead mines at Galena, Illinois, and afterwards served as a volunteer in the famous Black Hawk war under General Whiteside. In January, 1831, he was married, in Cole county, Missouri, to Elizabeth Miller, and soon after moved to southwestern Missouri, where he erected the first sawmill built in that part of the state. In 1843 he crossed the plains to Oregon, and became a settler in Polk county, where in 1844 he served as a member of the first volunteer company organized to protect the new settlements against the Indians. In 1846 he was one of the fifteen men who hunted out the South Road from the Willamette valley to Fort Hall. He went to the newly discovered gold mines in California in 1848, making the trip by land and returned the same year by water. In 1850 he raised a company and went with General Lane in pursuit and to the capture of the deserting regulars from Oregon City. In 1850 he moved to the Umpqua, where he served as special Indian agent under General Palmer. Captain Lindsay Applegate raised a detachment of Mounted Oregon Volunteers and was mustered into the service of the United States for the war against the Rogue River Indians on the 22d of August, 1853. The detachment marched on the 24th of August from Winchester, Umpqua valley, to Camp Alden near Table Rock, Rogue river valley, the headquarters of General Lane, and thence to Myrtle creek, Umpqua valley, where September 7, 1853, it was discharged for the service. Mr. Applegate was mustered as captain of the company and was with General Lane when the treaty was made with the Indians near Table Rock. In 1859 he moved to the Toll House, Siskiyou mountains, Jackson county and took charge of the toll road from that place to the California state line which he then owned. In 1861, as a captain of the Rogue river volunteers, he went to the plains east of the Siskiyou mountains to protect the emigrants coming to Oregon. Mr. Applegate was selected from among his compeer to represent Jackson county in the assembly of Oregon in 1862, and acted under Superintendent Rector as special Indian agent for Southern Oregon. In 1864 he was interpreter at the Klamath and Modoc treaty and in the ensuing year was appointed sub-agent and served at Klamath until 1869, when he was removed to make room for a military agent. As a proof of Mr. Applegate's unswerving honesty while acting as Indian agent we quote from his final discharge and last settlement. "Your account for disbursements in the Indian service from January 1, 1868, up to January 1, 1869, has been adjusted and a balance found due you of $42.01, differing the amount from your last account, as explained in the accompanying statement. Signed, E.B. French, Auditor." There are those who believe had Lindsay Applegate remained in charge of the Lake Indians all would have gone well and that the bolldy drama of the Modoc war would never have been played. Mr. Applegate resides at his old home in Ashland, Jackson county, Oregon. He has one of those restless and strong spirits which hew out the way for civilization in the wilderness and who are nevertheless willing to aid liberally in promoting the refining influences of an advancing people. ******************* 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.