An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, pages 343-344

MARSHALL HILL, who resides about one mile south from The Dalles, is one of the
earliest pioneers of Oregon and has passed a thrilling and eventful career. He
is one of the highly esteemed men of Wasco county and is respected by all. His
birth occurred in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 17, 1836, being the son of
Claiborne and Polly (Cates) Hill, both natives of eastern Tennessee. The
father's ancestors were natives of Virginia and of English extraction, while the
mother's people were a prominent southern family. Our subject came to Iowa with
his parents in 1839, where the father bought a large quantity of land from the
government. Being a sickly man, he depended on his sons to handle the, extensive
farm, and our subject learned to handle the plow when a lad of twelve years. The
schooling was three months in the winter, and as the opportunity was limited,
young Hill was forced to rely largely on his own personal research for his
training. In 1852, the father sold his Iowa land and purchased two hundred
cattle and twenty horses and mules and came west to Oregon. Upon arriving here
he had fifty cattle, three horses and two mules. They settled near Brownsville,
and the father died in 1855. Marshall enlisted in Captain Blakeley's company to
fight in the Rogue river war and served until peace was restored. Following that
he joined his uncle in care of his cattle at Suisun, California, and remained
until the stock was destroyed in a flood. Then they both went to mining on the
Cob river in Arizona. They organized a company with Judge Watson and other
prominent Californians as stockholders, and went to developing the claims. All
was progressing smoothly until the Apache Indians attacked them and they fled
for their lives. They hurried across Death valley and only by the friendly
occurrence of a terrible simoon were they saved from the murderous savages.
Several of their party were killed by the storm. Mr. Hill and his uncle were not
to be thwarted and later, as they had done before, they dealt telling blows to
the savages and many an one bit the dust in mortal combat with these successful
Indian fighters. Mr. Hill eventually made his way back to Oregon, and then to
Idaho, near Silver City, and finally he came to the vicinity of The Dalles,
where he has been since. His time has been devoted to stock raising and he has
succeeded well in a financial point of view. Mr. Hill has clone much excellent
labor for the church to which he belongs as well as for the cause in general,
and he is known far and near as an enthusiastic worker in this line, as well as
in political matters, being a zealous Prohibitionist.      

At Albany, Oregon, on March 29, 1868, Mr. Hill married Miss P. Belinda Thomas,
who was born in Illinois, the daughter of Argalous and Julia Thomas, natives of
New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Hill the following named children have been born:
Edwin M., operating a blacksmith shop in Dufur: Roy, with his parents: Melissa,
a member of the faculty of the McMinnville college; Julia, a teacher of
experience; and Bertha, wife of J. B. Sprite, a Baptist minister at Harrington,
Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are zealous and faithful members of the Baptist
church in The Dalles and are great workers in the cause of the gospel and
prohibition. Mr. Hill is vice-president of the Prohibition League of The Dalles.      

Mr. Hill was one of the most fearless Indian fighters on the frontier, and was
in many engagements in various places. He was in charge of the scouts under
General Crook, in Idaho, in 1867.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.