An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company, Spokane, WA. 1905, page 322-323.

* A portrait of Mr. Bourland appears between pages 320 and 321.

OLIVER M. BOURLAND was born in Illinois, on February 27, 1858, the son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Carnahan) Bourland. The father was born in Indiana, and came from German ancestry. He died in Illinois, in 1902. The mother was born in Kentucky and now lives in Illinois. Oliver was educated in the public school of Illinois and was reared on a farm. He was trained by a skillful and thrifty father who made a fine success of stock breeding and the art of agriculture. Until twenty-four he remained with his father and then, it being 1882, he determined to come west, and selected Oregon as the objective point. He reached the Willamette valley in due time and there spent some months in various employments. Then he came to this county and for a time wrought for wages on the farms. Then he rented, and later he took a homestead, to which he added a preemption and a timber culture. Desiring more land, he purchased until his estate is of the generous proportions of eight hundred acres, a large proportion of which is tillable. He reaped this year over four hundred acres of grain, mostly wheat, and his entire estate shows the marks of a skillful and wise farmer and business man. In addition to grain raising, he raises much stock, and he possesses some of the finest specimens in the county. He owns a fine registered Poland China boar, and has about one hundred other hogs. Of cattle, he has twenty choice Shorthorn animals and some other grades. Among this herd is a thorough-bred, registered, Shorthorn bull, a splendid animal. Mr. Bourland also has twenty-five or more well bred horses, all Percheron and Clydesdale. In all the animals on the place is exemplified the skill and care of Mr. Bourland, for he believes and puts into practice the principle that it is just as easy to raise a good animal as poor one. He knows the business, is a careful and sagacious man and has won the success he enjoys by virtue of his own worth and ability.

At The Dalles, Mr. Bourland married Miss Mary Hanna, a native of the Willamette valley. She was called hence by death on October 4, 1894, after an illness of eight days, wherein she suffered from diphtheria. She was a noble woman and had won the hearts of all who knew her. Mr. Bourland was greatly stricken and his children mourn a beloved mother who dwells now only in sweet memories in their midst. The children of the family are Ebenezer F., George L., Jasper B., Jud F., and Lillie J. Mr. Bourland has two brothers living. James E. and Francis A., in Illinois, and one dead, William W., who met his death during the Civil war. He also has three sisters, Hulda, the widow of G. Mitchell, Mrs. Phoebe Watson, and Mrs. Rachel Hardy. In politics, Mr. Bourland is independent. He is a man of means and is one of the leading men of this part of the county.

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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.

ORBios Project