Hines, H. K. "An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon." Chicago: Lewis
Pub. Co. 1893.  pp. 581-583.
 
     GENERAL STEPHEN COFFIN, one of Oregon's most enterprising and influential
men, was born in Maine in 1807, and removed from therewith his father's family
while quite young to Ohio, and from there to Oregon, across the plains, reaching
Oregon City in October, 1847.  He spent the remaining thirty-five years of his
active life in his adopted State, and died at Dayton, Yam Hill county, March 16,
1882.  He had come to Oregon like all other early settlers without money or
property, but on reaching Oregon City he went to work with willing hands,
building houses and contracting on all the hard work of a new country, and
within two years he had saved enough to purchase a half interest in the land
claim owned by F. W. Pettygrove, on which the present city of Portland had
already been projected.  This claim embraced about one-fourth of the present
city of Portland as it now stands, and was bounded by A street on the north,
Caruthers street on the south and running back to about Sixteenth street on the
west.  Upon making this purchase General Coffin moved from Oregon City to
Portland, and began to establish and build up the city of Portland.  Not long
after this purchase Colonel W. W. Chapman bought of General Coffin and his
partner, Daniel H. Lownsdale, a third interest in the land, so that it was then
owned by Coffin, Lownsdale and Chapman.
     The increasing emigration and the stirring events on the Pacific coast
began to indicate the future importance of a city of this coast, and the
consequent value of the town site.  the supremacy of Portland as the emporium
was already disputed by Milwaukee, St. Helen and Astoria, and the proprietors of
this town site soon had their courage and resources tested to the utmost.  The
Pacific Mail Steamship Company had made large investments at St. Helen and all
the influence of that great corporation was exerted to cripple the rising
fortunes of Portland.  To protect their interest Coffin, Chapman and Lownsdale
resolved to start an opposition steamship line between Portland and San
Francisco, and to that end they purchased, for $18,600, a controlling interest
in the steamship "Gold Hunter," which proved a very unfortunate investment, as
the ship was run off to Central America, through the treachery of trust agents,
and sold for debt and a large balance charged up to the stockholders.  In this
misfortune General Coffin was the heaviest loser, having to pay $60,000.  To
meet these debts he was obliged to sell at whatever prices he could get, great
numbers of city block, which, if he could have retained them, would have
realized for him a million of dollars, but that which was the ruin of Chapman
and Coffin made sure the future of Portland for the old steamship line, seeing
that Portland was destined to become the metropolis of Oregon, made Portland
their terminus, and thus the city was established.
     General Coffin was ever active in devising means to extend the business of
the city.  To bring in the trade of Washington county and prevent the opening of
a road from Tualitin Plains to St.Helen in 1851, he organized the first plank
road company in Oregon, which company located the road through Tanner Creek
canon west of Portland, and although no plank was ever laid the road was cut
through the dense forest and made practicable for travel by grading.  In 1860
General Coffin took the leading part in organizing the People's Transportation
Company, and became the vice-president and active manager of the corporation,
which for many years controlled the transportation on the Willamette river.  For
some time it carried on a sharp competition with the Oregon Steam Navigation
Company for the control of the Columbia river.  About 1866 he took a large
interest in the Oregon Iron Works which were located on the block west of the
largest hotel of the city, and here the company suffered a great loss by fire,
which took $40,000 out of General Coffin's pocket in a few minutes.  Two years
later he took an active part in promoting the success of the Oregon Central
Railroad, ----- West side.  He built by contract some twenty bridges on the
Mountain section of the road west of Portland, investing over $60,000 in the
undertaking, and if he had not given the aid he did the west side of the
Willamette would not have secured a railroad for ten years.  He became a member
and large contributor of the Patrons of Husbandry in Oregon upon its
organization.  He with others organized the order into a business known as the
Northwestern Storage and Shipping Company, and this company rendered the farmers
great assistance in the purchase and importation of wagons and farm machinery,
and the sale of them at cost and freight, reducing the cost about 33 percent.
In all his business affairs General Coffin was characterized by liberality and
public spirit.  He gave the city of Portland the public levee, now worth
hundreds of thousands of dollars, besides giving largely to churches and
schools.  Professor Crawford says in a history of Portland schools, "There are
on file several newspaper items praising several citizens for their liberal
donations of lots and blocks for school purposes.  It certainly will not harm
any one to say that in all my researches I have found but one-half block owned
by the district that came into its possession as a free gift.  The north half of
block 134 was a donation from Stephen Coffin, and he afterward gave the present
site, a half a block in exchange for it.  Every lot the district owns, aside
from this half block, has been paid for with coin raised by taxation."  Coffin
and Chapman also gave two whole blocks to the Methodist Episcopal Church for the
establishment of an academy for the boys and a seminary for girls, and out of
the sale of this property has grown the handsome Medical College building at the
corner of Fourteenth and C streets.  The first school and church bell in the
city was purchased by General Coffin of the Meneeley Bell Foundry of Troy, New
York, and raised on the first school building.  When no longer used there Mr.
Coffin gave it to the Methodist Episcopal Church, and now it hangs in the belfry
of the Taylor Street Church.  He always treated all the emigrants in a kind and
friendly manner and made them welcome to his house.  He was a man of great
business ability.  Not only was he a great man in private life, but also in time
of danger he showed his mettle.  When the Yakima Indian war broke out, in 1855,
he was the first man to move for defense of the settlers.  There were plenty of
volunteers, but no means of transportation, but General Coffin was equal to the
emergency.  He provided the steamboat at his own expense, with an ample supply
of provisions and blankets for a month's campaign.  He took the Portland company
to the seat of war in time to save Lieutenant Sheridan from annihilation in his
first battle at the Cascades.  He never made any claim on the Government for
this expense.
     In 1861 it was necessary to withdraw all the troops from Washington, Oregon
and Idaho, and this left thousand of miles of frontier exposed to attacks from
the Indians.  It was necessary to act promptly, Washington and Idaho being weak
Territories, could do but little and Governor Gibbs, or Oregon, knowing General
Coffin's executive ability and taste for military affairs, commissioned him as
Brigadier-General in command of all the Oregon Militia.  In less than sixty days
General Coffin raised and put in the field one full regiment of infantry and one
of cavalry and with these effective forces the forts were fully garrisoned and a
sufficient scouting troop placed on the frontier.
     In politics General Coffin was a Republican.  He was one of the "Old Guard"
and original organizers of the party in Oregon.  In his private life he was
distinguished for purity and charity.  He was a good friend and met misfortune
not only with courage, but even with philosophical cheerfulness.  Few men had a
wider acquaintance.  His religious views were broad and liberal and while acting
in the main with Methodist denomination he freely operated with all other good
people and aimed so to live and when actually confronted with death, with all
his faculties as clear as in the noon day of his strength, he went down to his
grave, as in the words of Bryant:
     "Not like a quarry slave at night,
      Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
      By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
      Like one who draws the drapery of his couch
      About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams."

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