648 . . . One of the Boones' neighbors was George Law Curry, who knew the family from the Oregon Trail and had taken a shine to Alphonso's eldest daughter, Chloe. George courted Chloe by canoe, paddling up and down the river to pay regular visits until she consented to marry him. He later became the third and last governor of the Oregon Territory, in office from 1854-59.
When word of the gold strikes in California reached Oregon in 1848, Alphonso and his boys headed south to make their fortune. On February 1, 1850, Alphonso died at Long's Bar of an illness contracted in the gold fields. Though they lost their father, the Boone brothers did well in the mines, and Alphonso's sons gradually dispersed across the Northwest with their fortunes assured: Jesse returned to Oregon and ran the ferry for 26 years, until he was murdered by a neighbor in a dispute over access to the river; Alphonso (junior) briefly ran the ferry before selling it to Jesse and going into the steamboat business; Joshua settled in Benton County, Oregon; and James moved to Idaho and ran the Morning Star Silver Mine.
Note: Curry, George Law (1820-1878) Born in Philadelphia, Pa., July 2, 1820. Member of Oregon territorial legislature, 1848-49, 1851-52; secretary of Oregon Territory, 1853-55; Governor of Oregon Territory, 1853, 1854-59; candidate for U.S. Senator from Oregon, 1860. Died in Portland, Ore., July 28, 1878. Interment at Lone Fir Cemetery Portland, Ore. Curry County, Ore is named for him.
648 . . . One of the Boones' neighbors was George Law Curry, who knew the family from the Oregon Trail and had taken a shine to Alphonso's eldest daughter, Chloe. George courted Chloe by canoe, paddling up and down the river to pay regular visits until she consented to marry him. He later became the third and last governor of the Oregon Territory, in office from 1854-59.
When word of the gold strikes in California reached Oregon in 1848, Alphonso and his boys headed south to make their fortune. On February 1, 1850, Alphonso died at Long's Bar of an illness contracted in the gold fields. Though they lost their father, the Boone brothers did well in the mines, and Alphonso's sons gradually dispersed across the Northwest with their fortunes assured: Jesse returned to Oregon and ran the ferry for 26 years, until he was murdered by a neighbor in a dispute over access to the river; Alphonso (junior) briefly ran the ferry before selling it to Jesse and going into the steamboat business; Joshua settled in Benton County, Oregon; and James moved to Idaho and ran the Morning Star Silver Mine.