  (uncaptioned) George W. Eberhard, at the age of 22, arrived at San Francisco by way of Panama from the State of Michigan. He remained in California for five years and came to Oregon by boat in 1859. The following year he bought 320 acres of the Pierre Belleque farm above Champoeg. At that time only 60 acres were cleared. He paid $1,500 for this land which had been farmed by the Belleque family over 25 years. Because of technical regulations in the Land Grant laws, no clear title had been issued, and it was 28 years before Mr. Eberhard was able to secure his official title. This farm belongs to the very earliest period of Oregon history, having been the location of one of the first fur-trading posts in the entire Northwest Country. It was established by members of the Astor expedition in 1812, and when the Hudson’s Bay Company came to this Western Empire a decade later, they took charge and maintained it as a supply depot and relay farm for brigades going to the Umpqua and country to the south. It is in the big bend of the Willamette River in Marion County, located two miles west of Champoeg on the river road to Newberg. Highway 219 to the new bridge is the west boundary of the original farm. A historical marker has been erected near the bridge. Pierre Belleque, who came with the Northwest Fur Company from Canada, settled here in 1831 to develop a farm and home and raise a family, along with other retired fur company men. His neighbor to the west was Etienne Lucier. Here they became prominent in the early history and development of the Northwest Country, long before the wagon trains began to roll over the Oregon trail. It was the house of Belleque which had been the chief trader’s house, built in the French style, having lapped siding; and dressed lumber was used for finishing. The house had been lined with flowered glazed chintz, a piece of which is still preserved. An outstanding feature was the glass in French-style windows, while the usual log cabins with parchment windows and rough lumber comprised the homes of his neighbors. Mr. Eberhard, a bachelor, was living here when the flood of 1861 destroyed so many homes and towns along the Willamette. He saved it from going down to destruction in the swirling waters and anchored it on a higher bench of land. Here he brought his bride, Louisa J. Jones in 1865. Soon he began hewing the timbers and building their new home, moving into it in 1869. They used the handmade mantel from the chief trader’s house, and many of the doors and windows. To them were born six children—five boys and a girl, Barbara, who married Henry J. Austin, one of the early merchants of Newberg. They had two children—Louise Austin of the Friendsview Manor in Newberg and George Kenneth, who with his wife still lives in this house in its park-like setting of stately old black walnut and hickory trees. This grandson was among the first to develop an extensive irrigation project. Today he operates a modern dairy. Although the house has been remodeled, much of the original handwork can be seen. The broadaxe used to fashion the beams still stands by the fireplace. The original hand-dressed flooring remains in one room nailed with handwrought iron nails. One of the original shingles, hand-split and gently tapered with plane or draw-knife, is preserved. The family has collected shards of china, pottery, old pipe stems and bowls, and various relics from the site of the old trading post, which portion of the farm was sold many years ago. To this farm belongs the honor of having reared enterprising citizens from the time Pierre Belleque was appointed as one of the first constables—before the formation of our provisional government—to the present day, when the son of Mr. and Mrs. G. K. Austin aided in the designing of portions of our modern-day missiles. |
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