Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Every Wednesday, the Oregon Republican League will post the biographies of important figures, in the League's/State of Oregon's history. Feel free to comment or share stories of your family's Republican affiliation.


From "History of Central Oregon" published 1906
Biographical Sketches of Lake County

Svante F. AHLSTROM

Svante F. Ahlstrom is a native of Christianstadt, Sweden, and was born May 12, 1850. His father was John F. Ahlstrom and died at the age of seventy-seven. His grandfather, of the same name, was a soldier of Sweden, and lived to the age of ninety-nine years and nine months when he died from the effects of an accident. Mr. Ahlstrom's mother Johannah (Warling) Ahlstrom died in 1861.

In 1869 Mr. Ahlstrom went to Denmark, Germany, France and England, afterward coming to New York. From the latter state he came by the first overland train ever run over the Union and Central Pacific railroad from Omaha to San Franscio. He removed from San Francisco to Red Bluff, California, where he learned the saddler's trade, which he has followed as means of livelihood ever since. In 1873 he went to Marysville where he worked with H. M. Harris as a saddle and harness maker until 1886, when formed a partnership with his employer and came to Lakeview. Here they engaged in business under the firm name of Harris & Ahlstrom, and continued in partnership until 1889, when Mr. Ahlstrom purchased the interests of Mr. Harris, since which time he has conducted the business independently. Fire destroyed his shop and the greater part of his stock in 1900, since which time Mr. Ahlstrom has erected a modern brick building on the site of the old. In addition to his building he own a first class two-story residence in Lakeview.

Mr. Ahlstrom was married in 1876 to Mary Gunther, who was born in San Francisco and reared in Marysville, California. Her parents, were Jacob J. and Sarah C. Gunther, natives of Germany and early pioneers of California.

To Mr. & Mrs. Ahlstrom have been born three children; Elmer C., a Lakeview merchant: Fred O., also a merchant and treasurer of Lake County; and Lottie Ahlstrom, bookkeeper for Ahlstrom Brothers.

Our subject was elected county treasurer on the Republican ticket in 1898; he has been school director for six years and has been a councilman and mayor of this home city. He has been a member of the Odd Fellows lodge for a period of thirty years, is now a member and past grand of Lakeview lodge, No. 63, is a past chief patriach of Lakeview encampment, and has on different occasions represented his lodge in the conventions of the grand lodge. Both he and Mrs. Ahlstrom are members of the Rebekah degree, and he is also a charter member of the Foresters, of which order he has been chief ranger and is now district deputy.

Mr. Ahlstrom may feel justly proud of the business he has built up in his line since location in Lakeview. He manufactures a special grade of saddle know as the "Lakeview saddle." The popularity of which has become so great during recent years that he ships great quantities of them to the states of Idaho, California, Nevada and the eastern states, besides the great number which find ready sale in his home state. Some have found a market in even as remote a locality as the Hawaiian islands. He also makes a specialty of manufacturing saddles and harness to order. From a beginning the most meager his establishment has grown through the popularity of his goods into the most extensive plant of its nature in the state, outside the city of Portland.



Roswell L. Bewley

While his mother was on a visit to Salem, Marion county, Ore., Roswell L. Bewley was born, December 24, 1864, one and a half miles from Sheridan. Judging by his present success, he must have had an excellent agricultural training, his educational chances being also far above those of the average farm-reared youth, for he was permitted the advantages of the public schoools, the Forest Grove College, and the McMinnville College.

Mr. Bewley assumed charge of one of the finest ranches in this county in 1888, and on October 7, 1888, married Anna R. Young, who was born in New York state, and who has borne him twin boys, William H. and James Garfield. At the present time Mr. Bewley owns five thousand acres of land, nearly all in one body, of which one thousand acres are devoted to farming enterprises, and all under cultivation. Also, he owns a stock ranch of eight hundred acres in Polk county, and has some of the finest stock in the state. He is one of the most experienced and influential stockmen in Oregon, and one of the largest land owners. Mr. Bewley is a Republican in politics, and is fraternally connected with Sheridan Lodge No. 64, F. & A. M., of which he is a past master.



From "History of Central Oregon," published 1906
Biographical Sketches of Lake County, pgs. 905-906

John B. BLAIR

John B. Blair, a prominent citizen of Lakeview and formerly county assessor of Lake county, is a native of Lee county, Iowa, born March 23, 1844. His father, Hon. Colbert P. Blair, was one of the earliest pioneers of southern Oregon coming here with an ox train, of which he was captain, in the summer of 1853. He was a native of North Carolina, born January 1, 1805, and for the past fifteen years has made his home in Pendleton, Oregon. Although on the eve of his on hundredth year he is as hale and hearty as many men a quarter of a century his junior. He is a veteran of the Black Hawk and Rogue River Indian wars, in both of which he saw active service as a scout and much server fighting. After coming to Oregon he settled in Benton county, which county he at one time represented in the state legislature. Our subject's grandfather was Colbert Blair, a native of Scotland and a soldier during the Revolutionary War. Mr. Blair's mother was Elizabeth (Hill) Blair, also a native of South Carolina and of Scotch parentage, her father being Henry Hill. He, too, served in the Revolutionary War. The mother lived to the age of sixty-five years, when she died in Benton county, Oregon.

The brothers and sisters of John B. Blair are: Thomas J., Pendleton; James H., and Mrs. Meeky Trapp, both of Lincoln county, Oregon. One brother, Oliver P. Blair and four sisters, Mrs Fally Scovel, Mrs. Cloe Jane Skipton, Mrs. Sophia Irwin, and Martha B. Blair are dead.

Mr. Blair crossed the plains with his father and family, the family at that time consisting of the parents and eight children, and assisted his father in opening a ranch in the wild and unsettled prairie in Benton county, Oregon. Opportunities for attending school were at that time decidedly meager. But notwithstanding that fact our subject managed to obtain a fair common school education by applying himself to study at home. He was married during August of 1867 to Jennie Fuller, and in the spring of 1872 he came to the Chewaucan valley, now Lake county, but at that time Jackson county, Oregon. The valley at that time contained only five settlers and was not improved even by as much as a public road. The following spring he went to Summer lake valley and took a preemption and worked for wages in order to make improvements on his ranch. Later he traded his claim for cattle and engaged in the stock business. Returning to the Chewacucan valley, he took a homestead, upon which he made his home until 1901. In 1900 he was elected to the office of county assessor and two years later he was elected to succeed hlimself. He was elected on the Republican ticket, and was the first man in the county to be elected to the office of assessor a second time. He removed to Lakeview in 1901, where he has since made his home. He is one of the most highly respected citizens of Lake county, where he is universally regarded as a man of ability and of honor. As an example of the trust reposed in him by him by his fellow citizens we may mention the fact that he is at the present time executor for two estates, the testator in each instance appointing him with the request that he perform the duties of the position without being placed under bond.

Mr. Blair has been a member of Lakeview lodge, I.O.O.F. for twenty-five years, that being the only secret order with which he is affiliated.

To Mr. and Mrs. Blair, five children have been born: Wellington S. married to Birdie McDonald and residing at Paisley, Oregon; Dollie Viola, deceased; Tracy C.; Richard, deceased; and Dovie Maria, the wife of James Reeder, of Silver Lake, Oregon. Wellington and Birdie Blair have three children. Tracy C. Blair, the second son mentioned, is married to Annie Miller and has one child. He is a surveyor and civil engineer of prominence in Anaconda, Montana. He has been a surveyor on the Great Northern railroad for three years, and is now in the employ of the Anaconda Copper Company for which he engineered the flume and great smoke-stack at Anaconda.

It is pleasant to state that since the above was written, our subject went to Pendleton, Oregon, and there, January 1, 1905, with other members of the family, celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of his father's birth, Hon. Colbert P. Blair.