Caleb Barnes
Photo of east end of Oswego Lake taken in 1910 by Will Bickner. LOPL Digital History Collection
Caleb Barnes, one of the first donation land claimants to homestead at the west end of Oswego Lake, filed a donation land claim in 1851. His single dwelling is said to have inspired several other pioneer families of the late 1840s and early 50’s to file donation land claims including Carman, Brown, Prosser, Bryant, Draper. The filing of these land claims led to the development of Lake Grove.
Barnes built his dwelling in a forest amidst dogwoods, maples, and alder trees on rocky terrain overlooking the lake. When deciding where to situate his house, closer to the road or having a view of the pristine lake, he chose close to the road. It was more practical for transportation purposes.
Little has been written about Caleb Barnes: his reason for coming to Oregon; what he did for a living prior to his arrival here; when he died; where he is buried. But what we do know is he arrived in Oregon in 1848 from Canada when he was 33, according to census records.
I'm speculating that he might have come to the Oregon Territory with Hudson's Bay Company considering he was Canadian. Upon his arrival here, records show he lived for a time in Linn City, founded by Major Robert Moore – a colleague of Dr. John McLoughlin. Dr. McLoughlin founded Oregon City; Major Moore founded Robin’s Nest, which became Linn city, then later West Linn.
Although he was a bachelor, Barnes rarely experienced loneliness. The road from Tualatin Plains to Oregon City cut through his property which meant there were always folks traveling back and forth. Plus he had his horse and his boat to carry him to Oswego whenever he wanted to socialize. He took part in many “spell downs” at the Grange Hall, earning the reputation as the best speller in the county.
Parties of campers would often disturb his wilderness-like living when they would come to the lake in their wagons for a vacation of catfishing. The shores of Oswego Lake remained pristine and quiet, the only disruption of the water being a log tow.
Lake Grove Platted in 1912
Oregon Iron and Steel owned a great deal of property around Oswego Lake. When those properties went on the market in 1912, the area around Barnes’ homestead began developing. Lake Grove was platted in 1912 and named by Oregon and Iron Steel because of its proximity to the lake and all the groves of trees as far as the eye could see. Oswego Pipe Foundry workers cleared the land because they needed trees to burn for charcoal to fuel the foundry and the iron furnace. According to Oregon’s Iron Dream by Mary Goodall, Caleb Barnes was a woodsman–a person who works in the woods. This leads me to think he might have been one of the 'tree fellers' employed by Oregon Iron and Steel, who owned the pipe foundry.
Lake Grove Grows
By 1916 several houses were built on the lake and the acreage above the lake. There were quite a few houses built on Reese Road. Only a few houses, maybe three or four, were built on Boones Ferry even though it was considered the main road. However, people didn’t have automobiles then and traveled by the Red Electric. They wanted to live within proximity to the Lake Grove depot, meaning within walking distance of two or three blocks. The center of Lake Grove then was from Upper Drive to Reese Road.