Letitia Carson’s Soap Creek Place

Benton County farm, 1845–1856 · Soap Creek Valley, Oregon • Township 10 South, Range 5 West, Section 34 & DLC #59

🌲 Step 1: The Land Today & Lidar

Laser ground scans [Lidar] strip away tree leaves and branches to reveal the original 1845 wagon road running along the creek terrace, a homestead bench, and cattle ditching.

Soil: Prime Abiqua and McAlpin silty clay loams on the creek bench—the richest farming ground in the valley.

✈️ Step 2: The 1936 Sky View

Without seasonal fire or grazing, Douglas-fir seedlings quickly seeded into the open grass after 1940, creating the modern forest you see today.

Earliest biplane flight: 1936 aerial photography.

📐 Step 3: First Survey & Witness Trees

Surveyed by Dennis Hathorn (Donation Claims) & Robert Elder (Section Lines) using a 66-foot iron chain.

• Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) (30 inches): 28 links (18.5 feet) blazed [Verified GLO/ORWW Record].
• Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) (24 inches): 125 links (82.5 feet) blazed [Verified GLO/ORWW Record].

🏛️ Step 4: First Legal Patents & Schools

First Claim: David Carson, Donation Land Claim #59 (320.0 Acres)

School Trust Section: Section 16 & 36 perpetual public education endowment.