History of Early Pioneer Families of Hood River, Oregon. Compiled by Mrs. D.M. Coon

HENRY COE AND FAMILY 1854 - 1856
Coe Records. D.M.C.

     Youngest of the family, Henry came with his mother to his home, in the wilds of Oregon, in September 1854. Everything was new and strange to him and he must have been lonely for he was the only white child in the valley.
     Between the Coe home and the river, on land claimed by Nathaniel Coe, were several camps of friendly Indians where Indian children grew and vied with each other in their hardy outdoor sports. Naturally Henry was attracted thither and joined in their sports. He learned their language, listened to their legends and unconsciously imbibed many of their characteristics. Few men have been able to understand the Indian nature or speak with greater knowledge of their traits than Henry Coe. In the winter of 1861-62 Charles Coe was taken sick and needed medicine from Portland. The river was full of ice and the boats had stopped running. Henry was detailed to go to Portland for the medicine. The following is an account of the trip in his own words: "It was my fortune, or misfortune, to have to make a trip to Portland at the very commencement of winter. The steamer Idaho went down to the Cascades on New Year's day, her last trip; the lower river was closed, so Wells Fargo's messenger, Jones, and myself, took a small boat at the Cascades and made our way through the drift ice to the mouth of the Sandy river and then went on foot to Portland, reaching that place about 8 o'clock that night. On the sixth I was ready to return, and in company with Lew Day, a well known express manager, noted for his pluck and endurance, left Portland in a two-horse hack for the Sandy river, to which point there was a fair road.
      We drove across the Willamette on the ice, and reached Joe Latourelle's in good season. On our way to Sandy we met Geo. H. Knaggs, a well-known middle river steamboatman, and several others on their way to Portland. They were badly used up and tried to dissuade us from attempting the trip. That we were not built that way continued on our trip. At Latourelle we found twenty eight miners on their way to the Boise mines. That night it commenced to snow, and was about twelve inches deep by morning, and a bitter east wind howling down the river. Day and I soon left the miners behind and broke trail, the entire distance to the middle cascades, which we reached in good season, where we were cordially received by John Barzee, the genial manager of the portage road then operated on the south, or Oregon side of the river. Snow fell all night and was over two feet deep by morning. A few miles above the cascades we met Captains E.W. Baughman and E.F Coe and Engineer John Girty, of the upper Columbia river, but now of The Dallas, and bound for Portland, then, as now, the Mecca of the northwest. We had some hard falls picking our way around Shell Rock Mountain, then noted far and near as the worst place on the route.
     We reached Mitchells Point that night completely done up. Day gave out about a mile from our destination and I thought it was all over with him, but he finally got on his feet again and made our stopping place. The wind had blown up a living gale all day drifting and driving the snow in our faces, and adding greatly to the difficulty of our trip. We reached Hood River early the next morning, the snow measuring three feet deep." The Coe diary shows that "Henry has gone to Portland to get medicine for Charles". The date is December 31.
     An entry on Jan 9th, says "Henry returned from Portland". An entry in the diary Feb. 6th, says "Henry gone to The Dalles on foot on ice." On the 9th, it says: "Henry returned". On the 10th, we read, "Borrowed sack of flour from James Benson". On the 19th, the records show: "Henry and Indian Charley gone to The Dalles with hand sleds to get flour". The 21st says: "Henry returned with two sacks of flour". Thus we find that the family was largely dependent upon the endurance
and pluck of Henry, during the trying times of that awful winter.
     He was 9 years old when he went to live at Hood River, there were no schools but he had his lessons as regularly as his meals for his parents had no idea of permitting him to grow up in ignorance. In the fall of 1859 there was a school at The Dallas and he attended it. In the winter of 1863-64 he attended Pacific University at Forest Grove. His home study made him the peer of any pupil of his age. From the records we learn that "He is making a boat" or "Working on a new gate" or "fixing the cider mill", also "Henry raised a flagpole in front of the house', thus we learn that he had few idle moments.
     In August 1863 he, with others, ascended Mt. Adams and again in 1864. In 1866 he received a pilots commission on the Upper Columbia and Snake River boats. On March 17th, 1869 he married Miss Kitty Catton of Independence, Iowa. They have had five children, Mollie, who died in 1895, Kate, who is now Mrs. Barrett of Portland, Charles, who died in infancy, Irma, who is Mrs. J.W. Ansley and Nell who is Mrs. DuBois, both living in Portland. In the spring of 1869 Henry and Eugene moved to Yakima and engaged in the stock business. On the death of Charles in 1872, the brothers came back to the farm but much of their time was spent as pilots on the river. With the coming of the railroad a new era dawned for Hood River. H.C. and E.F. Coe platted a modest little townsite of four blocks on the Coe homestead. The town now covers all of the Coe Claim, all of the Stranahan Claim, forty acres purchased by Mrs. Parkhurst, a portion of the Jenkin's and Jas. Benson's claim, a fractional piece of land now known as Winan's Addition, and a part of the Nathan Benson homestead.
     Mrs. Coe (nee Kitty Catton) came to Hood River at the age of fourteen years and was an inmate of the Coe home before she and Henry were married. She has been a faithful wife and mother and a worthy woman in every way.

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