Joseph S. Ruckle Explained
Colonel Joseph S. Ruckle (or Ruckel) was a businessman who moved to Oregon in 1855.
In Oregon, he captained Van Bergen's Oregon Steam Navigation Company steamship named the Fashion on the Columbia River.[1] He then built his own boat, the Mountain Buck, and then a railroad portage. The rail portage, which was the Oregon Portage Railroad, was around the Cascades on the Columbia, and was the first railroad in Oregon.[2]
Ruckle was elected state senator in 1858 over Clackamas and Wasco counties.[3] A Democrat, he represented District 2, but as Oregon had not yet entered the Union, there was no official session in 1858.[4] He only served during the 1859 special session, the first meeting of the state legislature.[5]
In 1864 and 1865, he and George Thomas built the Thomas and Ruckle Road over the Blue Mountains. He also developed a quartz mine near Powder River that became known as the Virtue Mine.[6]
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Deumling, Dietrich. The roles of the railroad in the development of the Grande Ronde Valley (masters thesis). Northern Arizona University. Flagstaff, Arizona. May 1972. 4383986. 13–15, 27–28.
- Book: Worker's of the Writers Program of the Works Progress Administration. Oregon, End of the Trail. US History Publishers. 1940. American Guide Series. 71. 1-60354-036-9.
- Book: Bancroft, Hubert Howe. Hubert Howe Bancroft. History of Oregon. 1888. II. History Company. San Francisco, California. 432. March 23, 2018.
- Web site: 1858 Regular Session (1st Pre-Admission). Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide. Oregon State Archives. 18 January 2010.
- Web site: 1859 Special Session. Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide. Oregon State Archives. 18 January 2010.
- Book: Bancroft, Hubert Howe. Hubert Howe Bancroft. History of Oregon. 1888. II. History Company. San Francisco, California. 481. March 23, 2018.
