Skookum: An Oregon Pioneer Family's History and Lore

by Shannon Applegate

In 1843, brothers Jesse, Lindsay, and Charley Applegate--accompanied by their wives and twenty-two children--led the first wagon train from Missouri to Oregon. By the end of the decade, the restless clan had left the "crowded" Willamette Valley and pointed their wagons toward Yoncalla in southern Oregon's Umpqua Valley. There, Charley built an immense two-story frame home--with one side for men, the other for women. A single fireplace, which opened toward both sides of the house, ensured that "only the smoke was permitted to mingle." The divided house in Yoncalla is at the heart of Shannon Applegate's Skookum, a powerful chronicle of her pioneer family. With the skill of a historian and the craft of a novelist, Applegate recounts the story of her family over several generations--the dreams, hardships, mysteries, and joys. Their experiences encompass many of the predominant historical themes of the early American West: the effects of the intermittent gold rushes, the troubled relations between settlers and Indians, the use of land and other natural resources. Yet Shannon Applegate looks beyond the well-known lives of the Applegate men, in whose honor were named a trail, a town, a river, and a mountain peak, to offer a more intimate history. Skookum gives voice to the women of the family, who, writes Applegate, "as surely as certain stitches ... have held the generations together." ("Skookum" is Chinook jargon for "strong, power, full of spirit.") Her female kin "kept the time" by cherishing and protecting the thousands of family letters, journals, recollections, manuscripts, sketchbooks, and photographs. Tied into neat bundles and stored for years in chests of aromatic cedar and Douglasfir, these family treasures infuse Skookum's narratives with the powerful presence of the past. Out of these richly detailed sources. Shannon Applegate has fashioned a compelling, imaginative saga that brings her extraordinary family and the emerging West dramatically to life.

Genres: History

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

Reviews

[Douglas Noakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of an early pioneer family--the Applegates--who came to Oregon in the mid-1840s. Two of the brothers helped establish a safer route to the Willamette Valley, and later served in a volunteer militia dedicated to maintaining Oregon as a defender of the Union. A good warts-and-all book on the hardships and reward of westward expansion.

[Bill Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a book about my ancestors. I better give it 5 stars. Actually, it's an excellent read about the hardships and losses experienced by some of the first Oregon settlers, primarily the Applegate family, in the areas around the Willamette Valley. Skookum generally means "strong or resilient" and all the settlers needed that strength to survive.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a very interesting read - tragedy, humor, family ties, Oregon history. I often pass by Applegate signs and have wondered "What are Applegates?" "Who are the Applegates?" Inspires me to read more of Oregon history.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon Applegate has put together an astounding narrative of her pioneering family's journey to southern Oregon from Missouri, their eventual settlement in the Yoncalla Valley, and the story of three Applegate brothers, Charles, Lindsay and Jesse and their offspring. Between the three brothers, forty children were born! Thanks to aunts and cousins who kept diaries and journals of their lives plus countless interviews with elderly relatives, Shannon was able to bring life to the early days of Oregon including the effects of the Civil War on pioneering families, the excitement--and disappointment--of local gold rushes, the Applegate family's unusual relationships with the local Yoncalla Indians and of most enjoyment to me, their relationships with each other. I had to refer frequently to the extensive family tree in the beginning of the book and there were a few times toward the end when her writing style confused me as she jumped from third person to first person but overall I have to rate this as one of the best family histories I've ever read. Shannon isn't just putting down the facts; she is honest about the family's failings and open about their challenges but through everything runs the thread of her love for her family and for Oregon.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Oregonian I enjoyed reading this story of a pioneering Oregon family.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an Applegate I really enjoyed reading about my family history. Thank you Shannon for taking us on your journey.