15. Oliver Cromwell Applegate (1845-1938) Oliver Cromwell ...

15. Oliver Cromwell Applegate (1845-1938)
Oliver Cromwell Applegate (1845-1938)
Ella Anderson Applegate (1855-1919)
Frank Lindsay (1879-1964)
Annie Elizabeth Applegate Halferty (1881-1935)
Leroy Gilbert Applegate (1885 –1966)
Rachel Emma Applegate Good (1887-1955)
Jean Margaret Applegate Grubb (1894-1956
Oliver Cromwell Applegate, Jr. (1896 –?)
Oliver Cromwell Applegate was born at Salt Creek
in the Oregon country, near the present site of
Dallas, on June 11, 1845. He was one of 12
children born to the famous trailblazer, Lindsay
Applegate, and Elizabeth Basham Applegate. He
grew up in Douglas and Jackson counties, was
educated there, and taught school in Ashland
between the ages of 17 and 21. Later, he worked as
his father Lindsay’s assistant on the Klamath
Reservation (Good 1941:196).
In 1870, with his brothers Ivan D. and Lucien B., he became interested in a large stock ranch in
Swan Lake Valley. At that time, the conflict between some of the settlers and a Modoc Indian
band under the leadership of Captain Jack was brewing. Captain Jack was petitioning to have
their own reservation in their traditional territory along Lost Creek in Tule Lake Valley. Many
settlers supported the Modoc, but misunderstandings and lack of communication led up to the
Modoc War in 1872. The Modoc War is not covered here, but the conflict that erupted during
1872-1873 is one of the most remarkable in the annals of Klamath history (see Riddle 1914 and
James 2008).
O. C. served as scout and then Captain of Company B, 1 st Brigade, Oregon Volunteer Militia in
the Modoc War, but unlike his uncle Jessie Applegate, O. C. was a peacemaker. According to
Modoc historian Cheewa James (2008: 46), O. C.’s uncle Jesse together with Jesse Carr wanted
to remove the Modoc, acquire large land holdings, and form a huge “stock rancho” for their
cattle operations; the two “…probably did more than all other settlers, civilian government
officials, and military to cause that tragic conflict.”
O. C. Applegate, however, was fair-minded in his treatment of the Modoc and worked to resolve
the conflict. He considered his chief service to the Klamath Basin to be his influence in keeping
Chief Schonchin, with the greater part of the Modoc Tribe, from joining the rebellion under
Captain Jack (Good 1941:197; Wynne 2005:7).

After the Modoc War in 1875, the three Applegate brothers – O. C., Ivan D. and Lucien B. –
controlled about 13,000 acres and were the third largest taxpayers in the county; their holdings
were assessed at $16,200. O. C. owned three large ranches: Lone Rock Ranch in Swan Lake
Valley; Olene Ranch at Lost River Gap; and a place on Sprague River. All were lost in the
depression of 1893-94 (Good 1941:197).
In 1895, after the loss of his ranches, O. C. moved to Klamath Falls and engaged in the insurance
business. Then in 1898 he was appointed Superintendent of the Klamath Indian Reservation,
holding this position until May 1905.
From this time until his death in 1938 at the age of 95, O.C. was active in the Klamath Falls
community. He handled real estate and served as Food Administrator for Klamath County during
World War I. After the war, he devoted himself to securing pensions for veterans of Indian and
other wars. He personally conducted tours through the Lava Beds and served as honorary
marshal in patriotic parades, “making him a community institution” (Good 1941:198). He was
avidly interested in historical data and gave many talks on history.
O. C. married Ella Anderson on Christmas Day in Ashland in 1878, and they had six children:
Frank Lindsay, Annie Elizabeth (Mrs. Z. T. Halferty), Leroy Gilbert, Rachel Emma (Mrs. D. J.
Good and later Mrs. John Swan), Margaret (Grubb), and Oliver Cromwell Jr. (KCHS 1984). The
family plot in the IOOF (International Order of the Oddfellows) section of Linkville Cemetery
includes three of their children—Rachel, Annie, and Margaret—in addition to the parents
(KBGS 2010). Numerous other Applegate relatives are located nearby and elsewhere in the
cemetery.
Oliver Applegate’s stone marker is defaced by bullet holes and its text largely obliterated; the
Klamath County Historical Society plans to replace it in the near future.
Sources
Good, Rachel Applegate. (1941). History of Klamath County, Oregon.
James, Cheewa. (2008). Modoc: The Tribe That Wouldn’t Die. Naturegraph, Happy Camp.,
California.
Klamath County Historical Society (KCHS). (1984). History of Klamath Country. Klamath
Falls, Oregon.
Klamath Basin Genealogical Society (KBGS). (2010). Index to Cemetery Records: Linkville
Pioneer Cemetery & IOOF Cemetery. Klamath County Library, Klamath Falls, Oregon,
http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~orkbgs.
Riddle, Jeff C. (1914). The Indian History of the Modoc War; and the Causes That Led Up to It.
Marnell Co., San Francisco.
Wynne, Floyd L. (2005). Great Moments in Klamath History. Maverick Publications, Bend,
Oregon.
Compiled by Carol Mattos and Elizabeth Budy 2013