The Lost Surveyor 28 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 45, No. 2 continuedT generally credited with being the first settler based on the date of his claim. Buoy Beer is located on McClure’s claim on the waterfront at the end of 8th Street. Stop in and enjoy some great beer, a stunning view of the river, and watch the sea lions through the floor while you wait for a table. Although McClure was an influential member of early Oregon, just like the beers, he is not the focus of this story. McClure’s claim was platted by his neighbor to the east, John Shively, who is our Lost Surveyor. The McClure history found at archive.org states that McClure and Shively were “Sometimes cooperating, sometimes butting heads, always interesting and involved in their new land.” Both left a mark on Oregon in their own way. John Shively originated from Kentucky and arrived in Astoria in 1844. Shively immediately put his surveying skills to work and laid out the plats of “McClure’s Astoria” and “Shively’s Astoria.” As a prelude to the rest of his time in Oregon, upon arrival he promptly found himself in a dispute with the Hudson’s Bay Company which at that time was in control of Fort George. The location of Fort George was near the northwest corner of the plat of Shively’s Astoria which was dated 1844, but recorded in 1854. The fort was on Shively’s land and the Shively andMcClure claims completely encompassed the location of the fort and any supporting infrastructure. John Shively’s dispute with the Hudson’s Bay Company continued and in 1845 he was forced out. He traveled toWashington, D.C., where he lived for two years. While in D.C. he “participated in the Northwest boundary negotiations, lobbied for mail service to Oregon and published a guidebook, Route and Distances to Oregon and California (1846)” (Oregon Encyclopedia). Shively also secured a position as the postmaster of Astoria, whichmade himthe first postmaster west of the Rocky Mountains. He returned to Astoria in 1847, but then abruptly headed off to the California goldfields in 1849. Upon his departure he failed to appoint a postmaster in his absence. When he returned from the goldfields in 1850, penniless, he found that he had been replaced. Shively then served as Clatsop County Surveyor from 1851 to 1854, and during his tenure he ventured to the goldfields of Southern Oregon. Shively’s land controversies, and those of his family, continued throughout his time in Astoria. A document entitled “Important Events from Town of Astoria Trustees Meetings, 1856–1871” foreshadows what was to come regarding Shively’s surveying. In July 1860, the committee on roads 1863 GLO plat of the Donation Land Claims in T8NR9W.
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