Esther Short facts for kids

Esther Clark Short (born December 24, 1806 – died June 28, 1862) was an important early settler in what is now the state of Washington. She is known as a founder of the city of Vancouver, Washington. A piece of land she gave away became Esther Short Park. This park is the oldest public square in Washington state. Esther achieved this even though women in the Washington territory were not legally allowed to own property until 1881.

A Pioneer's Story

Early Life and Moving West

Esther Clark was born on December 24, 1806, in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Her background is interesting: some say she was part Algonquin and part German. Others believe she was entirely Native American, with roots in the Cherokee, Algonquin, and Six Nations tribes.

Esther and her sister, Jane, grew up Roman Catholic. They lived through tough times, including the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War of 1832. While going to school, Esther learned useful skills like shooting, how to preserve food, and herbal medicine.

In November 1829, she married Amos Short. The family moved West to Illinois in 1837. A few years later, in 1845, they moved even further West to the Oregon territory. By 1847, they settled near Fort Vancouver. They chose a piece of land that had been claimed by someone else, Henry Williamson, who had left it with the Hudson's Bay Company. This caused problems between the Shorts and the Hudson's Bay Company. There was a lot of tension between British fur traders and American settlers in the area. The Oregon Treaty said that Hudson's Bay's property rights should be respected. British officers often tried to make the Shorts move back to American land south of the Columbia River.

Founding the City of Vancouver

In 1853, Esther's husband, Amos Short, sadly drowned. He was returning from a trip to California when his ship, the Vandalia, sank in the Columbia Bar. After his death, Esther took action. She filed papers to claim 640 acres of her husband's land. She did this under a law called the Donation Land Claim Act.

That same year, Esther opened a restaurant on her land. The next year, she opened a hotel. In 1855, she generously gave a piece of her land for the city to use. This gift included land for a public plaza, which later became Esther Short Park. She also gave a strip of waterfront land to be a public wharf. Today, Berth One of the Port of Vancouver stands on this spot. The City of Vancouver officially became a city two years later, in 1857.

Personal Life

Esther Short was a strong and determined woman. She raised ten children during her lifetime. She gave birth to twelve children, but two of them passed away when they were very young.

Death

Esther Short died on June 28, 1862. She was buried at the old Vancouver city cemetery.