John Sellwood facts for kids
John Sellwood was an early Episcopal minister who moved to Oregon. He settled on a large piece of land, about 321 acres (130 hectares), on the east side of the Willamette River. This land was located upstream from the city of Portland.
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Early Life and Journey to Oregon
John Sellwood was born in England. His father passed away in 1808, so his mother raised and educated him. In 1853, John, his mother, and his only brother, James R.W. Sellwood, moved to the United States.
They first settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later moved to Illinois. In Illinois, John Sellwood worked as a minister for a short time. In 1856, they continued their journey west to Oregon. During their trip, they stopped in Panama, where John was badly injured during a disturbance. He never fully recovered from these injuries.
Ministry and Education in Oregon
John Sellwood and his brother, who was also a minister, came to Oregon to help Thomas Fielding Scott. Scott was an Episcopal missionary bishop for Oregon and Washington. A missionary bishop helps spread the church's message and establish new communities.
Bishop Scott had arrived in Oregon in the early 1850s. He started a boys' school in Oswego and a girls' school in Milwaukie. Both of these schools were quite close to the land John Sellwood owned.
Founding the Town of Sellwood
In 1882, John Sellwood sold his property to the Sellwood Real Estate Company. This company then started to develop the land into a new town called Sellwood. Henry Pittock, who owned The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, was a major investor in this real estate company.
The town of Sellwood officially became a town in 1887. Later, in 1893, it became part of Portland. This happened after the state legislature moved the Multnomah County border slightly south and east. This change allowed Portland to include all of Sellwood within its city limits. The Sellwood post office was set up in October 1893 and was renamed the Sellwood-Moreland post office in 1950.
Legacy and Naming
John Sellwood passed away on August 27, 1892. Several places in Portland are named after him. These include Sellwood Boulevard, Sellwood Road, and the Sellwood neighborhood.
