After David's Death

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A photograph from September 7th, 2013 of Roxanne at Johns' Ranch at Elliff Cabin, where Letitia lived and worked after leaving David Carson's estate. 

After being forced off their Soap Creek Valley land, Letitia and her children traveled south and settled in Douglas County, Oregon. Although she later won both of her lawsuits against Greenberry Smith, Letitia was never granted ownership of the Soap Creek Valley homestead and would continue living in Douglas County after her legal victories.

During the time the legal suits were being filed, Letitia and the children had left their home of seven years and moved to the upper Cow Creek Valley in Douglas County. Letitia began working for the Elliff family in Cow Creek Valley, likely as a domestic servant within the family’s home. She supplemented her income through her midwife services in the local community. It is thought that she may have traveled south with the Nidey family, pioneers of 1852 who wintered in Santiam City (present-day Jefferson) and traveled south to Cow Creek Valley in late March and early April 1853. The distance from Letitia’s home on Soap Creek to the Hardy Elliff cabin (Johns Ranch in present-day Azalea), where the Nidey’s first camped, is about 160 miles, or about one week’s travel at that time. 

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1990 Jan Meranda at Letitia Carson Homesite

A 1990 photograph of historian Jan Meranda standing in a field at Letitia Carson's homesite in Douglas County, Oregon. Jan Meranda worked with Bob Zybach to resurrect the story of Letitia Carson in the 1990s.

Next Page: Letitia's Homestead

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