Israel David Haines
Founder of Haines, Oregon
Israel David Haines was born in 1827 in Xenia, Ohio to Reuben and Nancy (Connely) Haines. At age 21, he came west with Colonel W. W. Loring's Rifle Regiment, which was under orders to take possession of Hudson Bay territory under a 1849 treaty with Great Britain.
After mustering out of the army at Fort Vancouver, Washington, Haines joined the California gold rush and then returned to Oregon and established a mercantile business between Portland and Jacksonville, Oregon.
Haines moved to Coos Bay, Oregon and erected the first house there, which he used as a hotel and general merchandise store. His goods arrived on the sailing vessel Cynosure. The Cynosure was the first sailing vessel to enter Coos Bay harbor and Haines acted as pilot to guide her across the bar.
Haines returned to Jacksonville in 1854. He served in the Oregon Legislature and read for the law. He was admitted to the Oregon Bar in 1864. He practiced law in California and Idaho before settling in Baker City, Oregon in 1867.
Haines married Minerva Dorsett in 1871. She was a native of Quincy, Illinois and the daughter of James A. and Sara Ann (Ross) Dorsett. The Dorsett family had traveled across the plains in a covered wagon and settled in Auburn, Oregon in 1864. Israel and Minerva had five children.
In Baker City, Haines practiced law, served in the Oregon State Legislature again, and was successful in farming and stock raising in Baker Valley. He was instrumental in the effort to move the Baker County Seat from Auburn, Oregon to Baker City in 1869. Haines was an influential man of good name and was respectfully referred to as Judge Haines.
Israel Haines owned extensive land holdings in and around what is now the City of Haines. In 1884, when the railroad line was completed, Haines platted out the town of Haines. Around the first small railroad platform and station, the town of Haines grew rapidly into a thriving community that became a major supplier of livestock, agriculture products, and lumber for the Portland markets. The town of Haines soon became known as The Biggest Little City in Oregon.
Israel David Haines was revered as a true Oregon Pioneer. When he passed away in 1892, his funeral cortege, over a mile long, was the largest ever witnessed in Baker City and businesses closed their doors out of respect. He was laid to rest at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Baker City.