Zenas J. Brown operated the first ferry in the area from 1851 to 1856. The ferries were usually rafts, made of logs lashed together and pulled across by hand power. The ferry rates were set by the government at 25 cents per person, 12½ cents per cow and 1 dollar for a wagon. A permit to operate a ferry cost $200.
Zenas Brown also ran a medical practice where he claimed to be an”eclectic physician and surgeon”. In 1855, Isaac Warwick, a young man, became very ill. Dr. Brown took him in and treated him. According to witnesses, Warwick was filthy, malnourished and had a bad case of lice. Warwick eventually died. A year later Brown was indicted for murder. Brown was acquitted for lack of evidence. Still under suspicion, he sold his land and moved to Florida. Credit: Tualatin Life November 2010.
