Hillsboro, Oregon has been one of the fastest developing states in the US. Ever since they opened doors for big companies like Intel and Nike, they have indeed proven their pride for the enterprising and cooperative approach to serving their residents.
This is one of series of articles dedicated to the home our our new clinic location in Hillsboro!
But before all their current success, of course, they owe it to some people who have helped their once small town grow. Just like any other city, some people have made a mark in their history and will forever be remembered by the people who live in it.
Here’s a list of people who helped put Hillsboro, Oregon on the map
1. DAVID HILL (1809 - May 9, 1850)
First of all, Hillsboro wouldn’t have its name if it wasn’t for this man; the person whom the city was named after. Mr. David Hill was among the first people to enter and settle in the area which is now known as Hillsboro, Oregon.
He had served in both the legislative and executive branches of Oregon’s provincial government before he became a legislator in the first Oregon Territorial Legislature. Furthermore, it was known that he had sold a part of his land for the location of the Washington County Courthouse.
A school was established in honor of him and was named David Hill Elementary School. Unfortunately, the school had closed back in 2008. On a brighter note, his name was memorialized in the frieze at the Oregon State Capitol, together with 158 other people.
Mr. David Hill died on May 9, 1950, of unknown causes and was buried at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery on TV Highway near Dairy Creek.
2. MARY RAMSEY WOOD (May 20, 1787 - January 1, 1908)
Another American pioneer, Mary Ramsey Wood was also called the “Mother Queen of Oregon.” It was also said that she was the oldest living person in the US before she died at the age of 120 years old. Although, it has been found that she may have been between 96-98 when she had died.
A child of a brickmaker, Richard Ramsey, and Catherine Gann; who were both from England and migrated to North America when they married. Hence, Mary Ramsey was initially from Tennessee but later on moved to the Oregon territory when she was 66. She then married John Wood in May 1854, in Hillsboro, where they lived and died together.
Mary Ramsey Wood was crowned “Mother Queen of Oregon” by a former senator from Oregon, George Henry Williams. She was also the president of the Oregon Pioneer Association, and was also titled the “oldest Methodist in the world.”
She died on January 1, 1908, and was buried at the Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery. Her death and age were reported across the whole country.
3. SAMUEL ROYAL THURSTON (April 15, 1816 – April 9, 1851)
Also considered an American pioneer, Samuel Royal Thurston was a lawyer and a politician. He served in the US Congress where he was the first delegate that came from the Oregon Territory. He also made a significant contribution to the passage of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850.
Samuel Thurston was originally from Maine where he attended in Dartmouth College and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1843. He was a model student and graduated with honors. Then after studying law under another American pioneer, Robert Dunlap, he got married and moved to Iowa.
He moved to Oregon in 1847 and settled and practiced law in Hillsboro. And just after one year, in 1848, he was then elected to the Provisional Legislature. The proceeding year after that, 1849, Samuel Thurston was chosen to represent the Oregon Territory in the United States Congress.
Samuel Royal Thurston died in April 1851 from the effects of tropical fever at a young age of 34 years old.
4. ADOLPH RUTSCHMAN (October 30, 1931)
Also called Ad Rutschman, he was a former baseball coach, an American football coach, and college athletics administrator. He worked as the head baseball coach of the Spartans for 13 seasons, the head football coach at Linfield College for 24 seasons, and the athletic director of Linfield College for 25 years.
He was an athlete at his alma mater, Hillsboro High School where he was a running back in 1940. Although, after finishing high school, he turned down a contract with NFL’s Detroit Lions and decided to teach and coach. After getting his degree in Physical Education, he taught at Hillsboro High School in 1954, where he became the head of the baseball team in 1956. Three years after, he became the head football coach and won the state championship in 1966.
During his time as the baseball coach of the Spartans, he led his team to a co-state championship in 1962. After that, he led the lead the team to 1966 and 1968 AAA state titles, which was the top division in the OSAA at that time.
After his service of 13 years at Hillsboro High School, he was offered head coach for the football team of Linfield College in 1968. His teams won fifteen Northwest Conference championships and three NAIA National championships. He led Linfield’s team to an all-division national record streak after winning 61 consecutive seasons.
Ad Rutschman is the only coach to have won national titles in both baseball and football. He was awarded as man-of-the-year of the state of Oregon’s Slats Gill five times, football coach of the year (Division II) five times, was an NAIA Hall of Famer in 1988, hall of fame of Oregon Sports in 1993, and enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
But like all good things, his football coaching career ended in 1991. He retired, saying he was burned out, being a head coach for so long. Although, he still helps out at McMinnville High School.
5. SCOTT JOHN BROW (March 17, 1969)
Another graduate of Hillsboro High School, Scott John Brow was a baseball pitcher in the Major League from 1993 to 1998. He played college baseball and graduated at the University of Washington (Huskies, 1988-1990). He then won the World Series in 1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
His professional baseball career started with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, followed by the Atlanta Braves in 1997, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. His playing stats are featured on ESPN’s website.
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