John L. Morrison

Who is John L. Morrison?

John L. Morrison arrived in Oregon Country in 1842 along with other famous Oregon pioneers Medorem Crawford, Asa Lovejoy, and Sidney Moss in the same wagon train. Morrison built the home of Francis Pettygrove in early Portland, Oregon. The street on which Pettygrove's house was located was named in honor of Morrison. The Morrison Bridge, crossing the Willamette River into East Portland, would later be named after him as well.

Born in Scotland, Morrison emigrated to Connecticut around 1830 and learned carpentry. Coming to the Oregon Country in 1842, Morrison worked as a carpenter for the Methodist Mission in 1843 and later in Oregon City where he gained a reputation for being meticulous in his work. Morrison built several houses in the Portland area and Oregon City with the most famous surviving structure being the Barclay House in Oregon City. Morrison would move to the San Juan Islands in the 1850s where he lived until his death in 1902.