Cornelius C. Beekman

Cornelius C. Beekman
Cornelius Beekman around the turn of the 20th century
Born	(1828-01-27)January 27, 1828 Dundee, New York
Died	February 22, 1915(1915-02-22) (aged 87) Jacksonville, Oregon
Resting place	Jacksonville Cemetery 42°19′03″N 122°58′19″W / 42.317534°N 122.971998°W / 42.317534; -122.971998
Other names	Beek Uncle Beek
Occupation	Wells-Fargo Express agent Banker
Known for	Cornelius C. Beekman House Beekman Bank Beekman Native Plant Arboretum
Spouse(s)	Julia E. Hoffman
Children	Benjamin B. Beekman Carrie C. Beekman Lydia Beekman

Cornelius C. Beekman (January 27, 1828 – February 22, 1915) was a Wells-Fargo Express agent and banker in Jacksonville, Oregon, United States. He is the namesake of the Cornelius C. Beekman House and the Beekman Native Plant Arboretum.

Beekman was born in 1828 in Dundee, New York, to parents Benjamin Beekman and Lydia Compton. The elder Beekman trained his son to be a carpenter. Beekman attended public school in Yates County and remained in the area until 1850. In that year, he sailed for San Francisco intent on becoming a gold prospector during the California Gold Rush. Believing that all of the good claims already had been filed, Beekman remained in San Francisco and worked briefly as a carpenter at the rate of one ounce of gold per day. In 1851 he traveled north and staked a claim in Yreka.

In 1853 Beekman became a delivery rider for Cram, Rogers & Co., and he rode a trail through the Siskiyou Mountains two or three times a week carrying gold dust, letters, and parcels between Yreka, California, and Jacksonville, Oregon. He relocated to Jacksonville in that year, and when Cram Rogers failed in 1856, he opened the Beekman Express Company and continued along the same route.

For a time, Beekman was paid five percent of the estimated value of the gold dust he transported, and the gold dust amounted to more than $15,000,000 over the duration of his service. Beekman also received one dollar for each letter and newspaper he transported. In 1857 he opened the Beekman Bank in Jacksonville. The bank became the first bank in Southern Oregon, and because depositors dealt in gold dust, Beekman charged a storage fee of one percent rather than pay interest on deposits. He continued in banking until shortly before his death in 1915.

In 1863 Beekman became the Jacksonville agent of the Wells Fargo Express Co., a post he held for forty years. During the time he worked for Wells Fargo, Beekman shipped millions of dollars in gold dust to be minted in San Francisco.