Jesse Applegate
| Jesse Applegate | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon | |
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In office 1845–1845 |
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| Preceded by | none |
| Constituency | Yamhill District |
| Member of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon | |
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In office 1848–1849 |
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| Succeeded by | position dissolved |
| Constituency | Polk District |
| Member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention | |
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In office 1857 |
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| Constituency | Umpqua County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 5, 1811 Henry County, Kentucky |
| Died | April 22, 1888 (aged 76) Yoncalla, Oregon |
| Spouse(s) | Cynthia Ann Parker |
| Relations |
Lindsay Applegate (brother) Oliver Cromwell Applegate (nephew) |
| Occupation | farmer |
Jesse Applegate (July 5, 1811 – April 22, 1888) was an American pioneer who led a large group of settlers along the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country. He was an influential member of the early government of Oregon, and helped establish the Applegate Trail as an alternative route to the Oregon Trail.
Jesse Applegate was born in Henry County, Kentucky, on July 5, 1811. In 1821, he moved with his family to Missouri where he soon was employed in the Law office of Edward Bates. He attended seminary in Illinois, worked as a schoolteacher, clerk, and deputy surveyor to the Missouri Surveyor General, where he met Jedediah Smith, William Sublette, and David Edward Jackson—men who were instrumental in blazing the Oregon Trail. Applegate married Cynthia Ann Parker on March 13, 1831 and settled outside Osceola, Missouri on the Osage River the next year. His farmstead lasted for twelve years, with the labor force primarily slaves from neighboring farms, despite Applegate not owning any personally.
Along with his brothers Charles and Lindsay and their families, he joined what became known as the "Great Migration of 1843" on the Oregon Trail. He became one of the leaders of the expedition after it split into two parties over a dispute about whether the large amounts of livestock being driven by some members of the group would slow down their travel. Applegate's party became known as the "cow column" and the other party was called the "light column". After leaving their guide Marcus Whitman at his mission and abandoning their wagons at Fort Walla Walla, the Applegate brothers built boats for traveling down the Columbia River to Fort Vancouver. Near The Dalles, a boat capsized and Jesse and Lindsay each lost a son to drowning. Lindsay later wrote, "We resolved if we remained in the country, to find a better way for others who might wish to emigrate."
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