Re: Help! Re: Death of William DeHaven - Oregon - 1904
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Help! Re: Death of William DeHaven - Oregon - 1904
Anthony Belli 8/19/10
William Milton De Haven was my husband's great-grandfather.He was born Jan 1866 in KY, and died July 4, 1903 in Mitchell, OR.An account of the gunfight that resulted in his death was written by Gale Ontko, in Ontko's book, Thunder Over the Ochoco, Volume V, "And the Juniper Trees Bore Fruit" pgs 271-273.Ontko stated in his account that Milton was a "range detective, deputy US marshall and gunslinger from The Dalles." (The De Haven family story passed down through word of mouth was that Milton was a deputy sheriff-no county mentioned.) I don't know which is true. Milton's son, Archie, was only 8 years old at the time, and Milton was divorced from Archie's mother in 1899. Ontko's information came from eye-witnesses he interviewed years after the incident, so its accuracy relied on their memories.Ontko also stated that the gunfight occured on July 4, 1904.It actually was July 4, 1903, as confirmed in the Lingenfelter Archives at Chico State University, and in a small article about the gunfight in a Bend, Oregon weekly newspaper printed in July 1903. The Bend Library has that article on microfiche. That article also called Milt's opponent, Mug Puett, while Ontko refers to him as Monk Puett. It's possible that there may be some additional information inWheeler County, possibly at Fossil. I hope this helps.
Laura De Haven
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Re: Help! Re: Death of William DeHaven - Oregon - 1904
Anthony Belli 8/26/11