106 - Amanda Cowen - Beatty, OR
N 42° 27.030 W 121° 14.198
10T E 645004 N 4701303
Amanda Cowen is officially listed as being 106 years of age when she died, but her grave marker says she was 102 years of age. She's buried in Brown Cemetery, a Native American cemetery a few miles east of Beatty, OR.
Waymark Code: WMF4FW
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 08/21/2012
Views: 1
Amanda Cowen was a Klamath tribes member, who lived from 1855 - 1961, as reported in the Herald and News in 1961. She is buried in Brown Cemetery, a Native American cemetery located a few miles east of Beatty, OR.
What is very interesting to note is that the grave marker for Amanda says she was 102 years old, yet a second grave marker from Ward's Funeral Home lying directly behind the marble grave marker shows her birth/death as 1855-1961. There is also an online obituary I found that also confirms her birth/death as 1855-1961. Her family members said she was most likely older, even 112 when she passed, making her a supercentenarian, if it could be proven.
The online obituary I found reads:
HERALD AND NEWS, KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON
JANUARY 17, 1961
Mrs. Amanda Cowen, oldest known living member of the Klamath and Modoc tribes, both recorded in her ancestry, died in Ashland, OR. She had been in a coma for some time preceding her death. According to Klamath Ageny records Mrs. Cowen was 106. Her family says she was older, possibly 112. Agency officials some years ago reported their records could be incorrect since ages of many of the older Indians were not recorded early. According to the records, she was 17 at the time of the Modoc War in the Lava Beds National Monument, 1872-1873, but in an interview some years ago Mrs. Cowen said she was much older, maybe 30. She remembered the great hunting days of her people, the coming of the whiteman to this country and the travels of her people. She did not recall when she first heard of Christianity but she took part in pilgrimages of her people to the mountain, our Old Father, now called Striger, where many of the tribes went to worship the ways of their fathers. She also recalled the treaty between the red man and the white man that gave the reservation to the Indians. In later years she became a devout member of the Shaker Church. She lived many of her later years alone in her home near Chiloquin but was joined by members of her family when her health prevented her from caring for herself. She never learned to speak the white man's langauge, although she could understand much of what was said to her. Her name was originally Amanda Jim. She was married twice, and outlived both husbands and several of her children. The first marriage was by Indian ceremony on the reservation. Her second marriage was to William Cowan, a settler. That marriage was officiated by Jesse Applegate, Indian Agent. In 1953 Mrs. Cowan assisted the University of Oregon in compiling a dictionary of the Klamath Indian language. Through her assistance the language is being revived today. She also recalled the many Indian fables for posterity. She was a frequent visitor in Ashland where she spent some time with a granddaughter, Mrs. Edna Boyd.
Survivors include two sons, Ransom and William McKinely of Chiloquin, two grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and thre great great grandchildren.
The link to the online obituary which also shares a story about Amanda Cowen from 1929 can be accessed with this link:Amanda Cowen Obit
*NOTE* Brown Cemetery was also known as Masekesket Cemetery. I don't know why or when the name of the cemetery changed but there are many Brown family members buried here.
DIRECTIONS TO BROWN CEMETERY:
This cemetery can be hard to locate if you're not paying attention. Follow this road route for the quickest access: From the town of Beatty, turn north onto Godow Spring Rd. Proceed a few miles then turn right, going east onto Sycan Rd. After a few miles, Sycan Rd becomes a dirt road that forks right, becoming Ferguson Mountain Rd. Continue south on this road. You will pass a yellow train car with snow removal equipment on the front and boarded up with windows. This section of the road was once the OC&E Railroad. This road will eventually curve around the hillside and up the hill to Brown Cemetery.