Discovery Day - Letitia Carson, Black Pioneer

Letitia Carson, a formerly enslaved woman, came to Oregon in 1845 and was one of the first Black woman settlers in Benton County. She and her husband, David Carson, settled on land in Benton County. Because of Oregon’s exclusion laws and the whites-only provision of the 1850 Oregon Donation Land Claim Act, Letitia Carson was forced off her land. She filed two lawsuits and despite the Oregon Territory’s exclusionary laws, Letitia Carson won both suits.

To learn more about her life and legacy, visit the Letitia Carson Legacy Project website.

Letitia Carson was a homesteader in Benton County in 1845. She and her husband had many animals on their farm near Soap Creek, including cattle and cows.

At this interactive discovery day in the Moreland Room, try your hand at making butter from cow’s milk! Learn about the scientific process of emulsion and how a liquid turns into solid! Participants will be invited to taste their projects at the end! Get your tickets for free here.