34 Facts About Peter Britt

Peter Britt was a Swiss portrait painter and American pioneer photographer, meteorologist, accomplished horticulturist, an early settler and developer in the Rogue Valley of the Oregon Territory.

When Peter Britt was born in the town of Obstalden in the Swiss canton of Glarus, his family farmed land that had been in the family for centuries.

Portrait artists of the time were faced with competition from daguerreotype photographers, so Britt studied this new technology with John H Fitzgibbon in St Louis.

Peter Britt left Illinois with John Hug and two other Swiss men heading west on the Oregon Trail.

Peter Britt was elected captain of the wagon train, John was the wagon master, and the group made it to Grande Ronde Valley before the men insisted on no longer dealing with Peter Britt's 300 pounds of photographic equipment.

At The Dalles, Oregon, John Hug and Peter Britt chose an overland route to Portland, while the other two men chose the Columbia River route and arrived in Portland, Oregon, just 24 hours later.

Finally, Peter Britt, hearing news of the gold mining strike in Table Rock City, left Portland alone for southern Oregon.

Peter Britt built a log cabin in Jacksonville in November 1852, on land where he lived for the rest of his life.

Altogether, Peter Britt was successful enough to send money back to his brother Kaspar in Illinois, build a frame house in 1854, give up the dangerous mule packing business in 1856 to concentrate on his photography business, and expand his home in 1859.

Miller states that Peter Britt immediately sent Amalia funds to return to Switzerland if she wished, or to travel to Oregon and marry him.

In 1856, Britt decided to pursue photographic trade as the main line in business and opened a photography studio, P Britt's Photograph and Daguerreotype Room, in Jacksonville.

Until 1858 Peter Britt could take only daguerreotypes or ambrotypes, processes that provided only the photo, no negatives or extra prints.

Peter Britt is often remembered as the person who took the first successful photograph of Crater Lake.

Peter Britt did so in 1874, after his attempts in 1868 and 1869 had failed.

Peter Britt's photos helped William Gladstone Steel persuade Congress to create Crater Lake National Park in 1902.

Peter Britt began his career as an artist in Switzerland.

Once in the United States, Peter Britt painted portraits on commission, including one of Col.

Peter Britt painted remembered views of Switzerland, portraits of Britt family members and Oregon scenes such as Crater Lake and Mill Creek Falls.

Peter Britt is known as the father of the southern Oregon fruit industry.

Peter Britt irrigated his property as early as 1855 and used smudging to fight frost.

Peter Britt made money by making loans secured by land, and unsecured personal loans.

Miller indicates Peter Britt was a reasonable, perhaps even generous, landlord and lender.

Peter Britt dealt fairly with Chinese miners, lending them grubstakes until he finally hung a sign "No More Money to Loan", but still provided shacks on his property to Chinese laborers who mined gold on his land.

Notes in Peter Britt's diary began in 1859, when he used a pocket sundial and a homemade rain gauge.

From 1870 to 1891, Peter Britt reported weather to the Signal Corps Weather Service, using their equipment.

Emil Peter Britt reported to the Weather Bureau for another 58 years.

Peter Britt served on the Jacksonville City Council twice, and on various committees.

Peter Britt belonged to at least four German American organizations, The Turnverein, Jacksonville Harmonie; Improved Order of Red Men, and Eintracht, a German Swiss mutual aid group.

Peter Britt handled correspondence for Eintracht, found work for young emigrants, and provided occasional lodging for travelers.

Peter Britt did not participate in Jacksonville's religious community, although his children were baptized by Moses Williams, the first Presbyterian minister in Southern Oregon, and remained Presbyterians throughout their lives.

Peter Britt was a follower of Robert Ingersoll, an agnostic.

Peter Britt served as vice president of the Oregon State Secular Union and helped establish the now defunct Liberal University at Silverton, Oregon, in 1896.

Peter Britt made lasting contributions to the industry and culture of the Rogue Valley.

In Southern Oregon, Peter Britt is still remembered and celebrated as the painter and pioneer photographer who left a rich heritage of local 19th-century portraits and landscapes.