Cozine

Samuel Cozine was born in Kentucky in 1820. He headed west to Oregon on the 1843 Wagon Train where he met his future wife, Mahala Arthur. Samuel saved up enough money to propose to Mahala and in the spring of 1845 they were married and bought 640 acres and lived in a log cabin where present-day Linfield College stands.

In 1849, the gold rush in California lured Samuel to the mines and as luck would have it, he returned $6,000 richer.  In  1853, William T. Newby built his gristmill and a store in McMinnville and the then invited Samuel to move his blacksmith shop near the mill. He gave him two spots on Third Street near Adams and Baker. In 1892, they built the Queen Anne Victorian home, known today as the Samuel Cozine House.

As McMinnville College continued to grow and needed more space, Samuel and Mahala donated the 20 acres to Linfield College.

The Cozine’s had eight children, only three whom lived to adulthood. Samuel continued to work at his blacksmith shop until his death in 1897. Mahala lived on for several years, continuing to work within the community and volunteer. She died April 20, 1908. Both are buried at the Masonic Cemetery.