Gresham Historical Society · Northwest Digital Heritage

Description

Photo of Miyo Iwakoshi, a Japanese immigrant who lived in Gresham/Orient, as an older woman. She is seated in a wicker chair and holding a book in front of a screen with Asian landscape design. Small table next to her holds a figurine, framed photo, and potted plants. She is wearing a dark floor-length dress and white lace collar. People: Iwakoshi, Miyo; Gary, Glenda D.

Provenance

This photo appears to date to the early 1900s and belonged to the Jackson family, who lived in the Orient area. The donor, a descendant of the Jacksons, states that Iwakoshi purchased land from her family to make Jackson Road in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Miyo Iwakoshi came to Oregon in 1879 with her adopted daughter Tama Nitobe and her younger brother Rikichi, as well as her Scottish husband, Andrew MacKinnon. Iwakoshi and her family are considered to be the first Japanese residents of Oregon. MacKinnon established the Orient Sawmill, from which the town of Orient was long thought to have derived its name (the name actually predates the family's arrival and came from the Orient School, which was then the furthest east in Multnomah County). Miyo Iwakoshi became very influential in the community and helped other Japanese families find their footing. Some sources refer to her as the Western Empress due to her influence. When she passed away in 1931, however, racial discrimination was rampant and residents nearly prevented her from being buried in the Gresham Pioneer Cemetery, where her husband had already been buried. She was buried next to him but without a proper grave marker, only a Japanese cedar. Her grave was discovered and marked in the 1980s, many decades later.

Miyo Iwakoshi Portrait

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