After The Campfires

This volume, written by Kirke Wilson, documents the Simpson family's crossing of the Oregon Trail in 1846 under the leadership of Ben Simpson. Ben went on to build four sawmills in Oregon; he had a sidewheeler vessel built to ply the waters of the Willamette River, and two schooners constructed to transport lumber from Oregon to San Francisco. He also managed the construction of the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, served as an Indian agent, and undertook a host of other ventures.

The book also chronicles several of his descendants, including his son, Samuel Simpson, who became Oregon's poet laureate after writing the poem "The Beautiful Willamette"; his grandson Ernest Simpson, who was editor of the San Francisco Chronicle at the turn of the century; and Ernest's brother, Kirke Simpson, who was among the first Associated Press writers to receive a byline. Kirke Simpson also wrote the text for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and was a close friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman. Oh, and in 1909 Orville Wright took him flying.