South Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Morton Matthew McCarver

General Iowa and Oregon Militias

Photographed by Charlie Powers, December 29, 2025

1. Morton Matthew McCarver Marker

Cleaned Marker

Inscription.
Born in Madison County, Kentucky, January 14, 1807

Died at Tacoma, Washington, April 17, 1875

Pioneer and founder of Burlington, Iowa – 1883 · Linnton, Oregon – 1843 · Tacoma, Washington – 1868.

Erected 1974 by OR State D.A.R.; WA State Chapters Elizabeth Forey, Mary Ball, and Mt. Tahoma, NSDAR; Alexander Hamilton Chapter,SAR.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 17, 1875.

Location. 47° 12.708′ N, 122° 28.776′ W. Marker is in Tacoma, Washington, in Pierce County. It is in South Tacoma. It can be reached from South Tacoma Way near 48th Street. From the main office, proceed straight on Main Avenue. Take a left on East Avenue. Take your second right. The McCarver Monument will be on the left. Maps of the cemetery are available in the main office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4801 S Tacoma Way, Tacoma WA 98409, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Puget Sound Region

and in Greater Seattle.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Liberty Bell (approx. 2.3 miles away); In Memory Of (approx. 2.4 miles away); Revolutionary War Patriots (approx. 2½ miles away); Dedicated to You, a Free Citizen in a Free Land

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(approx. 3.1 miles away); Commemorating Nihongo Gakko 日本語学校 (approx. 3.1 miles away); Welcome Figure (approx. 3.2 miles away); Then and Now: South End of the Thea Foss Waterway (approx. 3.2 miles away); George Francis Train (approx. 3½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tacoma.

More about this marker. Erected in 1974 by Hon. Oregon State Regent Ruth McBride Powers, Elizabeth Forey Chapter, Mary Ball Chapter, and Mt. Tahoma Chapter NSDAR, marble monument that replaced a small concrete rectangle bearing only the initials "M.M.Mc" that marked his final resting place.

Regarding Morton Matthew McCarver. General Morton Matthew McCarver (January 14, 1807 – April 17, 1875) was an American politician and pioneer in the West. A native of Kentucky, before he moved west, in 1832, he fought with the Illinois militia in the Black Hawk War and then settled in an area that would become Iowa. In 1933-34, he helped found the town of Burlington, Iowa. In 1843, he traveled the Oregon Trail west to the Oregon Country, arriving at the Willamette Valley in November of that year. Making a land

Morton Matthew McCarver Monument Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Renee Crist

2. Morton Matthew McCarver Monument Marker

claim, in 1843 he founded the town of Linnten, that is now part of Portland, Oregon. During the Rogue River Wars of 1855 to 1856 McCarver served as commissary general. He served on the Provisional Legislature of Oregon and was Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. He left for the California Gold Rush in 1848, serving at the Constitutional Convention in 1849 representing Sacremento.

In March 1868, McCarver moved north and developed what is now Tacoma, Washington. He first traveled to Olympia, the seat of the Washington Territory to explore opportunities and there he learned about available land north on Commencement Bay on Puget Sound. On April 1, 1868 he arrived at Eureka, on Commencement Bay and immediately recognized that the sheltered bay was a natural location for a city. Also recognizing the location's potential as a terminus for the Northern Pacific Railroad currently under construction, he purchased 163 acres from Job Carr, who had arrived three years earlier, and platted and sold lots for a town he called "Commencement City". When McCarver learned that Job Carr's son Anthony had also filed a townsite plat called

Morton Matthew McCarver Gravestone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Charlie Powers, December 29, 2025

3. Morton Matthew McCarver Gravestone

Original Morton Matthew McCarver gravestone next to monument.

Tacoma, McCarver called his Tacoma City. These sites along with the Northern Pacific's "New Tacoma" all became Tacoma what is now Tacoma, Washington.

Additional keywords. NSDAR

Morton Matthew McCarver Marker- Back of maker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Carolyn Sanders, February 28, 2011

4. Morton Matthew McCarver Marker- Back of maker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2023, by Renee Crist of Gig Harbor, Washington. This page has been viewed 621 times since then and 150 times this year. Last updated on December 31, 2025, by Charlie Powers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1. submitted on December 31, 2025, by Charlie Powers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2. submitted on April 25, 2023, by Renee Crist of Gig Harbor, Washington. 3. submitted on December 31, 2025, by Charlie Powers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on June 25, 2026, by Carolyn Sanders of Plano, Texas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.