Wistrand, John P., carpenter — Portland — born in Villstad parish, Småland on the 7th of March 1861 (died 1948). At the age of 19, he went to Hälsingland and found employment at the station in Ljusdal. He immigrated to America in August 1882 and came to Moline, Illinois, on September 1. After some time there he moved to Altona, Illinois. For a couple of years he was a farmer close to Oneida, Illinois. He drove mules during the construction of the railroad, then sold the mules and tools and settled in Woodhull. On November 12, 1888 he went from there to Oregon and took a job building the canal at Cascade Locks, Oregon. During breaks when the canal work was at a standstill, he fished in the Columbia River, which in those days was rather profitable. It was not unusual for him and a friend, who lived together with him on a barge, to send 2,000 lbs of salmon in just one day to the canneries. The average price for the fish was 3.5 cents per lb. They also had many adventures. One night the water in the river suddenly rose, because of heavy rains in the nearby mountains, and drove up several heavy logs on the barge, which started to sink. Wistrand and his friend woke up when the water already was high in their cabin. They had to swim ashore, haul the barge behind them and pump out the water.
Wistrand stayed at Cascade Locks until November 1896, when the buildings at the locks were finished. He has since then been living in Portland and been a member of its Swedish Lutheran church were he has served as treasurer, trustee and board member. He took an active part in organizing the Augustana church in Albina and also served there as a deacon and Sunday school director. He is a member of the Swedish Society for Sick and Funeral Aid. He owns a home on 686 Rodney Ave. and is married to Anna Mathilda Kratz (born 1863) from Målilla, province of Kalmar and has one son and three daughters.
