Written by Shirley Johnson

“In 1835, Loda Wiska’s parents Ephraim (Buck) and Sara Jane Adams were living on the East Coast. Ephraim was thought to be a grandson of our second president, John Adams.
Sara was expecting their first child. They had a friend who frequently passed their house, transporting liquor on his wagon. He often stopped to visit and was there one day when they were trying to decide on a name for their new baby girl. Their friend said, ‘if you will let me name your baby, I will give you some land I own in Oregon.’ It was a huge tract of land and it seemed like a reasonable offer so they agreed to let him name her.

“The name offered was Load of Whiskey and the baby girl became Loda Wiska. Whatever became of the property is not known for sure but we do know that her parents owned a huge ranch along the Yamhill River south of McMinnville. Loda’s father brought sheep from the East Coast by boat around Cape Horn to Oregon. He also owned fine horses and wagons.
“Loda Wiska came to the Amity area of Oregon by wagon train in 1843 when she was eight years old. She was married twice and had eight children. When she was only 29 years old, while at home by her fireplace, writing a letter to her husband in the gold fields of California, her dress caught fire and she died from her burns. One of her twin daughters, Ella, also died in the fire. The other twin, Emma, survived the fire. Loda and her daughter were buried together in the Pioneer Masonic Cemetery West of McMinnville in 1864.