Martha Cardwell Dalton

In 1852, when Martha was 13 years old, her family joined up with a wagon train heading across the plains. The Cardwells originally settled near Corvallis. In the following years, several family members made important contributions to Oregon, and Martha too led an interesting life that left an important mark on her adopted home. She married twice and bore two daughters. She was a professional music teacher and was involved with many civic activities in Portland. She developed a close friendship with suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway, and through this friendship, she had a role in securing the vote for Oregon women in 1912.

Martha Cardwell Dalton tirelessly served in women's organizations in Oregon. Together with Abigail Scott Duniway and Martha Foster, they founded the Oregon State Equal Suffrage Association in 1870. Martha remained a steady lifetime member of the organization and served twice as auditor, was on the library committee, and for eight years served as chairperson of the Chautauqua Committee. Martha helped to raise funds for the Sacajawea statue presented at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. The statue, now at Washington Park, was a rallying point for suffragists across the state. In her memoirs, Duniway wrote of Martha, "While she was not a public speaker...she was always ready to attend to any kind of detail work such as other and less enterprising women might easily be tempted to shirk." Martha did witness the passage of the voting rights law she had fought so hard to secure for 42 years, but she passed away in 1913 before she was able to cast her first vote.

Martha was buried in the Cardwell family plot in Lone Fir Cemetery, but for some unknown reason, a proper marker was not placed on her grave. Recently a placeholder brick was unearthed from five inches below the soil line. Through generous donations, a new headstone will be placed on her grave. Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery is participating in the 2012 Oregon Suffrage Centennial, and part of our celebration will be the dedication of this headstone commemorating the life and work of suffragist Martha Cardwell Dalton.

Researched & written by Laura King

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• Stage Wall (Left Wall), 2-4