Sarah Prine Foren was a widely known and respected member of the Prineville community. (Submitted by Bowman Museum)

Sarah Ann “Sally” Prine was born on April 20, 1839, in Springfield, Missouri. She came to Oregon in 1852 with her parents and siblings. Her parents were Francis and Alice Dealy Prine. There were several children in the family, which included her brother Francis “Barney” Prine. They settled in the Willamette Valley near Lebanon, Oregon.

She met William C. Foren when she was a teenager and they were married when she was 15 years old. William was born in Tennessee on Feb. 20, 1831. They lived near Lebanon until 1871, when the family moved to Prineville. They had followed her brothers, Barney and Dave Prine, to Central Oregon. Barney was the first to settle in the Crooked River Valley and the developing town was named for him. Sarah and William had 11 children.

William was a deputy sheriff with John Luckey, serving the southern portion of Wasco County, Oregon. William became associated with the Vigilantes in 1882 when Lucius Langdon had killed two of his neighbors near Grizzly Mountain over a property dispute. Luckey and Foren were in charge of guarding Langdon in the old Prineville Hotel, as there was no jail in the town at the time. Langdon was shot and killed in the hotel by a group known as the Vigilantes, and his hired hand was dragged through the streets to the old Crooked River Bridge and hanged as part of their operation. Soon after, two young men were taken by the Vigilantes for supposedly stealing horses. One of the young men had a gun and allegedly shot Foren. The two were then hanged on the outskirts of Prineville. Foren lived a short while then passed away. The Vigilantes claimed he died from a kick from a horse, as it was their oath to cover for any member who was killed during their actions. William died on Dec. 27, 1882.

This left Sarah a widow with several children to raise. She managed to provide for her family with the assistance of her brother, Dave. She lived most of the rest of her life in Prineville and was widely known and respected in the community. In her later years, she moved to The Dalles to live with her daughter. She died in The Dalles on Jan. 1, 1930. Both William and Sarah are buried in Juniper Haven Cemetery in Prineville.

Steve Lent is a Crook County historian. He can be reached at 541-447-3715.