Oliver W. (Oliver Woodson) Nixon

Born in Guilford County, North Carolina, in 1825, Oliver Woodson Nixon went on to study at Farmer's College near Cincinnati. Over the course of his life he worked as a teacher, served as an army surgeon during the Civil War, and built a career in journalism as a newspaper editor.

Nixon was closely associated with the Chicago Inter Ocean and was also involved in newspaper work in Cincinnati. Alongside his medical and editorial work, he wrote books that focused on the American West and pioneer history, including How Marcus Whitman Saved Oregon and Whitman's Ride Through Savage Lands.

He died in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1905. Today he is remembered as a writer whose career bridged medicine, journalism, and historical storytelling, with a special interest in the people and events that shaped early Oregon.