took passage back to Massachusetts via China, arriving in Newburyport in 1848. Later in 1848 he was convinced by a shipping firm in New York City to take command of another vessel, the Madonna, on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Captain Flanders, who had been for years master of vessels for the Cushing shipping company, agreed to serve as chief mate, and to assume command of the vessel so that Couch could remain in the Oregon Territory to discharge the cargo. The Madonna sailed from New York Harbor on January 12, 1849, and arrived in Portland the following August. His passengers included United States Senator Benjamin Stark. Following his instructions, Couch stayed in Oregon City while Flanders took the vessel on short trips between Portland and San Francisco. In 1850 Flanders and Couch began a trading and wharf business together. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 (in which the U.S. acquired the Oregon Country below the 49th parallel north) and the subsequent passage of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 allowed Couch to perfect the land claim in Portland he had filed on his previous voyage to Oregon. From 1850 onward, he was a resident of Portland and became one of its most well-known and well-respected citizens. Couch served on the Portland Public Schools board from from 1856-1858. His residence was near present-day Union Station. John Couch died on January 19, 1870, in Portland and was buried at River View Cemetery in that city. Legacy The contribution to Portland for which he is most remembered today is the platting of his land claim in Northwest Portland, which stretched from Burnside Avenue north for , between Northwest 23rd Avenue and the Willamette River. In laying out the streets, Couch named the east–west thoroughfares in alphabetical order as A Street, B Street, etc. The streets were later renamed, retaining the alphabetic ordering, with "C Street" renamed "Couch Street" in his honor. "F Street" was named in honor of his business partner Flanders. Couch Park in the district is also named for him. The park was formerly the estate of Cicero Hunt Lewis, who married Couch's daughter Clementine. The area has become known more recently as the Alphabet District. The side-wheel river steamer John H. Couch, built in 1863, was named after John H. Couch. References External links Rootsweb: John H. Couch PortlandParks.org: Couch Park 1811 births 1870 deaths Burials at River