"The tale begins soon after Skinner settled the area in 1846"
To be perfectly accurate on a minor point, Skinner did not exactly settle the area in 1846.
  In the summer of 1846, along with friends, Skinner picked out his location for his cabin and DLC and eventually filed on  it officially.  He returned in the Fall with friends and built his small cabin to the west of the butte, outside of "this area. "  
However, he did not move in, but instead returned to Polk County for the winter to be with wife Mary and new baby Mary.  During this time some desperate travelers from  the Applegate Trail, including young Jim Collins, used the cabin as a place of refuge. They were fortunate some nearby Kalapuya helped with their food supplies.
The three Skinners arrived back at the cabin  on the west of the butte in May of 1847 where they settled in among  their remaining  Kalapuya neighbors  who were soon removed.  
Skinner had made a wise  location decision and his new community soon  prospered.