Sheriff Andrew Johnson MCKINNON was born in Page County Iowa In 1866. He is the son of Robert Jackson MCKINNON Sr. and Emily Harriet LONG. He was the sheriff of Harney County Oregon from 1896 to 1900. He may well be Oregon's most famous frontier sheriff. As a child I sat at the feet of my father who recounted the many stories of the sheriff. Andrew, was called John by by his family. He was my father's favorite uncle. Most of the stories are forgotten but a few are well documented. Sheriff MCKINNON brought the killer of Pete FRENCH to Burns Oregon for trial. Pete FRENCH was the cattle baron of the entire northwest To give an idea how large Pete FRENCH'S spread was, consider he had 100 miles of fencing and cross-fencing on his spread made of two large ranches called the "Sod House" and the "P Ranch". On Christmas day 1897 Pete was gunned down by Ed OLIVER. The blood feud was apparently over Ed squatting on Pete's spread. My father also said Pete was having an affair with Ed"s wife. Apparently, Pete was not well liked since Ed was acquitted by the jury.
On Sep 18 1898 a gunfight broke out in a Burns, Oregon saloon. A stray bullet accidentally struck an innocent bystander, William MCKINNON a fifteen year old brother of Andrew. Andrew was the presiding sheriff at the death of his younger brother. An interesting aside to this event, my grandfather, Robert Jackson MCKINNON Jr. bought a saloon in Burns at a later date. It may well be the same saloon.
Following is an account of the sheriif's death as recounted in the "Reno Evening Star" dated Sep 8 1898 with a headline of "Lunatic's Long Memory---Escape Man Who Shot And Killed Man Who Apprehended Him"
Dateline "Sep 8 1898 Santa Rosa Calif. A. J. MCKINNON, former sheriff of Washington County (shoukd be Harney County) Oregon was shot and instantly killed today in Guernaville 20 miles northwest of here by an escaped lunatic from the asylum in Ukiah named JERRAUD.
MCKINNON came here several years ago after having resigned his office in Oregon and purchased a ranch not far from town. It seems that while sheriff in Oregon he was compelled to take JERRAUD to an asylum in Oregon and for that the latter cheriched resentment.
As MCKINNON and Jacob JOOS (Joost) were sitting on JOOS porch, JERRAUD came along, pulled a pistol and fired without warning.
His aim was perfect and MCKINNON toppled over dead.

JERRAUD escaped but officers are on his trail.

JERRAUD eluded his attendants at Ukiah two months ago."