Crane Township Fiscal Officer Carol Razo and her husband, Art Razo, recently embarked on research trips to Goshen, New York, and Goshen, Indiana, uncovering surprising new chapters in the life of Oliver Crane — the namesake of Crane Township — just ahead of the township’s 2025 bicentennial.
In late February, the couple visited Goshen, New York, where they met with Mayor Molly O’Donnell, Orange County Clerk Kelly Eskew, Village Historian Ed Connor, and attended a Goshen Town meeting. With the help of local historians, they pinpointed where Oliver Crane likely lived before migrating west and learned that Crane operated a distillery prior to leaving New York.
On April 1, the Razos continued their search in Goshen, Indiana, meeting with Mayor Gina Leichty, Director of Administrative Affairs Michael Wanbaugh, and local historian Valerie Collins. What they thought would be a quiet ending to Crane’s story turned into a remarkable twist. Collins discovered that in 1849 — the height of the California Gold Rush — Oliver Crane boarded the ship Sarah McFarland in New York and sailed around Cape Horn on a grueling 17,000-mile journey to San Francisco.
Crane was part of a group that called themselves the “Hoosier Boys,” and it appears they weren’t chasing gold, but timber — likely intending to build a sawmill, a trade they already knew well. However, records show that Crane returned to Goshen, Indiana, rather quickly, making it back home in time for the 1850 census.
“It doesn’t appear Oliver struck it rich or spent much time building a sawmill, but that brief adventure is an amazing glimpse into his character,” said Carol Razo.
“It’s humbling to think that one man’s journey nearly 200 years ago still links our small communities today,” Razo added. “Oliver Crane lived in Goshen, New York, helped settle what became Crane Township in Ohio, and eventually made his way to Goshen, Indiana. Learning about his life reminds us that even in a time without highways or email, people and places were deeply connected — and those connections still matter.”
Crane Township will celebrate its bicentennial in August 2025, honoring Oliver Crane’s legacy and the settlers who followed.
For more information about the bicentennial or Crane Township history, contact Carol Razo at cranetwp@yahoo.com.
