History of Portland Oregon

In the season of ’43 he joined the emigrants and made the journey once more across the plains and mountains, reaching Fort Vancouver in the autumn. Such was Amos Lawrence Lovejoy, a frank-faced, open-hearted man with blue eyes, fair complexion and dark, auburn hair, who stepped ashore with the Tennessean, and laid claim to the site of Portland. The two peered about in the deep woods more or less, but soon went on to Oregon City for their abode, while making ready to hew out a site among the big trees at Portland. By purchase from Overton, F. W. Pettygrove, who … Read more

The first effort looking toward the organization of a civil government was made in 1841, at Champoeg, which at the time was the seat of the principal settlement in the Willamette Valley. It originated among the members of the Methodist Mission, and for that reason did not have the cordial support of the independent settlers. The movement failed, and although several causes contributed to this result, the main reason was the unpopularity of its chief promoters among those Americans disconnected with the missions. At this time, says an early pioneer, the people of Oregon were divided into two great divisions … Read more

It was a memorable conflict, that conducted by the first rival railroad companies of Oregon; with matter in it for a novelist. It would be rash to intimate that Elliott with all his mythical capitalists was an agent of Holladay all the time, the general opinion being that he was at first acting only for himself, or that the East Side Company knew the extent of his romances, which they used so well to their advantage. It would on the other hand be difficult to believe that Holladay, or the original East Side Company, were actually imposed upon by representations … Read more

Dr. Ralph Wilcox of New York, a pioneer of 1845, was the first physician, and also the first school teacher. In a little frame building on Front and Taylor Streets put up by Mr. McNemee he kept a school of about a dozen scholars. Dr. Wilcox was for many years prominent before the public as a citizen of Portland, and afterwards as clerk of the State legislature at Salem, and clerk of the United States court at Portland. Of others that fill out the dreamy picture of that distant past before ’49, may be mentioned a family by the name … Read more

About the year 1860, and until 1865, there began a steady change in the character of exports. It was during those years that many of the people of Western Oregon went mining in Eastern Oregon or in Idaho, and as they returned, brought with them large quantities of gold dust; while bars of the precious metals, which had been made in the mining camps or towns of the upper Columbia, began to come down to Portland and were shipped thence as treasure. These shipments soon vastly exceeded in value all other exports combined. Frequently a quarter of a million dollars, … Read more

There were eighty retail liquor saloons and seven wholesale dealers in liquors; there were nine livery stables, thirteen meat markets, four photograph galleries, twenty cigar and tobacco dealers, six breweries, five bakeries, two brickyards, four banks, fourteen printers, one match factory, one soap factory, one salt works, one barrel factory, two box factories, twenty-one dressmakers, five dealers in Chinese goods, two book binderies, one tannery, five wagon makers, six blacksmith shops, five bakeries, two express companies, three railroad companies, five merchant tailors, two telegraph offices, thirteen licensed draymen and two undertakers, besides a number of other occupations such as auctioneer … Read more

Any great commercial city, as London, New York, or the younger cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, would serve an equally good purpose by way of illustration. A commercial city is the point of storage, account and exchange for the commodities of the region. The advantages of Portland as such a center are at once apparent. As noticed above she is the “cross-ways” of the track between the mountains from California to Alaska, and the path made by the Columbia River from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. At this point are made four right angles, fixing the center … Read more

In honor of the event, flags were flying from every available flag staff in Port-land. A procession was formed in the city and marched to the spot selected, where ground was to be broken. This procession was preceded by the Aurora brass band. The first division consisted of the Washington and Fenian Guards, the mayor and members of the council of Portland, the chaplain, orator of the day, the president and directors of the Oregon Central Railroad Company, the chief engineer and corps of employees. In this division was borne the shovel to be presented by Samuel M. Smith to … Read more

In looking over all the facts in the case, it seemed to them and to eminent counsel, that the sales made by Lownsdale before he acquired his legal title were wholly illegal and invalid and without binding force in law, and could extend only to simple temporary possession and use which the purchasers had already enjoyed; and they deter-mined to enter suit to recover all property which was included under the specifications of the patent issued to D. H. Lownsdale by the United States. This would of course, dispossess a large number of Port-land’s property holders who supposed that they … Read more