204
THE WEST SHORE.
August, 1881
I'OkTLANP-llOW IT CAME TO HE THE
OREOON EMPORIUM.
Trior to 1S49, Oregon City, then
commonly called Willamette Fall, or
The FalU, wm the social, political and
commercial metropolia of the country
west of the Rock Mountain and north
of California. Indeed, iu auprcmacy
might I aid to have extended over
San Francisco, then a straggling adobe
village called Ytrba Duma-, where lived
an enterprising merchant, C. L. Rom,
who in April, 1848, ndvcrtiicd hi
country atore in the column of the
Oregon metropolitan preta, and re
ferred to it principal merchants Kil
born, Lawlon, .Alwrnethy and other.
Hut the discovery of Cold In Califor
nia in 1848, soon changed jail thi, and
the oWure Verba Bucna auddenly
khot up Into the famout San Francitco,
and ovcrhadowed the whole Pacific
Coast Thi dicovery wa oon fob
lowed by an active trade between San
Francisco ami Oregon, via the Colum
River, which brought prominently
forward tho question of where wa the
proper place for the future commercial
town of Oregon. Although Portland
had been located and named a early a
1844, it wa yet a doubtful experiment,
and much known, a only "a place
twelve mile Iwlow Oregon City."
The trade and commerce of the
country were based upon the agricul
tural product and the contumption of
the Willamette V alley. The ox-team
and the row-boat particularly the
formerwere the principal, if not the
only mean of transport between tide
water and the interior. The row-boat,
carrying from 500 to 5,000 pound, wa
slow ami labonou proceu of ex
changing Oregon flour for Sandwich
Island tugar and coflcc. The people on
the cat tide of the river could draw
moderate load to and from Oregon
City with their team, but owing to the
height of the mountain range on the
west bank of the river, it waa difficult
to get to it with wagon below the
mouth of the amhill.
Hut Oregon City itelf wa above
the head of ahip navigation and the
passage of the Clack ama Rapid waa
then very difficult and tediou for even
row boat, except for a few week in
the June rie. While the annual cargo
of the Hudson's Hay Company, and
the occasional aupplic of the Mixtion
and a few independent trader, consti
tuted the merchandise of the country,
it wa not so material whether the
lace of trade or exchange was nt or
above the head of ship navigation.
But now the external commerce ol the
country wa growing so rapidly that it
became a matter of the first moment to
bring the prairie schooners and the
ocean-going vessels together.
Of the northern part of the valley,
the west side 01' the river was much
the larger and more productive coun
try. The Tualitin Plains and Yamhill
District contained large bodies of arable
prairie land, to which many of the
earliest arttlcr of the country were
attracted ; while the corresponding sec
tion of the country on the east side was
comparatively densely wooded and
sparsely settled.
Various attempts had been made to
establish towns on the west bank of the
Willamette and the south bank of the
Columbia, with a view of commanding
the trade of this west side country.
Besides Portland, there were, among
others, Linnton, St. Helens and Milton.
The first named was situate about one
and a half miles below the site of
Springville. It was commenced in
184 upon the site of an old Hudson's
Hay Company landing, by McCarver
and Burnett Great thing were ex
pected of it. In 1844 McCarver wrote
back to "the States" that Linnton
would soon be one of the largest cities
in America 1 they tout J only (et nails
trnwfk. Poor MacI What draA he
made upon the rosy future. Surely he
was the man of whom the poet said :
"Hope splines eternal In the human hreatt
N new m, IhiI slwajrs to blest. "
Within five year thereafter nothing re
mained to mark the site of thi prospec
tive city. Hut it hopeful projector and
exalted prophet, through many muta
tions of lortune, still dreamed of the
great mart he should build on the Pa
cific shore, and just thirty yean from
the announcement of the future great
ness of the now forgotten Linnton, he
breathed hi last, some nine score miles
to the northward of it, where he had
founded another city of the future the
deep-water port and terminal town,
Tacoma.
In 1846 trail wai cut through the
wood from Portland to the plaint
along the comparatively low ridge be
tween the Canyon and the Barnes'
Road. Thi was the first direct com
munication between Portland and the
interior. Gradually thii trail broadened
into a wagon road, and the ox-team
found its way to the ships at Portland,
while Linnton, comparatively isolated
from the interior by the height of the
mountain in its rear, languished and
died.
In the Spring of 1848 Lownsdale,
who then owned the tannery back of
town, discovered the pass to the Plains,
now called the Canyon, and soon after
Wilcox, Carter, and he explored it and
ascertained that a good road could be
made through it to the Plains at a com
paratively small cost.
In the Fall of the same year, Lowns
dale purchased the Portland Claim for
15,000 in leather, and commenced
working up the project of getting a
road to the interior and up the valley
through this Canyon.
The plank road furore had lately
swept over the Western States, and
the farther wave of it had now broken
upon the Oiegon shore. The Stick
road," as the natives called it, was
thought to be just the thing for the
emergency. Accordingly, on January
39, 1851, an act was passed by the
Legislature incorporating "The Port-
1 rn T11 n 1
tana ana v auey riunn xvoau vimipnj,
for the purpose of constructing a plank
road from Portland, in the county of
Washington, to the town of Layafette
(via Ilillsboro), in the county of Yam
hill, to some point on Mary's River, to
be determined by said Company."
On July 30, 1851, the Company was
organized at Lafayette by the election
of 1 lembree, Flanders, Carter, Chambers
and Chapman as directors. Soon after
the corner-plank of the road waa laid
at the mouth of the Canyon with due
ceremony and much rejoicing. Even
the great political leaden and rivals of
the day King and Dryer fraterniicd
on the occasion, and united in apostro
phising the American eagle and laud
ing this first great internal improve
ment on the Pacific Coast. What fol
lowed is toon told. The wooden way
was not laid through the valley.
Sundry Portland tubscriben failed to '
come to time on the assessments on
their stock, and the farmen and othen
along the line of the route who took
stock with a view of getting the road
through their neighborhoods were com
pelted to make good the deficiency.
I But within a year the Canyon was