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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1887)
502 THE WEST SHORE. settlement on the town site by American have to be made, five hundred thousand immigrant was in 1815, and the first wooden cases are required annually, ma store was opened in 1818, by A. Van- chinery has to be made and repaired, Posen, whoso customers were the few and the refuse of the fish is manufac settlers and the many Clataops who tured into a fine quality of machine oiL lived in that region. With the settle- The great number of workmen have to ment of California, by the gold seekers, be housed, clothed, fed and amused, and in 1819 and 1850, sprang up a coasting this represents an enormous volume of trado between San Francisco and the business. The retail trade of the city Columbia river, all tending to build up eiceeds $1,000,000.00 annually. There Astoria, where a number of new stores are thirty stores carrying stocks up and a saw mill were built. The increase wards of $5,000.00 in value, some of of population was slow for a number of them reaching $10,000.00, and numerous years, there being not more than five smaller establishments. The wholesale hundred in 1870, as nearly all ships as- trade of the larger stores is quite a cended the river to Portland. A now feature, and this will increase largely element of growth was then introduced, with the construction of a railroad up which has had a marked effect upon the the river. Two wholesale establish city. The canning of salmon was begun menta, dealing in general supplies, do a on the Columbia farther up the stream, large business. The stocks of goods in 1SC7, and in a few years this became carried by the merchants are large and quite an extensive industry. It soon be- well selected, and ladies can find there came apparent that Astoria was the most almost anything to bo had in a city store, suitable place for the location of can- The commerce of the city consists of neries, since it offered splendid shipping foreign shipments of salmon, lumber, facilities, was better located for the wheat and flour, domestic shipments of transaction of business and the receipt salmon, lumber, leather, oil and fish, of supplies, and was contiguous to the and the importation of merchandise, ma best fishing grounds, just above the bar. chinery, supplies and canning material. Sinco that time, nearly all the new can. During the year 188G, there were im neries have been erected at Astoria, and ported from foreign ports, tin plate to several previously erected in other lo- the value of $153,975.00, and other arti calities havo been removed to this place, cles to the value of $15,725.00, while the until it now contains two-thirds of the domestic freight received aggregated canneries on the river. In this busi- thirty-eight thousand four hundred and neas are invested nearly $2,000,000.00, forty-five tons. Of this, twenty-seven in the form of buildings, machinery and thousand two hundred and fifty tons equipments, and nearly as much more is were wheat and flour sent down from required annually for material and run- Portland, to bo loadHl on vessels at this ning cxpensea. Five thousand hands point Wheat and flour to the value of are given employment during the fish- $8,500,000.00 went to foreign ports via ing season, and the annual product reach- Astoria, shipped from Portland, while es $3,000,000.00 in value. This indus- the shipments of the same products try is specially treated in an article on from this city direct reached $710,050.00. pago 5 IS, to which tho reader ia referred Foreign shipments of salmon were $776, for particulars. This industry is tho 325.00, of lumber $21,805.00, and sun center of a great volume of business, to dries $11,020.00. Salmon to tho amount a largo degree dependent upon it Boats of twelve thousand tons was shipped to