Johns
"ust. Sunday. Ht'V. II. L
liter of I'oi-t laml
U3 singing
"i In-
Devoted to the Intercuts of the Peninsula, the Manufacturing Centre of the Northwest.
VOL. I.
ST. JOHNS, OREGON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER it, 1904.
NO. 1.
I
REMARKABLE GROWTH
01 St.Johns Its Importance as a
Commercial Center.
St. Johns is a id l iking example of
tin- inllitonre of transput lulioii fnelll
iios, in tlu development of it city.
Loss than t lii-oe yon ih no there was to
1 be l'oiiiul in this plnee only a few
n-attoring houses, ami no muuiifnct-
tiling or business interests, no 0111
3 pioyiueiit wax to be liail, anil very l'ow
Hi....?..... I. ...I I.nhII lllllll t.l III.! I. Ill Vfllll'U
iiiiniin iiuii 11.1 11 iiiiii ii in j v. "
preceding.
Tim City & Suburban Huilwny wan
Induced to linilil a 1 1 ml- through tho
Peninsula, anil lincou yearn ago a
Mount motor line was put in oporn
liiti, which guvo 1111 impetus to tho
ilcvclopincnt of Upper Alhinii, Uni
vorsitv Park ami Porlsiuoulh. Some
. 1 1 il l! . I . .. ..!
mice your ago 1110 11110 wan eiccni
lied, ami since that time an excel Ion I
seivloc has licell maintainoil.
Tint opportunities which I lie. little
villain- Iviiiir nt the vory km I en of
llie Porllumt hnllior, nironloil tor t Mo
oxlonsion of eoiiiinoreu anil mnnului
luie, wan iccojjiiiy.oil liy the Oregon
Itnllionil & Navigation Co. In thu
winter of J 1102 tho O. II. & X. Co
built i 1 94 track along the liarhor nt SJ
Johns, eoiuiiloliitg the limit in Apri
of that year, ami opening the litnco
10 a groin comiiierciui niton-, m
thai time aloiiK the waler front wan a
Inrge ilretch of splendid mnniifnctur
lug silos, totally umloveloitod fronting
on a harbor a half mile wide, in which
l ie river channel wan -10 loot ileei
nml imssosslng oxcotitlotuil nilvnnlag-
en lor llio t-oiiMruciioii 01 nuns, laci
nrios ami docks nt a low cosl.
Jl wan foiiml thai plnnls could lie
constructed at SI. John Irnullng on
ileep waler, with Hie line or a mini
mum nunitllly of piling, ami Hid
foiixtruction of yards for milling in
ditslrlos ami fniinrle gce-Hy reduced
the rout,
The building of Hie 0. It. & X. roail
wan the key llutl unlockeil Hie Kiont
wealth of comiiierciui xsslbllitie
which oenlored at SI. Johns.
Manufacture!' nml Inisiuos men
wore ipilck lo see llie advantage
which Hie place Mssossod, ami al
once business began lo develop. The
Hot plant lo hi ustrurtcd after Hie
completion of Hie railroad wan Hie
veiieor ami ii.-iM.ei inemry or tno
Portland Mnnufueluring Company.
The second industry seenied vhh A.
II. Douglas v Null pinuliiK mill, inter
Mr. I loin-Ins hmimht his sawmill plant
from Wellington. .M; It. HntiUhtM
laud, SI. Joliiis wns selected us the
host point nt which to build. This in
itself a prophecy concerning tho co1"
mereinl future of the town; for whore
thu dry dock in placed, the shipping
must center. Next came tliu Portland
t-.xcclsior Manufacturing Co.'h plant.
The porch ami coluiun factory, (I. X.
Cones' sawmill with a capacity of
"olOO feel per day; llie Portland
woolen mills ; K. 0. .lobes' Htiiirintr
mill; Peninsula Lumber Co.'s sash
ami door factory; St. Johns ship
building plant, the West Const Steam
J. R Puff, chairman; Albert Gulp,
S. I. Ogdcn; .1. l' Tnneh, clerk.
One of tho llrsl actions of the city
council was the grnnling of a frnn-
clnso lo llie City cc buiiiiilmti hlectrie
Knilwny Co. to run its Hue into the
oily. A fianehise hns since been
Kranted lo the SI. Johns Water and
Light Co. whirli now has it lurK plant
in operation and water mains laid to
every jmrt of tho city. The Portland
Kleelne Co. has nlso secured n fran
chise lo furnish llie oily with electric
II0J1I ami power.
. . . ... . ... mi. .. .1. .
elecirie miw mm rniuo 110x1. iiien me
ilrv dock was hccured after n bind
llulit. The supreme advautaiies which
Si. Johns imsMsned, over nml above
all oilier places on the Poilland liar
lior were fully atlesled liy Hie pott
of I'orllaml, when afler Hut moht
caieful t'oiihidenilloii of all location
for II111 roiistriiclion of lU dry dock
by which is lo lie fonleied the entire
intiiine romuiemt of Hie city of Poll
" " " " L"i
r tf r -th-i
, uLJ J ft s
t j i 1 t Icr 1
1 v r fV
It II It T '. J'fllKV "
Ttx, JU i JJ M "
rrn
llm
KMttilhi ulniti. itii nml utile llit nmrnw ulilii nf Imut lirlwrrn I If finllillU unit UVI-
11k 111 llm WHUinrllv lo I lie imiumi for riiy mi llie rniintiiu lirtwrn
I .nu ml rv have followed each olhor in
tiiick Miceessioii,
The ranid utowth of I'm ulaco in
nil lilies was so evident Hint (he lofjis.
latuie ol Hie Slate or Oreyoii, nt lis
last session, uranted lo Hie town it
charier, making it a muuieipnlily un
der which it lit f l-It t vomluii ils own
uoveriimenl and levy Ils own (axes.
Iliiouuli Ilils measure the town lie
came exemnl I'nun imyiiiir Hie lax rale
ol llie eiiv ol roiiiami ami is or-
mil led o Keep Its own luxes low nml
lo
oil
npproprinlo such money as is rais
in this iiii'ims lo llie iimmivcmcn!
of S'l. Julius Itself. St. Johns was
iiuoiMiraled January Tith, 1002. Its
Hot oDIeors who 111 e I be present in-
cumhents, with the except ion of Hie
late C. I. Culp, nie: Mayor Chits. A.
Cook, Coiiiiciluieu T, .1. Momiban, (luy
llehee. K. It. llurlherl, Chan. I).
llimbes ami W. II. llamlllon. V.
Clark, leconler: r' 'ttVlllliil''lltiiltf 1
Home ImlldiiiK ami stole building
have kept jiaee with the industrial
yiinvlb of SI. Johns. Prom n Hipula
lion of 1W0 KHiple January 1st, JII02,
al pie.-eu(' SI. Johns has more than
20(10 Inhabitants. It Is c.itnis.n-il of
liume owners, whoso t-omliiK lias been
steady nml Kmdiial. Hi. Johns has
had 110 boom, just a natural healthy
urowth. Its industries supimrt ils
tvsideiils, Hie pay mil now ivaehiiiK
upwnnis or .f 10.01111 per iminlli.
.Many liamlMime and subslnulinl
residences have been elected ami (he
many pretty coltnuo homes with their
deal lawns nml llower unnlens are fast
mnkliiK this little city it very desirable
plnre lo live.
While Hie business nml ludusltuil
life of Si. Johns lias been ItourlsliliiK
Hie civic side has mil been forgot (en.
Some six months apt Hie St.' Johns
linpiiivemenl I .vacuo was oiKnni.ed.
It now has 11 meiubeiship roll of over
forly names. The olllceiv nre: Pivsi-1
dent, Mrs. Hut lie Hransoh; Vico-Pros-idont,
MVh. Hollo Smith; Sec rotary,
iMi-s. l-Imily Walker; Truasuror, Mrs.
i. Johnson; Press Corespondent, Mrs.
Keltic Blackburn. The ladies of this
club have worked hard itKiiitist groat
odds for the common good of all, ami
are deserving of eiotlil for Hie in
lluouce they have brought lo bear, and
the improvemeiils they have accom
plished. St. Johns lias three ohurches, the
Methodist, Evangelical and Seventh
Day Adveiitisls. In Juno of this year
large rooms wore added lo the already
large public school buildings, ami two
teachers added to the school facility,
making a total of eight teachers be
sides the principal. Jlut when school
opened this fall it wa; found impos
sible to accomodate tho pupils that
Hocked lo llie school rooms. It was
decided lo alternate a large utiinber
of pupils, giving ouch a half day's
lime.
Si. Johns is destined lo become the
manufacliiriiig motropolis of the
Xoilhwosl. Mvory bout which enters
the Portland harbor, must tuiss by its
door. Almost puralcll wild Hie Wil
lamette river, one nml one i all' mites
to llie mirth stretches Columbia
Slough, in rcalit v a river by Itself, be
ing several hundred feet in width and
deep enough al llie present time for
navigation ol 1 Ivor vessels. Although
Columbia Slough lacks llie hioad har
bor ami the deep channel found in
llie Willamette river side of St. Johns,
il nevertheless alfoids o Hie northern
boundary line of the oily a great
amount of very desirable manufactur
ing propel ly, which in itself will some
lime support a large opulatiou and
eoutiihuto( materially to Hie future
or the Peninsula, It s ronlldently ex
pected, lliul in (he course of time the
Northern Parille Ittillroatl will pass
through Si, Johns. Already Ibis line
has been buill from Seattle to Van
couver. Congress hns aulhorlxed thu
const ruction of a bridge from Van
couver across Hie Columbia, nml when
this bridge is buill and Hie line of
Hie Noil hoi 11 Paeille Co. thrown across
il must of necessity nasi Hirotuth SI.
Johns in order lo leiidi Portland.
When litis bus been nreomplished SI.
Johns will have shipping facilities
which cauiiol be eiUulled in any pari
of llie Coast nml it is safe lo predict
Hint maiiul'aclurint iiropeily will be
come more valuable iiere limit at any
oilier iNiiul on Hie Poilland hnibor,
excepting within Hie immediate lerm
i mi I yards.
Tho Woolen Mills,
In our next issue we how lo be able
lo print a full deseriplioii of Ibis im
is. riant industry. Tim extensive
buildings nie now completed, and the
e.'oik of iiislnllimr miichinerv is urn-
grossing nipidly. II Is exported oiier
aliens will eomuience very mmiii. Skill
ed woikitien hid already 011 (be
ground, ready lo begin Hie initial
woik. I here will bo several hundred
imhiiiIu employed in this' industry. Tho
carding department wis stalled Wed.
ncMiay.
(