Page 2
Poi tland/Observer
Thursday
February 17, 1972
■
Blacks pioneered
in Oregon
Although black people w eiv
mona Inter became a legisla­
few in numbei in the Oregon
tor and in 184b introduced leg­
C ountiy, th e y made a great
islation that exempted Bush
impact on the political and so­
fro m
the la w prohibiting
cial atmosphere of Oregon.
blacks f r o m living in Oiegon.
T h e ir very presence on t he
Bush ami Simmons opened up
fro n tie i disturbed the indivi­
the area north ol the Colum­
dualism and independence of
bia River to American settle­
the settlers, and r e a c t io n
ment. P rio r to th is itw as held
against them was swift artd
by the Hudsons' Hay Company
strong.
ami as such would have become
The ( lis t known black to
part of Canada.
c o m e to the Oregon Country
G e o rg e Washington was
was Y ork, the servant of Cap­
adopt«! by a white couple ami
tain C la rk. He travelled with
lived in Ohio and latei in M is­
the Lewis and C la ik expedi­
souri. He was granted citizen­
tion of 1805-b. York was re­
ship by the le g is la tu re o fM is -
spected by th e Indians along
souri in 1842. He ami h lsto s-
the tra il because of his color
te r fattier came to Oiegon ui
and his huge size. He served
1850. Since he could not hold
as an in terpreter. W hen the land, his fostei fa there la lined
expedition ended, he returned
land fo r him. In 1853 he moved
to the east.
A Her. E r* in Flowei s, Louisa N .(Thatcher) Flowers, and their tour sons, Lloyd ( ft ont i ow), Ralph,
to W ashington Ten lto ry.
George W in s lo w was a
E lm er and E rw in, (photo Courtesy of Oregon H istorical Society)
He w a s involved in (arming
member of the Ewing Young and lumbering. He laid out tha
AI len E rwin Flowei s came to Oregon in June ol 180S. He was bom in Columbus, Ohio on March
Expedition to yiiegon in 1834. C ity of Centralia ami sold the
29, 1847. Hisfathe: went toC alifoim a to mine for goid, and later sent (or his fam ily. Al en ship­
W mslow m arried an Indian property to white settlei s.
ped aboard the Brother Jonathan as a cabin boy . On its third voyage, the Brother Jonathan sunk
woman and raised a fa m ily, Duimg a period of crop fa ilu re
off the coast of Crescent C ity, C alifornia. Allen came to Portland as a Captain's boy.
living n e a r Oregon C ity .In
he led the e n tiie population.
He was employed as a w aiter in the Lincoln Hotel. He worked on The Dalles boat and later on
1844 we became involved w ith a By 1889, when Washington 1«*-
boats to Umatilla and Lew iston. He was a bull d riv e r for pack teams taking mining supplies to
W asco Indian, whom he kille d . came a state, Centralia had a
Walla Walla and Lewiston.
He moved to near Astoria and population ot nearly 1,000.
He was employed by the government at theCustom House fo r several years. In 1885 he became
lived there until he was or­
P orter in Charge on the Northern P acific train to Seattle, the firs t black to hold this position. He
Although the laws of tlie pro­
dered by a Judge to leave Ore­
visional government ami of the
was on the Portland, Seattle run until 1900.
gon. Blacks were not legally
T e rrito ry of tuegun pi ohib-
He married Louisa Thatcher in V ic to ria , B.C, in 1882. The Flowers firs t lived on Mead Street,
allowed to live in O r e g o n at
ited
slavery, and even the 1 es­
in Northwest Portland, then built four small cottages on N.E. F u s t near Schyle., living in one.
that tim e.
sence ot blacks in Oregon,
Flowers had a road built to connect the houses with Union Avenue. They latet moved to a ranch
Wallace, a d eseiter from
on M t. Scott. The Flowers had four sons, Lloyd, Ralph, Elm er and Erw in.
th e ship Maryland, settled on slaves were bi oughiwithwhite
fam ilies. In 1853, slave c h il­
Louisa Thatcher was born in Puerto Rico on Decembei 20, 1849 and went to Boston as a child.
Clatsop Plains in 1840. The
She late, moved to V icto ria , B ritis h Columbia.
sloop Peacock was wrecked on dren weie released by Judge
George W illiam s, who said
a sand sp itn o rth o l theColum-
that without some positive leg­
bia R iver in 1841. A black cook
islation establishing slaveiy,
n a m e d Saul, later called
it dal not amt could not exist
James D. Saul, deserted. He
in Oregon. One of the children,
ran a fe rry between Astoria
Mary Jane Holmes, s ta y e d
and Cathlamet fo r many yeai s.
with thedaughtei ol her owner.
G e o r g e Washington Bush
She m arrieda black man, Rue-
was lesponsible fo r the open­
ben, and they had six children.
ing of the te rrito ry north of the
T h e y lived in Benton County
Columbia River to Americans.
and w eie highly regarded and
He came west on the wagon
accepted in the social life of
tram of 1844. Bush was black
the community.
and had a white wife and five
Robin and P olly bought 40
Children. He intended to goto
acres near Salem and a block
Oregon and to see how blacks
of land in North Salem. W hen
were treated. If he could not
their daughter m arried the
live as a free man with a free
wedding was attended by sev­
man's rights, he would s e e k
eral dignitaries, who were
the protection of the Mexican
severely c ritic iz e d . Rachel
Government. Bush financed
Beldon was brought to O'egon
the migration of Colonel M .T.
tn 1843. She did not know she
Simmons and his relatives.
could be tree, so she stayed
W hei they learned upon reach­
with her master until after the
ing . he Dalles that black peo­
C iv il W ar. She m arried and
ple were not allowed to live hi
lived in Marion County.
O ie g o n , he and Simmons
moved north to what is nuu
These are only a tew of the
Iam water, Washington,
black people who lived on the
coming the firs t Americans tu
Oregon fro n tie r. They num­
move into te rrito ry north of
bered 54 in the T e n itor ial
the Columbia that was con­
Census ot 1850.
trolled by the B ritis h . S iA -
General Rutus Ingallswho seived m the I n itevi States Arm y during the C iv il War, poses with Hie
children of Hen Holladay, railroad builder. Standing behind tlw children is their black governess.
I he p le u re was taken m Poi ti and in sepieniiwi , IM 7. ( Photo Course ty of < Iregoi 111 SI.. 1
ciety )
Blazer Look
- F la p P o c k e t
- B e lte d
Back
100% T e x tu riz e d
P o ly e s te r
4
- Sizes 3 8 - 4 6
Navy
& B row n
Dining car waiters make ready tor passengers on the Seattle, Portland and Spokane Railroad.
( Photo Courtesy of Oregon H istorical Society )
SPECIAL $24.88
He saw the Kian parade
The Ku Klux Kian paraded in downtown Vancouver, W ashington.
(Photo courtesy of Oregon H istorical Society)
KKK
tv ’
»y
e
w 1
rr
£
(continued from page I)
candidate, Governor W alter
including the county judge, a
Pierce. It controlled a m ajor­
form er county judge, a form er
ja ilo r, took a black man from
ity of both houses of the legis­
his car in Medford, placed a
lature and of the adm m lstra-
t i v e branch of government.
rope around his n e c k and
They claimed 25,000members
threatened him. The police
in 1922, with one half in P o it-
chief of that city was a member
of th e Kian. Klansmendrove
land. The Legislature passed
a law forbidding p r i v a t e
Sam Johnson, a boot black,
from Roseburg.
schools, of which 9Q£ were
Catholic, and which was later
M ayor George B a k e r of
declared unconstitutional by
Portland supported the Kian
and attended its functions, al­
the U.S. Supreme C ourt. They
though he may not have been a
were not able to pass the pro­
member. He actively opposed
posed legislation excluding
the mixing of the races in pub­
Japanese from the state. The
lic places and attempted to get
Kian began to loose its power
a I a w passed to prevent such and by 1923 was not a m a jo r
activity.
political force in the state.An
The CityCommission stated
attempted r e v i v a l in 1926
it would stand behind any po­
failed.
lice action taken to prevent
The K ia n came e a rlie r to
"ra c e m ixing” . The Portland
Oregon than to other states
Police Vigilantes were started
outside the South. Oregon was
In 1922. one hundred strong,
a rural state, with only one
armed, and carrying police
population center, which was
commissions, they were re­
itself not an urban area. T h e
sponsible to the leader of the
Kian promised to solve prob­
Kian and were approved by
lems, which It blamed on th e
Mayor Baker. The Black Pat­
few Catholics and racial min­
rol was a bo d y of n in e men,
oritie s, who were an unknown
c o m m issio n e d and arm ed by
quantity to most Oregonians.
the c i t y , and use d to compel
loyalty of Klansmen.
James G riffin saw the Kian
march in Portland in 1922. He
was standing on the coiner of
Washington Street and Broad­
way when the hooded Klansmen
marched down Washington,
400 to 500 strong. M r.G riffin
s a id he was not afraid, j u s t
amazed that such a thing would
be allowed in the city o fP o rt-
land. Everyone knew the pa­
rade was planned, but th e y
thought the police would stop
it.
M r. G riffin came to P o rt­
land in 1916. He was in the din­
ing c a r service in the Union
Pacific Railroad b e tw e e n
Portland and Gieen R iv e r ,
W yoming. He later worked for
the Knight shoe Company, and
in 1923-24 (or the Regal Shoe
Company in Portland.
W hen to w a s in Pot tian J,
black people were not served
in downtown restaurants. The
only places they could eat were
in Chinese, Japanese01 Greek
restaurants in the Skidroad
area. W hen there were con­
frontations or Insults th e y
usually were reported to M rs .
E X ’. Cannady, publisher of the
Advocate. Blacks were few in
number and had little support
Flare Leg
Double Knits
100%
T e x tu riz e d P o ly e s te r
d o u b le k n it
- F la re
le g / w i d e B elt Loop
W a is t 3 0 - 4 0
- C olors: O liv e , N a v y ,
B ro w n , Lite B lue
SPECIAL $9.99
from whites so they were pow­
erless to make charges.
M i. G riffin belonged to the
United Negro Improvement
Association (UNIA) headed by
Marcus Carney. He sawGar-
ney when he spoke InPortland
and admired him as a leader.
He s a id he had no inclination
to go to A f r le a , him self, but
respected those who did.
M r. G riffin is now a resident
of D e tro it. He Is in Portland
visitin g his
brothers Lloyd
and Leo.
JCPenney
The values are here every day
KILLINGSWORTH AT UNION. PORTLAND
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f
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