I
jMuhf Aihtutt llotikuat
by Kathryn H. Bogle
The yellowing pages o f old albums
with their lading photographs o f a
bygone day still retain the power to
reconstruct fo r us an inner-com
munity life that existed here in Port
land at the turn o f the century.
V crd cll and O tto R u th e rfo rd
delved recently into their attic collec
tion o f clippings and photographs to
share some fa m ily photographs
never heretofore published.
The first Rutherfords to come to
Portland were William and Edward
o f Columbia, South Carolina. They
were brothers. Both were barbers in
a busy shop in Columbia, as seen in
the accom panying photograph.
Dates are in conflict, according to
Otto, but he sets the time as being
about 1896 to 1899 when they
decided to come West.
They came to Portland recruited
by John Cassius Logan, it is said.
Logan was seeking to hire Black men
for work in the new and fashionable
“ Portland H otel.” Logan, himself,
had been drawn to Portland from
Spokane, Washington by Portland
Hotel promoters who saw the ex
cellent quality o f John Logan's work
as a waiter at a top-notch hotel in
Spokane.
Logan went back to his hometown
o f Columbia, in South Carolina, to
entice the best waiters he could find
to come to P o rtla n d . .He found
several but he also persuaded the
brothers Rutherford to be “ house”
barbers at the Portland. The hotel
operated a complete barber shop
staffed with white barbers, but the
Rutherfords were hired to give the
extra flourish o f barber service to the
wealthy and famous patrons who did
not care to be served in the more
public shop.
Portland Observer Thursday, October 5, 1978 Page 3
a sale made to D r, Booker T.
Washington.
A b o u t 1914 the R u th e rfo rd
Brothers moved to a corner location
at Broadway and Flanders. The cor
ner location proved to be a handy
solution to their increasing need for
space for they were able to have an
entrance door for their barber shop
on the Broadway side, w hile
customers w anting haberdashery
items, entered into the building on
the Flanders side. Prudently, always,
the Rutherfords added another sales
line.
This time a confectionary with ice
cream parlor shared room space with
the haberdashery. Sales ladies were
added with Edward’s wife, Octavia,
working with her friend. Lula Hub-
A fter several years at the Portland
and having established their families
in this city, W illiam and Edward
decided to strike out in business for
themselves.
In 1907, they opened their first
shop, ‘ ‘ The C lub Cafe Shaving
Parlor” at N.W. Third and Flanders
Streets. They hired a third barber,
and assessing the flo o r space as
adequate, the brothers drew a line
practically down center, installed a
couple o f showcases and added a line
o f haberdashery for their customers.
O tto
scribed
writing
totaled
ditures.
brought out an old ledger in
in the fine Spencerian hand
o f his father, W illiam, which
up daily sales and expen
One interesting entry records
William H. Rutherford, in light jacket and bow tie — a natty dresser even at
work. (18991
Edward Rutherford at Rutherford Brothers, Gents Furnishers, 393 Flanders
Street. (1910)
bard. Young Benjamin Edw ard’ s
son, also was employed fo r sales
duties
and appears in
one
photog ra ph.
Business was a
profitable, going concern.
The R u th e rfo rd s stayed in
business, together, fo r many years
u n til
1934 when the Great
Depression swept across the land
closing many business doors. Their
customers had no jobs and no money
and in that terrible year the doughty
“ Rutherford Bros” sign came down.
The assets were divided and they
clicked th e ir doors shut as
proprietors for the last time.
We know that each o f them found
work before long as both drew on
th e ir innate resourcefulness and
ability to adapt.
Family A ¡bum Northwest ©
Photographs
Collection.
O tto R utherford
Wäter power shrinks
home electric bills.
If you’re served by Pacific Power or any other
investor-owned utility, your home electric bills
are higher than those of a public utility’s. Why?
Because you're denied access to federally
generated hydropower...the cheapest power
available in the Northwest.
Pacific Power has been fighting for a share of
that,"bill shrinking’’ power...even going as far
as legal action in the courts.
Now, leading members of Congress have
recognized that legislation will eliminate the
rate problem.
The Pacific Northwest Electric Power Plan
ning Conservation and Renewable Resources
Act (Senate Bill 3418) is being debated in
Congress right now. If it becomes law, al] resi
dential customers in the BPA service area—
whether served by a public or investor-owned
The first shop of the Rutherford Brothers, at 393 Flanders Street in 1907
utility—will have access to low cost federal
power.
On passage, Pacific Power will “shrink” home
electric bills 20% immediately...with additional
reductions planned for five years until public
and private power costs are equal.
So, if you’d like to see your electric bills
shrink down to size, write your congressman
today. Tell him you support fairer distribution
of federal hydropower.
Testimony before Congress by Pacific Power’s
Board Chairman, Don Frisbee, detailing the
company’s response to this legislation is avail
able on request at your local Pacific Power
office.
H ie People at Pacific Power.
Working to cut your energy costs down to size.
Ed Rutherford in foreground; William Rutherford in background. (1911)
. . . U N IO N OR COMPANY
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Make sure your Congressman knows it!
S.W . 3RD A YAM HILL NT., HOK IT .A M ). OltEGOS
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!
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