The Oregon daily journal., June 21, 1914, Page 45, Image 45

SECTION EIGHT
1IALLOU AND WRIGHT
EIGHT PAGES
-ADVERTISING
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 21, 1914.
RISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRM OF BALLOU & WRIGHT
L - - .. . - . ....... ' - 1
I.VIAUI IV U Ml. Ml III- 11 UIIVIMUVV UfUII U in a year BaJlou & Wrlht ha4 pur- v , II - ' . ' " " t A t Ji I i I. F
LO MUL IJII J L II U rt UUll ILdll 11 1 lit J I .VoPranclnUrts and rM- -4 J , r ,
III
in i mii i i -zs r
ADVENT OF THE BICYCLE INSPIRES THE
SINCE HAS
ASSUMED
BIG PROPORTIONS
C. F, Wright Outlines History of Partnership Between
Himself and 0,-B, Ballou Which Had Its Beginning
in a Small Way in. Montana, and Was Resumed Here
c
By Fred W. Vincent.
iHANCE. the world's greatest gam
bler, Htands out strongly In his
true character, that of a roller
of life's dice. In the history of
the rise and 'development of the
firm of Ballou & Wright, dealers In
motorcycles, bicycles and automobile
and motorcycle accessories, with head
Quarters In Portland and a branch In
Seattle.
Nor Is that two letter word 'If," the
irreatest little explainer on earth, miss
ing. "If and "chance" travel togeth- i
er. One rolls the dice, the other reads j
In them what might have been. For
Instance "It". C. F. Wright, when a
youth of 17 years, had not wanted to
(to Into the bicycle business at Great
Falls, Mont, and In furtherance of
this desire had not gone to Helena,
Mont., where he accidentally met a
third man, there would have been no
big Ballou & Wright company doing
business In Portland, with a prosperous
branch in Seattle.
."If O. B. Ballou, then a confection
ery man at Helena, had not known this
third man and been convinced there
was money in the bicycle business,
lie and Mr, Wright would not be head
ing an establishment that does approx
imately a million dollar business each
year. But "chance" ruled otherwise.
It shook the box and out rolled a cou
ple of sixes, aide by side. One was
Mr. Ballou. president of the concern,
the other was Mr. Wright, vice pres
ident and general manager. Since then
each shake has produced another six,
and they together spell "success."
Along In 1895 Mr. Ballou was a res
ident of Helena and was in the candy
business. Mr. Wright, then a youth
Just turned 17 years, was living at
Oreat Falls and was trying to make a
living as a realty salesman.
Bicycles were becoming popular and"
Mr. Wright got the idea that he could
-make money if he secured a bicycle
agency and opened a store and repair
stiop. With this in mind he wrota
to a number of manufacturing con
cerns. This resulted in him receiv
ing a message to come to Helena and
talk things over with D. D. Warner,
president of the factory which was
making the "Warner Special. Mad
ison. Wis. Mr. Warner was on a sell
ing trip through the west.
Bicyoie Agency Zs Established.
Anxious to see a real factory presi
dent, young Wright packed his carpet
bag and took the first train, and at
Helena met Warner and A. P. Dor
ranee, a bicycle agent.
As a result of the trip Dorrance de
elded to establish a branch in Great
Falls and interested Mr. Ballou, and
through . him articles of partnership
- were drawn up between the three, un
der Which Ballou and Wlght were
to .operate tne branch and Dorrance
. was to be a silent partner.
I can well remember the first time
Mr. Ballou and I met," said Mr.
. Wright, recalling the incident. "We
t&t signed the papers without having
met. Mr. Ballou came to a hotel at
Great Falls and I went to meet him.
Aa I stepped up and Introduced my
self, he looked me critically up and
down, then suddenly held out his hand
and smiled. Right there friendship
sprung up and in all the years we have
since been associated in business we
have never had a misunderstanding or
a quarrel. Mr. Warner later made
Portland 'his home, and he died here
a few years ago. Mr. Dorrance Is still
in business In Helena, and at last ac
counts he was still dealing in bicy
cles." The venture proved a success. With
in a year Ballou & Wright had pur
l-chased , Dowanc' .interests and were
sole proprietors of the little shop and
store, quarters that, boasted Just 20
front feet on a side street of the Mon
tana town. Bleycles then sold for $100
for the cheapest makes, and during the
five years they, remained In partner
ship the major portion of Great Falls
bicycles came from their shop. Then
Mr. Ballou's health began, to fail, and
In the hope of regaining It he sold
out to Mr. Wright, and, taking the
Pacific coast agency for Ames & Frost
of Chicago, makers of the Imperial
bicycle, began the life of a trav
eling salesman. This was In 1900.
Three months later Mr. Wright dis
posed of the shop and went into the
hardware business. But in 1901 he
got a telegram from Mr. Ballou say
ing that he had decided that Portland
was a good place for a bicycle stors
(Concluded on Page Four, This Section)
A. H.JONES MANAGES THE SEATTLE BRANCH
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V . - -v -V , ' ' ,,
0. B. BALLOU FORESAW IMMENSE FUTURE
OF THE BICYCLE AND THEN CAPITALIZED IT
The Fascination .of Pedaling Which Seized the Public in
the Late '90's Appealed to Merchant, Who Si.nce
Has Dealt in Bicycle and Motorcycle.
0
A. H. Jones, manager , of the Seattle branch of Ballon and . Wright.
A. H. , Jones, manager of the Seattle ,
branch of Ballou & Wright, once sold
maps. Then he put the Morgan
Wright auto tire on the map, secured
thereby the ; position of northwest
manager , of the , United States f Tire
comtany later, and Is now hard on tha
Job of . making - Washington . state, read
Ballou & Wright.
Ballou ; & Wright bad been having
trouble with men sent out by the Mor
gan & Wright-tire people, and finally
the Pacif ic . coast manager came - to
Portland and happened to meet Jones.
; He Introduced him to . Mr. Ballou
and Mr. . Wright In Portland, and
Jones, after putting In a short time
drilling In the virtues of tires, was
turned loose.
There were no more complaints reg
Istered In Portland. Jones got ihe
business, -and when the Morgan
Wright tjre factory Joined . the United
States people, Jones went along . and
got boosted to the position of north
west manager. . with headquarters In
Seattle. He held down the Job until
the Seattle branch of Ballou & Wright
was organised, when he took the man
agerehip and an interest in the bus!
ness also.
KE day in 1895 O. B. Ballou, now
president of the Ballou & Wright
Co. of this city, stood on a curb
in Helena, Mont, and tried to
figure out Just what line of busi
ness he should go into.
For years he had known nothing but
the rugged experiences of the pros
pector, and the hard life of a building
contractor In frontier mining and rail
road towns. 1
He ought to have been a millionaire.
he knew, but he was not. Instead his
worldly possessions consisted or a
pmall store where he dispensed sweet
meats to women and cigars and tobac
cos to men.
He had purchased it with the rem
nants of his ready cash after the panic
of '93 to "fill hi" temporarily while
he looked around for a more lucrative
line of endeavor.
Used to all manner of experiences.
armed with that resourcefulness which
comes from the ups and downs of the
Argonauts, so vividly described in
Mark Twain's "Roughing It," Ballou
was not disheartened by the turn of
his fortunes. But the tame excitement
of selling candles did not appeal to
him. a man used to the itinerant lire
of the gold hunters. In short, he want
ed a man s size Job.
As he "figured" he idly watched
perspiring bicyclists pedal past him
in the street. Bicycles were not geared
as high as they are now, and the rapid
movements of the riders' legs as they
"pumped" amused him, and in the back
of his head a hazy idea was formed.
To see those people rush up and
down the street crazlly on those wheels
somehow reminded me of the old fron
tier life," he said, in recounting his
experiences, "and then I realized all
of a sudden that the bicycle business
was due for wonderful expansion. I
decided then and there to make a fuller
investigation, Just to see what it could
be developed into.
"I hurried to a bicycle shop, planked
down half a dollar the amount It cost
to rent a bicycle for an hour' then
and told the proprietor that I was go
ing to go out and Tarn to ride.
"H handed back that lour bit piece
mighty quick. 'You don't get this- ma
chine, he said. There's a riding
school down the street; go learn there.'
"I went. For half an hour a tired
Instructor shoved me around the big
hall, and then turned me loose. I
dodged the walls and . posts and In
another half hour could get along fair
ly well. This has some hustle and
some life in It,' I told myself. 'Guess
I had better buy one. "
Into the Bicycle Business.
It was not long afterward that Ct
B. f Ballou. "confectionery man, was
not in tha business any -more. He
got hold of several agencies and began
the life of a traveling man with a
bicycle as bis transportation medium.
During the next few . months he -pedaled
3600 miles -on the "bike. covering
Montana, Idaho and . Washington, and
at the end of every day he would shout
"Hoorahl this is life!" . The big out
of doors, long - reaches of country
!JL'M
mmmm
sparsely settled, all reminded him of
the years back as far as '74, when
he participated in! the gold and silver
stampedes In Colorado, Nevada Call
fornla and New j Mexico; the times
when danger was; a man's companion
and hardship his shadow.
But at last his Journey was ended.
He found himself; back In Helena and
there met A. P. porrance,- a bicycle
man, who told him that there was a
good opportunity to open a branch bi
cycle store at Great Falls. He added
that a young fellow named Wright
was anxious to go ilnto the business. As
a result of the interview, Ballou en
tered into : partnership with Wright,
now vice president and secretary of
the big concern ;here, and left for'
Great Falls, where he first met his
partner face to face. Dorrance was a
silent partner. This was in 1895. A
year later Dorrance sold out his inter
est to them. Ballou married at Hel
ena In 1899, and shortly afterward
wanderlust and failing health sent him
west to the Pacific coast again. He
put In a year looking for a location
for another store and selling bicycles.
In 1901 he decided upon Portland and
telegraphed Wright to Join him. The
growth of the company since then is
known to all Portlanders, and Its rise
from a small concern to one that does
a million dollar 1 business each year
has weaved In it the personal history
of the men who head it
A Jratlve of Kassaohusetts.
Mr. Ballou was born In Massachu
setts in 18S3. In 1862 his people had
moved to Minnesota and in 1874 he
was in Nevada, where he worked as a
building contractor in mining camps
until Tie got a stake and then under
took the life of a prospector. When
ever he went "broke" he would go
back to contracting.
During those years of his life -be
went through many adventures and
covered the entire west on horseback.
Once he spent eight months in the sad
dle, and traveled 12300 miles over five
states and territories Utah, Colorado,
New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming.
But that was Just an "Incident"
He opened a number of mining- pros
pects In those days, but somehow or
other he happened to be among those
unlucky ones who sought gold but
never iouna it j in quantities worth
mentioning. But he got possession of
something just j as valuable. He
learned men and acquired the art of
knowing how to ! meet them, two -big
golden nuggets that have done much
in helping him to success.
And today he is still an enthusiastic
mountaineer. He loves the wilds and
at every opportunity leaves the city
with Its drabs of business care and
hurries - to - the - forested' reaches Where
he clambers up peaks and eats jerked
beef .around a cam pf Ire.
"I always feel better in the high al
titudes," he says, "and besides, where
nature : is big. awesome, . regal. - and
man small and insignificant In com
parison there Is; life la- Its fullest"
D "i. OMU AKD VT?.T rL-M rn. -
r
C. F. WRIGHT DESERTED STOCK RANCH FOR
.PROSAIC CAREER OF A BICYCLE SALESMAN
Portland Merchant Began Life Chasing Cattle on. Mon
tana Ranch, Which He Forsook for Salesmanship;
Has Followed Line With Success,
G. GRAY LEMLEY ONCE
J!
CONFECTIONERY
MAN
IT'S a long Jump from punching cat
tle to selling bicycles, but C. F. '
Wright made it in 1896 and as a
direct result Is now vice president
and general manager of Arte firm
of Ballou & Wright of this city.
And when the jump' was made from
the cattle ranges to the business whlcn
has placed him where fortune smiles
he was only a youth Just turned 17
years. - . i
His previous business experience
can be summed up In one phrase six
months as a realty salesman.
But at. that particular stage of his
coreer, what was really needed was
not so much business experience as
plain everyday' persistence and get up
and go. And he had both .qualities,
and in addition, the benefit and coun
sel of his elder partner, Mr. Ballou,
with whom has has been associated In
business. for virtually, his. entire . career.
Together they . made a combination
hard to beat After they had opened
up a bicycle store at Great Falls,
Moot, they . set to woric to capture
the market and when they quit, about
five years later, they were tn posses
sion of the field and only one firm
a hardware company was selling bi
cycles In the. town.. . , ; .
. In 1900, Mr. Ballou, on account of
falling health, sold his Interest in the
store , to . Sir. . Wright and came west
as coast representative of the Imperial
bicycle, y , j
.A year -later he bad' decided upon
Portland as the. best business bet and
telegraphed Mr. Wright - to" 'Join him.
Meantime Mr. - Wright . had 'sold ou t
the store and had invested with others
In the hardware business. jHe was
secretary-treasurer . of., the ! company
when-the. call from his former partner
Quits .Candy. Business to Be4'
.come Assistant Manager - fi
r rn s . 1 1 r . ;
Tor-Bauou .ot:wngnu!. ; t
came. He sold out Immediately .and
soon . afterward Ballou and Wright
reunited, were in business In Portland.
Bustling Business.
They pursued the same policy as
had marked their rise in Great Falls.
In other words, they went out after
business and It was not long before
they had their full share of It here. -
But as they grew, so grew their am
bition. When the automobile came
Into general use they were the first
to put in automobile accessories and
supplies. As - soon as they realised
the future of the motorcycle they add
ed a motorcycle department to their
establishment and today, with a
branch store tn Seattle, tbey are looked
upon as leaders in their field motor
cycles, bicycles and auto supplies.
To the hurricane deck of a broncho
Mr. Wright is no stranger. His father
was a stockman In Montana and there
young Wright used to put In his spare
time chasing the erratic bovine, and
It might be added that he had plenty
of spare time. And "chasing" about
describes It, because it Is whispered
his father used to give him many lec
tures because be ran the fat off the
animals In an effort to develop them
Into racers instead of beef. The elder
Wright had no doubts that bis son
might be president of the United
States, but he was certain he would
never be a success in the cattle coun
try. So it probably is Just as well
that the marts of business beckoned
when, they did.
A xrattre of Kansas. ' .
Wright was born - in Kansas, the
grand old cyclone state, and was just
beginning to admire the wonderful
scenic advantages offered by the flat
prairie lands when his parents moved
Xxx the Gallatin valley of Montana. H
O. Gray Lemley.. assistant -manage!.
In charge, of tha purchasing depart
ment of the Seattle branch of Ballots
& Wright haa a high respect fotr
candy, and during his life has . protv
ably eaten more different - varieties)
than any man of his acquaintance.' -
But an abnormal appetite is not'thl
reason tor this. It lies hx the: fact
that he until two years ago was a
confectionery man. A product.- e$
Illinois, he put in most of nls man
hood years In the confectionery-llns
with his father. Who retired s, short
time ago. ... f .
During the years they were in bust
ness together they owned a store, first
at Great Falls, Mont. - where be : be
came acquainted with Mr. Ballou-and
Mr. Wright, and 'in Salt Lake Cltyy
wnere they owned the two prinidpal
confectionery stores when they . sold
out and. retired in If 11. - ' -
The "elder Lemley went to Calif ore
nla and the younger one on invitation
of Ballou & Wright took' the assist
ant managership of the Seattle branch
men rang organized. - Mr. Laroley,
purchased an. interest in the estate
llshment also, and sines he has beeil
engaged in his new duties he has xnas
tered the business and has done muctt
to put the branch on a paying basis,
. 1 . a
was then 2 years of aga. His school
years were spent at Boseman, his surcu
mers on the ranch, and he bad just
budded into the real- estate game whett
he saw the advantages of the bicycle
line, and with . Mr. Ballou- and A. p.
Dorrance. a mutual friend who brought .
them together, went Into that buW
ness. ' .
That was the only start he needed,
It was the big opportunity; he grasped
It. and at the age of 37 years he Is
found a. partner In a successful cstahe-llshment
-