10 Capital Journal, Salem, Ore., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 1949
70 Salem Families Celebrated
Christmas Here 700 Years Ago
By BEN MAXWELL
Certainly Christmas was honored and celebrated by the 10
families who resided on the site of Salem 100 years ago.
But where and how is not a matter of distinct historical record.
Back in 1849 the population of about 100 persons occupying
16 buildings had no newspaper to record events of the day, and
letters from those times are not
explicit about what really did
happen on Christmas here ten
decades ago.
Emigrants lately arrived were
often gaunt with hunger, ill
from privations and frequently
destitute. Such was Tabitha
Brown, a courageous and persist
ent woman, past 60 years of
age, who endured unbelievable
hardships and suffering on the
plains and in the mountainous
region of the Oregon country.
When she concluded her long
overland journey at the home
of a Methodist minister in Sa
lem on Christmas Day of 1846
she had not set foot in a house
for nine wearisome months. Her
entire wealth consisted of a
6Vt cent piece discovered in the
finger of an old glove. With
this amount she bought needles
and undertook sewing. Her de
termination inspired confidence
and her energy founded an
orphanage and inspired Pacific
University.
Abundance in today's holiday
season exceeds the profusion
imagined by any pioneer dream
er hovered about his smoky fire
place in 1849. Luxury food for
a big celebration had not yet
been imported, and gifts for giv
ing were yet scarce and expen
sive.
An observer who passed this
way late in 1848 saw but five
men in this tiny community
And they were itching with the
gold fever. But infirmities kept
them from heading for the Call
fornia diggings.
Some gold seekers from Sa
lem had early acquired wealth
in the mines and returned home
to their defenseless families
Those with money quickly ex
hausted the stock' in Salem's
only store founded by Uncle
Tommy Cox in 1847. In 1848
his business was located in a
new, two story structure on the
northeast corner of what is now
Commercial and Ferry street. A
plaque marks the site.
During December of 1848
Uncle Tommy sold butter for
20 cents a pound; sugar, two
pounds for a quarter; three-
quarters of a yard of silk cost
$1.50; four pounds of coffee
cost $1, and a gallon of molasses
old for six bits.
A year later Cox's day book
contains a few entries for the
holiday season. A sensible pre
sumption is that those who re
turned from the gold fields with
wealth bought all Uncle Tommy
had to sell and there was no mer
chandise left for Christmas bus
iness.
Come December of 1850, and
things were different.
Salem then had three if not
four stores, and merchandise
was available for all with money
to spend. Butter then sold for
50 cents a pound, eggs for four
bits a dozen and potatoes cost
$1.50 a bushel.
Cox stayed open on Christ-
day that year and when Mr. L.
Rector came in he paid $1.35
for three pounds of one variety
of apples and $2.25 for five
pounds of another.
Though exotic luxuries for
Christmas giving were yet in the
future, Uncle Tommy in De
cember of 1850 could supply
port wine at $3 a bottle, and we
can be pretty sure that the $10
Dr. W. H. Willson paid for a
crepe shawl was Chole Willson's
Christmas present.
...
Come five decades later.
In 1899 Salem had a popula
tion of 4200. Among those mis
sionaries fathers who founded
the Mills (Salem) in 1840, none
was then known to be alive.
Hails of steel spanned the con
tinent and immediate commu
nication with any part of the
world could be accomplished in
Salem.
Even so, the approach of
Christmas 50 years ago got no
front page headlines in the Cap
ital Journal. Late in Decern
ber of 1899, lop head news told
about the wobbly gold standard,
the Spanish-American war and
the deplorable plight of local
hop growers. A near Christmas
editorial declared Uncle Sam
could make all mankind a very
pretty Christmas gift by calling
a halt to the South African war
Advertisers coyly hinted that
Christmas was near at hand
Yokahama Tea store suggested
dishes. J. J. Dalrymple & Co.
offered handkerchiefs from 5
cents to $3. Buren & Hamilton
at 248 Commercial street called
attention to their carpet sweep
ers. S. W. Thompson and C. H.
Hinges praised their jewelty.
Jos. Meyers & Sons, "Salem's
greatest Store," were having a
special on imported novelties.
Chung Lee Co. in the Cottle
block on North Commercial
street offered a line of Chinese
and Japanese fancy goods for
the holiday trade.
In 1899 Christmas came on
Monday.
Stores remained open late on
Saturday evening to supply late
shoppers on that mild, balmy
night. Stores were crowded.
That year in December, just as
in 1849, gold, this time froml
Alaska, was dissipating a gloomy
depression. "Innumerable pri
vate trees," says the Capital
Journal, "were set up and load
ed with presents, and the camera
fiends were in their glory."
On Christmas day things were
quiet in Salem. A single wagon
load of lumber rumbling down
Christmas Present Joan
Tigerstrand Grunden (above)
ex-wife of Jack Grunden, par
alyzed patient at Birmingham
Veterans' hospital, Van Nuys
Calif., is going to be Jack's
Christmas present. Grundcn's
fellow patients pooled their
resources to give Joan a plane
trip from Portland, Ore., so
that she can be together with
her ex-husband who wants to
re-marry her for the holi
days. (Acme Telephoto)
BETWEEN FRIENDS
Commercial street drew con
sidcrable comment and, says the
paper, "gave a distinct shock as
though it were a sacrilege."
Everything was quiet in Sa
lem on Christmas except at the
postoffice. The office remained
open and a reporter noted that
it was crowded to overflowine
though everyone expected a
Christmas present by mail and
was on hand to get it. And the
scribe continued: "a girl who
didn't like to be squeezed had
no business there."
Churches were open, too, and
well attended. But those who
did not care to go to church had
another alternative. "Human
Hearts," Idyl of the Arkansas
Hills, was playing at Reed's
Opera house. Patton Brothers,
wno managed tne tneater, were
offering choice seats in the first
balcong for 75 cents and a less
ostentatious location in the gal
lery ior two bits.
Oral Word Strong Enough to
Balk Contestants in Court
The Oregon Supreme court Tuesday held valid an oral con
tract between two LaGrande school teachers who had been de
voted to each other for a quarter of a century, even thought it
was found, upon the death of one of them, that her will was
invalid.
The case was heard in Union
County by Circuit Judge Homer
I. Watts of Umatilla County.
Marie Tigglebeck brought suit
for relief in the nature of speci
fic enforcement of an oral con
tract to "devise and bequeath
property in consideration for the
performance of personal serv
ices by the promisee for the
promisor."
The suit was brought against
Erma D. Russell, Ruth Russell
Cox, Nancy G. Russell and Mary
Lynn Russell, relatives of Imo
gen Elinore Russell, seeking to
have certain real and personal
properties and moneys compris
ing Imogen Russell's estate, im
pressed with a trust in the hands
of the defendant in favor of
Marie Tigglebeck. The high
court for brevity referred to the
deceased by her first name, Imo
gen and to the plaintif, Marie
Tigglebeck as Marie.
help you." The supreme court i to the attorneys in xne sun mu
said this constituted the "simple he will not try it.
original agreement and added
Imogen died June 4, 1947. She
left her estate valued at $30,000
to Marie. Imogen and Marie
were teachers in La Grande
public schools. They found
mutual aid sisterly love and
affection for each other" and ac
cording to Marie's suit, neither
had any close companionship
with her relatives.
From 1924 to 1942, Marie was
roomer and boarder at Imo
gen's home. Then Marie wanted
to resign and seek employment
in higher paying war industry.
Imogen said she couldn't stand
to have Marie leave and, the suit
said, Marie agreed to stay.
torn
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Marie and Imogen would con
tinue teaching, "retire together,
give mutual aid and assistance
divide expenses, using Imogen's
property." Marie paid $10
month rent. Each made a will
leaving all her property to the
other.
But when Imogen died, her
will was found invalid under
Oregon law because there was
no witness to it.
Marie contended she was en
titled to have the oral contract
specimically performed.
...
The heirs at law answered the
complaint by a general denial
But the Union County court on
Feb. 15, 1949, entered a degree
in favor of Marie. The defend
ants appealed. The high court
in its opinion written by Justice
Arthur D. Hay today, noted that
Imogen and Marie bought war
bonds in their joint names. It
recalled Imogen's will: "Every
thing I own, I leave to my friend,
Marie Tigglebeck."
It was not witnessed and there
fore was invalid, the court noted.
But it held with the Union
County court that there was suf
ficient evidence of the intent of
the oral contract. It said the
necessary valuable consideration
for the contract was found in
services performed.
The high court said Imogen's
offer was in effect "Don't leave
me. I have no one. If you stay
here and help me, I will leave
you all my property."
The court said Marie replied
in effect "I will stay here and
we have concluded that the
contract was sufficiently
proved." The opinion ended
with this observation:
'The facts in this case, in our
opinion were sufficient to entitle
the plaintiff to the equitable re
lief for which she prayed. The
decision of the lower court was
right."
Have to Get
Another Juclae
The state supreme court will
have to seek still another circuit
judge to sit in on the local case
of 18 high school students who
are seeking to wipe out a suspen
sion order of the Salem school
board for alleged secret society
activities.
Judge David R. , Vandenberg
of Klamath Falls has indicated
He told them that while he
has never belonged to a secret
society in his life he has no per
sonal objections, to students be
longing to such organizations
and he feels it is up to the par
ents to regulate the personal ac
tivities of the students ana noi
the state.
This will be the fourth try to
secure a judge to sit on the case.
Originally it was thought Judge
Earl Latourelte of Oregon City
would be on the case. But Judge
Victor Olliver of Albany was
named in his stead and then the
plaintiffs asked for another
judge and the supreme court
asked Judge Vandenberg if he
would take the assignment.
.1
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