46
ST. TAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Very little is known of the early history of the church in
The Dalles. Some of the oldest residents remember visits
from the Rt. Rev. Thos. P. Scott, D. D., Rev. H. M. Fack
ler, D. D., Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Stow, Dr. Xevius, and others.
A child of the Hon. J. K. Kelly was baptized by Dr. Fack
ler, D. D., in 1806, and in 1871 Rev. R. D. Xevius held two
services in the Congregational church, through the cour
tesy of Rev. T. Condon, the pastor. From 1871 to 1873
four services were held by Rev. R. D. Xevius, one by Bish
op Morris, and one or two others by Rev. L. H. "Wells.
At this time there were found ten communicants of the
church, and Dr. Xevius baptized four adult persons in the
Congregational church. With this as a nucleus, a congrega
tion was established and an effort made to build a church.
In 1874 Rt. Rev. Bishop Morris gave $500 towards it on con
dition that a like sum should be raised in The Dalles. This
work was undertaken by Mrs. G. H. Knaggs, and successful
ly accomplished by her, the sum of $G55 having been raised.
In addition to this, $105 was realized from a strawberry
festival.
A chancel window was then given by Gen. Jos. Eaton, in
memorial of his son, and a west window was also given
by the Hon. L. L. McArthur. On the 28th of May, 1875,
Bishop Morris laid the corner stone of the present church,
and deposited in it a copy of the Holy Bible, a book of
Common Prayers, a copy of the Oregon Churchman of May
25th, and a copy of The Dalles Mountaineer, and copies of
the Portland dailies (the Oregonian, Bulletin and Evening
Journal.)
On January 11th, the church received its furniture, leav
ing an indebtedness of about $800. On the day the church
was consecrated a draft on Xew York was received for $100
from St. Luke's chapel, Middleton, Connecticut, and a like
amount was received from the Rev. John Bonney, from
the east, a friend of Mr. Win. Beall. Bishop Morris also
gave $100, and the balance of the indebtedness was provi
ded for by the congregation.
In 1877 a paten and chalice of solid silver was received
from St. Mark's church, Augusta, Maine,
From January 11th, 187G, to July 7, 1879, sixty-three ser
vices were held by the Rev. Dr. Xevius, when he was suc
ceeded by the Rev. Mr. McEwen, who took charge of the
church, having been sent by Bishop Morris.
In September, 1880, through a subscription circulated by
Miss Anna Thornbury and Mrs. Stansbury, an addition of
the vestry room was made to the church, and about No
vember, 1885, the present rectory was built.
The bell was purchased in 1883, and was on the Queen of
the Pacific when she struck on the Columbia bar, and the
framework of which was thrown overboard. Ihe present
mountings were made by Mr. John Clayton.
About April, 188G, Miss Mary Wall, a communicant of
this church, died and left a bequest of $500.
The Rev. W. L. McEwan officiated as rector from 1879
to 1886, when he was succeeded by the Rev. John C. Fair,
about August 1, 1887. From 1879 to 1886 there were four
confirmation classes under Rev. Mr. McEwan, numbering
17 persons in all, and from 1886 to 1887, under the Rev.
John C. Fair, there were two confirmation classes, number
ing eight persons.
In the spring of 1889, Rev. Eli D. Sutcliffe took charge of
the work and remained five years. Rev. Joshua X. T.
Goss was rector for the year ending Easter, 1897. The
present rector is Inet Rev. Joseph De Forest, who was at
tracted to this city by the reputation of its matchless cli
mate. In former years he was rector of Christ Church,
La Crosse, Wisconsin, St. Paul's Church, St. Louis, Mis
souri, and St. Andrew's Church, Fort Worth, Texas. He
has been twenty-five years in the work of the ministry,
which was mostly spent at the east in the above-named
7 states.
Up to the present there have been 233 baptisms in the
parish, and 104 confirmations. At present the venerable
Episcopal Church, with its twenty-five million adherents
in the English speaking world, is represented here by about
40 families. The value of the property is about $5,000.00,
upon which there is no debt The prospects are that the
parish will steadily continue its useful work with the other
elevating and refining influences will help the moral and re
ligious sentiment of the place. The parish forces, though
comparatively small, are well organized and directed.
THE DALLES AS A COMMERCIAL POINT.
Almost from its earliest settlement, The Dalles has been
recognized as the commercial center of Eastern Oregon.
Before the building of the O. R. & X. Railroad it was the
distributing point for tue entire Inland Empire, freights
for all of Eastern Oregon and Washington passing through
or being forwarded from this point. Since the completion
of the railroad, In 1882, it has lost some of its former busi
ness, still it retains a vast amount of business in this line.
The two large warehouses and the banking interests of The
Dalles, represented by the First Xational Bank and the
banking house of French & Co., which are recognized as
two of the solidest banking institutions on the Pacific coast,
naturally draw a large trade here, because it can be taken
care of better than at any interior point. And the extreme
low freight rates prevailing, and not obtainable at any
other point in Eastern Oregon, causes a vast volume of
trade to center here that would go elsewhere. Having com
peting transportation lines, the Oregon Railroad & Xavi
gation Co., The Dalles, Portland and Astoria Navigation
Co. and the Washougal, Navigation Co., The Dalles not ,
only gets very low freight rates to and from Portland, but
also gets terminal rates on all trans-continental traffic.
Since the opening of the canal and locks at the Cascades,
The Dalles has obtained the very lowest possible freight
rates, and at present a rate of from one to two dollars a ton.
prevails between here and Portland, while some lots of
THE DALLES TIMES-MOUNTAINEER.
v..
wheat were shipped to Portland this year for 75 cents a
ton. ' j. . ' :
Besides its shipping interest, The Dalles is well repre
sented in the mercantile line. There are two general mer
chandise stores, seven dry goods and clothing stores, two
hardware estaolishments, two furniture stores, three sta
tionery and book stores and four dealers in agricultural
implements. So well is the mercantile interest represented,
so close is competition, that The Dalles has the reputation
abroad of competing with Portland on the price of all
classes of merchandise. This fact, naturally, draws trade
from a large scope of country, and farmers from Klickitat
county, Washington, and Sherman, Gilliam, Grant and
Crook counties, Oregon, some of theiry250 miles away, are
attracted here to purchase their suplies. The Dalles, too,
enjoys the reputation of being the best wool market on the
coast, and also the best wheat market in Eastern Oregon.
Wool centers here from half a dozen different counties, and
in consequence wool buyers from Boston, Xew York and
San Francisco visit The Dalles each year during the months
of July, August and September, and make purchases direct
from producers of from 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 pounds. Dur
ing the past season over $700,000 was paid out in The Dal
les alone, and prices ruled a cent a pound higher than at
any other point east of the Cascade mountains.
An idea of the volume of trade done here and the im
portance of the shipping can be gained from the following
statements furnished by the O. R. & XT. Co. and the D. P.
& A. X. Co. of the amount of traffic handled by each during
a portion of the past year. The statement of the O. R. & N.
is for the months of January, February, August, Septem
ber, October, and November, 1897, and is as follows:
-Carloads-
Merchandise
Received.
Pounds.
January, 1,075,825
February, 1,058,690
August 1,375,292
September, 3,233,320
October, 2,591,505
Xovember, 2,679,715
Forward
Pounds.
2,276,675
1,271,116
4,297,608
6,597,660
9,239,482
4,816,367
37
5
86
118
671
14
13
16
11
42
17
25
59
5?
19
15
31
53
09
3
29
5
8
The traffic handled during these six months is about an
average of that handled during the entire year, and ap
proximately there are 22,000,000 pounds of, freight brought
in and 60,000,000 pounds shipped out over the railroad each
year. The imports, however, are not all consumed in The
Dalles, as perhaps one-third of them is reshipped by
wagons to interior points.
The I). P. & A. X. Co. make the following statement of
the aggregate amount of traffic handled for eleven months
of 1897. The figures show the amount botlshipped into
and out of The Dalles, from January TTto December 1.
1897.
Cattle and horses 2,181
Sheep, 10,000
Flour, tons, 180
Lumber, tons, 220
Merchandise, tons, , 4,197
Froin a perusal of these statements, the reader cannot
but be convinced of the importance of The Dalles as a ship
ping point, and of the volume of business transacted here.
THE
GREAT
SCENIC
ROUTE!
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Tourists
Traveling
Over the
PILLARS OF HERCULES.
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From TheS Dalles to Portland
Pass through the gorges of
the Columbia where is view
ed the grandest scenery on
earth . . . . ' . . .
Cloicyf Tvo Transcontinental Lines East.
6 BEAT
NORTHERN
RAILWAY
OREGON
SHORT
LINE '
VIA
Spokane
Minneapolis
St. Paul
Chicago
Salt Lake
Denver
Omaha
Kansas City
OCEAN STEAMERS ;
l Leave Portland every five j '
. days for San Francisco . . r;:-:
V V.1, W. H. HURLBURT, . .
1 Rfln. Pfl Ant - Pnrtlanrl: fli-
JAMES IRELAND, Agent, . . r
-The Dalles, Oregon.
CAPUJ HORN.