4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 2, 2017
O PINION
Offbeat Oregon History: Multnomah Falls
By Finn JD John
For The Sentinel
William C. Griswold surely
thought he had a fortune in tim-
ber on his hands.
Griswold had homesteaded a
heavily timbered 142-acre plot
of land high on a bluff over-
looking the Columbia river.
And, even better, there was a
large creek running through the
property, for powering fl umes to
take the logs to the river below
— where they could be easily
and cheaply fl oated downstream
for sale to one of the many saw-
mills there.
There was a problem with
his plan, though. He quickly
found out that the most power-
ful people in Portland were dead
set against his plan, and were
pulling every string they could
reach to stop him.
The reason? Scenic beauty.
Specifi cally, the creek that ran
through Griswold’s property
was the creek that runs over
Multnomah Falls — at 620 feet,
the tallest waterfall in Oregon,
and already widely known as
the “jewel of the Gorge.”
In Oregon at the turn of the
20th century, scenic beauty was
not usually a highly prized com-
modity. But Multnomah Falls
was an exception. This was
partly because of its unusual
character; but the main reason
was because it was making
some very powerful people a
whole lot of money.
As the city of Portland had
grown larger and more squal-
id over the years, the residents
there had started looking for
nearby places to get away and
drink in the scenic beauty of na-
ture. One of their favorite Sun-
day afternoon pastimes was to
board a steamboat or excursion
train and travel east on the Co-
lumbia River Gorge, drinking in
the scenery and maybe stopping
for a picnic lunch or a short na-
ture walk along the way. And
the highlight of that short excur-
sion was Multnomah Falls.
This had been going on since
the late 1870s. By the early
1880s was a steamboat dock in
the river, and a stopping spot
for outbound excursion trains.
A well-developed trail led from
those points up to the falls,
crossing a wooden bridge be-
tween the upper and lower falls
along the way.
Would those upper-mid-
dle-class Portlanders don their
Sunday best and board an ex-
cursion train for a trip to picnic
in a stump-strewn fi eld by an al-
most-empty streambed, noshing
on their lunches to the rumbling
sound of logs passing over their
heads on leaky, rickety fl umes?
The
Oregon-Washington
Railway and Navigation Com-
pany and the Union Pacifi c
rather thought that they would
not. And so these most powerful
of Portland industrialists were
dead set against Griswold’s
plan.
Finally, Griswold and his in-
vestors ran out of money and
had to give up on the scheme.
Griswold moved back east and
gave the land to his daughter,
Jennie Griswold, an artist from
Washington, D.C. She, quite
sensibly, gave up on the tim-
ber-harvest fantasy and started
charging the visitors 10 cents
each (a lot of money in those
days) to visit and picnic there.
Then, in 1904, a Colorado
mining lawyer named Lafayette
“Lafe” Pence moved to Portland
and, before anyone knew what
he was about, claimed the water
rights to every creek in the west
hills of Portland — including,
famously and very briefl y, Bull
Run, the city’s water supply.
Pence’s plan was to use the
water to wash and blast the
northwest hills down to fi ll in
Guild’s Lake, a scheme that
ended in dismal failure just
a few years later; but it gave
Portland land developers a real
education in water-rights law.
It turned out you didn’t have to
own a piece of property to claim
water rights on it, or even get
permission from the person who
did; you just had to fi le.
So, the very next year, a Port-
land developer named George
Wetherby did just that: claimed
the water rights in Griswold’s
land. Then, having thus gotten
his foot in the door, he negoti-
ated a lease from Griswold in
early 1906. He claimed he was
planning to install a water-pow-
ered sawmill at the foot of the
waterfall.
It isn’t clear just what Weth-
erby was trying to do here.
Oregonian writer Joseph Rose
takes his assertion at face value,
calling him a “ruthless indus-
trialist”; but this claim is hard
to buy. Although most times
of year Multnomah Creek pro-
vides enough water power for a
modest sawmill, its location is
extremely inconvenient for any
timber not harvested directly up
the hill from it. It is remotely
possible that Wetherby planned
to use the falls to generate elec-
tricity, which would then power
a sawmill on the Columbia; but
that seems a tremendous ex-
pense to undertake to do what
a moderate-sized boiler and
steam engine could easily and
cheaply do, partly powered by
the sawmill’s own trimmings
and waste; moreover, a steam
engine could be made as large
as necessary, whereas there was
only so much power available
from the creek. Indeed, with a
few massive exceptions like the
mills at Willamette Falls in Or-
egon City, water-powered mills
were very rare by this time.
Possibly this was the story
Wetherby had to tell Griswold to
get the lease approved, that with
the sawmill in place it would
fi nally be possible to harvest
her father’s timber. Possibly the
sawmill was his cover story for
having claimed the water rights
(under the law, the proposed use
had to be “benefi cial”).
Or perhaps he was trying
to use the sawmill as leverage
to get the railroad to buy the
place for an infl ated price. If
that’s the case, it didn’t work
out quite like he planned. In-
stead of buying him out, the
railroad pulled some strings and
the state Legislature promptly
passed a law forbidding the di-
version of Multnomah Creek for
any reason. That was the end of
the sawmill idea — and, most
likely, Wetherby’s water right as
well, since he no longer had a
“benefi cial” use for it.
But Wetherby was still leas-
ing the property in 1913, when
the Columbia Gorge Highway
was platted. At that time, with
the encouragement and spon-
sorship of Simon Benson, the
City of Portland opened negoti-
ations to buy the property.
Wetherby, of course, prompt-
ly exercised his option to buy
the place, anticipating marking
it up sharply before selling it
to the city for a tidy windfall
profi t. Or, rather, he tried to do
this. Griswold, no doubt excited
by all the interest and hoping to
make a much larger profi t than
she could have made by deliv-
ering on her deal with Weth-
erby, refused to comply, and a
brief court battle ensued, which
Wetherby lost. Just like that, he
was out.
Griswold now claimed the
place was worth $50,000. Ben-
son thought $2,500 was more
like it. And there things stood
until suddenly someone fi gured
out that the City of Portland
could actually condemn the
property under Eminent Do-
main.
With that threat in the air,
Griswold settled for $5,250 and
the city offi cially acquired the
falls. (A persistent version of
the story claims Benson bought
it from Griswold and then do-
nated it to the city, but he did
not; he just acted as a broker in
the deal.)
I haven’t been able to learn
what Wetherby’s lease-option
price was. It would be deli-
ciously ironic if it were more
than $5,250.
After that, Multnomah Falls
as a public park was all but in
the bag. The railroad donated
the land at the foot of the falls,
with the stipulation that a lodge
be built there costing no less
than $12,500. This was done
(the enthusiastic city actually
spent $40,000 on it). The wood-
en footbridge having long since
decayed and fallen away, it was
replaced with the bridge that’s
there now — one of the fi rst
continuous-pour bridges ever
built, and named after Simon
Benson. And in early 1915, in-
spired by a speech from legend-
ary highway engineer Samuel
Lancaster, the Progressive Busi-
ness Men’s Club of Portland
took on as a fund-raising project
the construction of what would
become Larch Mountain Trail,
the fi rst 1.1 miles of which are
the trail to the top of the falls.
The City of Portland owned
the park until 1939, when it was
transferred to the U.S. Forest
Service (Benson Park was trans-
ferred to the state of Oregon).
And so it has been ever since.
Dr. Fuhrman: For young, healthy looking skin look to your diet
The skin is the largest or-
gan of the human body and a
barrier that protects us from
microbial pathogens and
other damaging elements.
The health of our skin is a re-
fl ection of our overall health,
and the skin’s resilience to
sun exposure and outward
appearance can be enhanced
with high-nutrient foods.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the
U.S., affecting one out of every fi ve Americans.1
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun promotes skin
aging and cancer via oxidative stress, infl amma-
tion, and damage to DNA. Ultraviolet (UV) expo-
sure also leads to alteration of the skin’s structural
proteins, causing sagging and wrinkling. Taking
proactive measures such as using a safe mineral
sunscreen and limiting mid-day sun exposure are
crucial to protecting your skin from the sun’s UV
rays. Phytochemicals from natural foods can pro-
vide an extra source of protection, by enhancing
the body’s natural defenses to help prevent sun
damage and slow the aging of the skin.
Carotenoids are one class of phytochemicals
that offer photoprotection. After we consume ca-
rotenoid-rich foods, carotenoids accumulate in the
skin, where they oppose UV-induced oxidative
stress. Individual carotenoids, mixed carotenoids,
and carotenoid-rich whole foods have been shown
to have photo-protective qualities that prevent or
repair DNA damage to the skin
caused by the sun.2,3 For exam-
ple, lycopene, found in tomatoes
and pink fruits such as watermel-
on, grapefruit, and papaya, helps
to protect the skin from sun dam-
age.4 Similar results have been
found for lutein and zeaxanthin,
found in leafy greens, and be-
ta-carotene, found in yellow and
orange vegetables.2,5
In addition to carotenoids, an-
other class of antioxidant nutri-
ents—polyphenols—may have
Administration
photoprotective actions. There
James Rand, Regional Publisher
are hundreds of polyphenols, and
Gary Manly, General Manager ................................................. Ext. 207
they are present in most whole
gmanly@cgsentinel.com
plant foods.6 Polyphenols from
Aaron Ames, Marketing Specialist ........................................... Ext. 216
cocoa and green tea, for example,
aames@cgsentinel.com
have been shown to counteract
Tammy Sayre, Marketing Specialist ......................................... Ext. 213
UV-induced skin damage in hu-
tsayre@cgsentinel.com
man studies.7,8
C ottage G rove
S entinel
(541) 942-3325
Wrinkles and other signs of skin aging are re-
lated to chronological age but also strongly infl u-
enced by UV rays. It is estimated that 80 percent
of the visible aging in the face is due to sun ex-
posure.9 The phytochemical-rich foods that offer
sun protection also offer some protection against
wrinkles. In one study of older adults, higher in-
takes of vegetables and legumes and lower intake
of dairy and sugar were associated with less vis-
ible sun damage.10 Another study assessed skin
aging in middle-aged American women, and
found that higher dietary vitamin C intake was
associated with fewer wrinkles.11 In a study of
Japanese women that related dietary variables to
“crow’s feet” wrinkling, higher intake of green
and yellow vegetables was associated with few-
er wrinkles.12 In studies on green tea and cocoa
polyphenols, in addition to UV protection, these
interventions improved appearance factors such
as elasticity, hydration, and softness.7,8
Structural proteins in the connective tissue of
the skin are also affected by diet. There is evi-
dence that beta-carotene reduces the levels of
one such protein that promotes skin wrinkling.13
Also, tomato paste supplementation was found
to reduce the activity of an enzyme known to de-
grade structural proteins in the skin, presumably
slowing skin aging.4
In spite of the well-known damaging effects of
the sun on our skin, many of us still perceive a
suntan as healthy-looking. Food-derived carot-
enoids can also affect our skin coloration, and
research has shown that carotenoid-colored skin
is perceived as healthier and more attractive.
In the wild, carotenoids are responsible for the
bright feather colors of male birds, which make
them more attractive to potential mates.14 There
is a much more subtle, but similar phenomenon in
humans. An increase in carotenoid-produced skin
coloration was consistently found to be perceived
as healthier in people of Caucasian, African, and
Asian descent.15 One interesting study found that
people preferred the skin color caused by eating
carotenoids over the skin color from a suntan.16
Another study investigated skin carotenoid color-
ation changes in response to increased fruit and
vegetable consumption. They found that photos
of individuals a few weeks after increasing fruit
and vegetable intake by three serving per day re-
ceived higher ratings of health and attractiveness
than “before” photos.17 Furthermore, the im-
provement in appearance has been shown to be a
motivating factor for increasing fruit and vegeta-
ble consumption.18
Each time the skin is exposed to the sun, some
carotenoids are “used up” for their antioxidant
activity, so they must be constantly replenished
by the diet to maintain the protective effects
(smoking and alcohol also deplete carotenoids
from skin).2,19 Consistently consuming antioxi-
dant-rich plant foods will build up the stores of
these protective phytochemicals in the skin. You
can even quantify your skin carotenoid levels us-
ing a specialized scanner to confi rm the accumu-
lation of dietary carotenoids in your skin.20,21 I
use one of these scanners in my medical practice
to confi rm and motivate patients to eat a Nutrtar-
ian diet, rich in these colorful phytochemicals. A
nutrient-dense, plant rich (NDPR or Nutritarian)
diet is designed to be rich in antioxidant phyto-
chemicals and promotes health inside and out,
protecting against chronic disease, heart disease
and cancer, while at the same time protecting the
skin from sun damage while giving a natural,
healthy-looking glow.
Editorial
Caitlyn May, Editor. ................................................................. Ext. 212
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Zach Silva, Sport Editor ............................................................ Ext. 204
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
Customer Service
Carla Williams, Offi ce Manager .............................................. Ext. 200
Legals, Classifi eds .......................................... Ext. 200
cwilliams@cgsentinel.com
Production
Ron Annis, Production Supervisor ............................................. Ext.215
graphics@cgsentinel.com
(USP 133880)
Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties:
Ten Weeks..............................................................................................$9.10
One year ............................................................................................. $36.15
e-Edition year ...................................................................................... $36.00
Rates in all other areas of United States: Ten Weeks $11.70; one year, $46.35, e-Edition $43.00.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
My kudos to the Sentinel and BMD Com-
mittee. As has been pointed out, I have
been reader of small town newspapers since
a child. I subscribe today to 3 papers, the
RG, Sentinel, and Chronicle.
In my opinion, the Sentinel is doing a
great of covering subjects in the communi-
ty, and I applaud Caitlyn and Zack for the
effort they are putting in
to a small town
newspaper – good job!
My thanks to the BMD committee for
giving me opportunity to be Grand Marshall
in the BMD parade. That was certainly un-
expected, .
As the readers know, I am very support-
ive of volunteerism in the community. We
are so lucky, as a nation, to have grown up
with a way of life that included volunteers.
Many years ago, at age 22, I was go-
ing to a United Way meeting in Everett. A
circuit court judge I had seen in meetings
before – I made a remark to him – I valued
his volunteer time in the community. His
remark was -- Volunteers can do the work
more effi ciently and without tax-payers,
than government can do it through red tape.
If the job is necessary, it will be done, one
way or the other. Volunteers do it cheaper.
In 1998-1999, when Rotary established
clubs in the old Soviet Union, the surprise
we all had is – Russian people had no con-
cept of volunteerism in a community or city.
They had been raised with government con-
trol on everything.
Don Williams
Cottage Grove
Letters to the Editor policy
In foreign countries, postage extra.
No subscription for less than Ten Weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30 days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid
prior to beginning the subscription and are non-refundable.
Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
Local Mail Service:
If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication, please let us know.
Call 942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Advertising Ownership:
All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and
may not be reproduced for any other use without explicit written prior approval.
Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2017 Cottage Grove Sentinel.
The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be
printed, letters must be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must
include an address, city and phone number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters
will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local readers. Personal attacks and name calling in response to
letters are uncalled for and unnecessary. If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must
be no longer than 600 words. To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news
content be sent electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but
we may need to call to verify spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.