Oregonian's Handbook to the Pacific Northwest, c. 1894

     Oregon City, Oregon.-Oregon City, the seat of justice of Clackamas county, and one of the most important manufacturing centers west of the Rocky Mountains, is situated 12 miles south of Portland, in the beautiful and fertile valley of the Willamette river. The historical traditions and legendary lore concerning Oregon City, and its picturesque location at the mighty falls of the Willamette, make it one of the most interesting spots in the Pacific Northwest. It is visited annually by thousands of tourists, and it is one of the most promising fields for the profitable investment of capital in the Northwest.
     Long before the first intrepid pioneers journeyed across the plains to seek homes in Oregon a little settlement had sprung up at the Willamette falls. In 1829, Dr. John McLoughlin, the chief factor of Hudson's Bay Company west of Rocky Mountains, appropriated a tract of land where Oregon City now stands. He possessed absolute power over a vast domain, but his inherent sense of justice and sterling integrity won for him the friendship of the early pioneers. The first American immigration to the Willamette valley arrived in Oregon City in 1842. One of the number, S.W. Moss, was engaged by Dr. McLoughlin to plat the townsite. This work was accomplished with the aid of a rope and a pocket compass. For some years Oregon City was the capital of the territory. The territorial legislature met in a primitive state house of split logs, with slab seats for the members.
     Events were constantly occurring that kept the village here in a ferment of excitement. At short intervals the Indians of the territory commenced hostilities against the invading whites. The armies that were sent to chastise the savages were raised at Oregon City. It was in this city that the first Protestant church on the Pacific slope of either of the Americans was built, in 1843. This quaint old Methodist church and its parsonage are still standing in the business center of the city, their moss covered and weather worn roofs being shadowed by the first apple tree planted in Oregon.
     The present importance and prosperity of Oregon City, and its future development, depend largely upon the utilization of one of the greatest water powers in the United States.
     It is at this point that the navigable Willamette river after flowing through a beautiful valley famous for the fertility of its soil and its great natural resources, pours its great volume of water over a ledge of basaltic rock, making a vertical drop 42 feet. This is the greatest water power in the world at tide water, and the greatest constant and entirely available one in the United States. It is estimated by hydraulic engineers that at the lowest stage of the water in the dry season, the power of the Willamette river at the falls is from 60,000 to 80,000 horse power. It is now impossible to accurately measure the power exerted. It is believed, however, that when the improvements now being made are completed the falls will have an available force of 100,000 horse power at extreme low water. The magnitude of the falls can be appreciated when it is known that the whole body of a great navigable river flows over a solid rock dam here having a natural spillway of 3,000 feet. Nearly all this immense force can be utilized. On both sides of the river below the falls are solid rock formations suitable in every respect as sites for large and substantial manufacturing plants. There is ample room here for mills and stations to use the entire available force.
     On the east side of the river are the extensive plants of The Imperial Flouring Mills, the Oregon City Manufacturing Co., Smith & Lovett's ice plant and the station of the Portland General Electric Company. Extending below the fall son this side is a basin 600 feet length, its entire length furnishing admirable sites for mills and factories. On the opposite side of the stream, at the end of the circular rock dam, are the works of the Willamette Paper and Pulp Company, the Crown Paper Company and the new 12,000 horse-power station of the Portland General Electric Company. These plants face on the canal leading to the locks through which the falls are overcome to navigation. The Portland General Electric Company own the entire water power and a large tract of land adjacent, and have planned improvements to cost $2,000,000. One-half of this sum is now being expended. The Company also own the locks and canal and charge a small toll for freight and passengers carried through by boats. An important improvement made by this company was the widening of the canal from 40 to 120 feet, and the replacing of the old wooden wall of the canal by a solid wall of masonry four feet wide at the top with a batter of one to five, and 34 feet high in places. This greatly increases the volume of water carried in the canal, facilitating both navigation and manufacturing, and allowing the largest river craft to pass each other in opposite directions.
     At the edge of this canal the company is now building a monster electric-power station, which will be the greatest station in the world fro the generation and transmission of electricity by water power. This station will start with a maximum capacity of 6,000 horse power, which will be shortly afterward increased to 12,000. Nearly all of this power will be transmitted to Portland, where it will utilized for almost every purpose requiring motive force. The cost per horse power of electric power is much less than that of steam, and its cheapness is a most important factor in the economical running of all kinds of machinery.
     As Portland grows and develops, so will Oregon City. Their interests are identical. Portland is the great distributing and jobbing center of the Pacific Northwest. The output of the mills and factories of Oregon City is carried to Portland and from there it is shipped to the retailers and jobbers throughout the country. This trade and output will in the future show the same ration of increase as the population of the Pacific Northwest. There are today a great many articles consumed in this section which come from the East. It is but a question for a year or two when much of this still will be manufactured at Oregon City, at a cost less than it can be produced for in the East. An advantage the power here has over theirs is that the river is navigable directly up the spillway of the falls, thus allowing steamboats and barges to deliver and receive material and products directly from the factories and mills.
     Since the first crude attempt to utilize motive power in manufacturing, water power has remained the cheapest and most serviceable force employed. When a water power of great volume is situated in close proximity to a metropolitan center of population, and in the midst of a country rich in raw materials, it is but a question of time when its entire available force will be utilized for manufacturing purposes. This is illustrated at St. Anthony falls, Minneapolis, where the entire available force of 20,000 horse power is used in the operation of flouring and saw mills. There are at the Willamette falls no rapids or dangerous currents, and no conditions that ever interfere with the stead application of the power. In the winter there is no floating ice, freezing or anchor ice. Since the first utilization of the power in 1865, nothing has occurred to stop the running of the woolen mills established in that year.
     Oregon City, its factories and mills, have unexcelled rail and water transportation facilities. The city is a station on the Southern Pacific railroad. A line of steamboats is operated from this point to Portland and won the Willamette Valley a distance of 100 miles. the close proximity of Oregon City to Portland practically gives it all the transportation facilities possessed by that city. Thus it has the advantages accruing from three transcontinental railroads and the large fleet of steamers and sailing craft that ply between Portland and the ports of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Doubtless no other city of this size has the street car facilities possessed by Oregon City.  The East Side Railway Company operates a line from the south end of Main street, the principal business thoroughfare, to Portland. Cars run on this line every hour. A branch line owned by the company runs to Gladstone, Oregon's City's most attractive suburb. This beautiful tract of land is picturesquely situated on the banks of the Clackamas river, about a mile distant from the business center of the city. It covers an area of 60 acres and was platted by its owner, Mrs. S.M. McCown. It is dotted with neat cottages, and lies on the west side of the electric line.
     The Willamette Railway Company have recently built an electric line from the west end of the suspension bridge, at Oregon City, south to the new manufacturing town of Willamette Falls, situated at the confluence of the Tualatin and Willamette Rivers, a distance of three miles from Oregon City. The site of this new suburb is an admirable one, both for factories and residences. A project is now underway to build a belt line from Main street to the highlands and residence district. It is also believed that the Portland General Electric Company will eventually extend the line of the Willamette Railway Company, which they control, to Portland.
     Oregon City is built on both sides of the Willamette river and is connected by a free suspension bridge. The business district of the city lies on the east bank of the river, back of which is a moss-covered perpendicular bluff of basaltic rock, from the summit of which a broad plateau stretches back inland. It is on this plateau that the residence district is located. In this part of the city are broad macadamized streets, lighted by electricity, and many elegant residences, surrounded by tastily arranged lawns. Nearly every house is surrounded by fruit trees, and in the summer months by a bewildering profusion of flowers.   
     On the brow of the bluff is the imposing mansion of P.F. Morey, the president of the electric company. From this bluff there is a beautiful view of diversified landscape scenery.
     North of the city, the Clackamas river is seen, tortuously winding in and out of orchards and grain meadows until it is finally lost in the mighty Willamette. Immediately below is the business district throbbing with life and activity. Beyond it the river falls 42 feet into a basin 160 feet deep and sends its rainbow tinted spray 100 feet into the air. Below the falls, on both sides of the river, are great mills turning out millions of dollars worth of products annually. These mammoth concerns and the other industrial plants, including an excelsior factory, a brick yard, two sash and door factories and iron works, are industries, which with its exceptional natural advantages, and its favorable location, have resulted in Oregon City attracting a population of 5,300. Unlike the citizens of many other cities, the people of Oregon City act as a unit in everything tending to promote its welfare. This public spirit is evidenced by the many substantial improvements that have been made in the city. In the past year Main street was improved with vitrified brick at a cost of $40,000. Along this street are many substantial blocks, including the building occupied by the Commercial Bank and the Bank of Oregon City. The Commercial Bank is conducted by Messrs. C.D. and D.C. Latourette. The Bank of Oregon City is successfully run by Messrs. Chas. and Ed. Caufield. Both of these financial institutions are conservatively managed and they are on the strongest of financial footings.
     Occupying a commanding site, near the head of the street, is the Clackamas County court house, a substantial stone edifice , situated in the center of a grassy square. The city has an admirable public school system. The High School, costing $14,000, is a handsome frame structure, as is also the Seventh-street school which cost $10,000. Within a radius on one miles from the court house there are seven schools, four of which are within the city limits. There are 27 teachers employed in these, and total valuation of the school property is about $65,000. There are also here a Catholic parochial school and a free kindergarten. Of churches, Oregon City has 12. The city is thoroughly lighted by electricity generated in the 3,000 horse-power plant of the Portland General Electric Company. This electricity is also used in operating the East Side railway, as far as Milwaukie, and in lighting the city of Portland. Among the other features of Oregon City is a splendid waterworks system, the pumping station of which is the largest in the state outside of Portland. In the business section is a sewerage system costing $11,600, and in the residence district a separate system is now being built which will cost about $10,000. The city has a two story brick jail, built on hygienic and humanitarian principals, at the cost of $7,000. The fire department, an excellent and well -disciplined organization, has three hose carriages and one hook and ladder truck.
      All business of quasi-public nature relating to Oregon City is transacted through the Board of Trade. Much of the prosperity and the improvements of the city are due to his organization. It includes in its membership nearly all the representative men of the city. Any information about Oregon City and vicinity will be cheerfully furnished upon application to any officer or member of the Board. The officers are George C. Brownell, president; F.B. Donaldson, secretary; F.T.L. Charman, treasurer. Mr. Brownell, the president of the board, is one of the most prominent members of the Oregon bar. He was born, in 1858, in Essex County, New York. He was admitted to the bar in his native state, and subsequently practiced law in Kansas. In 1890 he removed to Oregon City, where he at once prominently identified with every public movement.
    The pioneer manufacturing enterprise of the falls is the woolen mill of the Oregon City Manufacturing Company. The mill was established in 1865, and it is now a 14-set mill, and the largest west of Ohio. It consumes annually over 1,000,000 pounds of wool, and pays to its operators $100,000 a year. The output of the mill consists of blankets, cashmeres, flannels, tweeds, woolen underwear and hose, which is largely shipped to the east. The company also operates a soap factory which turns out 100,000 pounds per month. On the edge of the canal on the opposite side of the river from the woolen mills, is the extensive plant of the Willamette Pulp & Paper Company, a corporation with a capital of $600,000. This concern leases 2,600 horse power, and has a daily capacity of 20 tons of pulp in one mill by mechanical process and 10 tons in sulphite mill by chemical process. In addition to this is a mammoth paper mill capable of turning out 20 tons of all kinds of paper. The requirements of this company alone, for the making of pulp and paper, outside of its water power, are some 60,000,000 gallons of water per day, or fully five times the quantity consumed by the city of Portland. Adjoining this plant is the Crown Paper Company's mill, erected at a cost of about $200,000. They have a daily capacity of seven tons of wrapping paper of the various grades, and in addition a large output of straw and binders' board. Among the other industrial plants here are the two large mills and mammoth elevator of the Portland Flouring Company. The mills have a daily capacity of 900 bushels, and in the elevator a storage capacity of 200,000 bushels. The output of these mills is a staple article of commerce to the Orient and at Liverpool.
     Another enterprise here of considerable magnitude is the large artificial ice plant owned by Messrs. Smith & Lovett. This is one of the most perfectly equipped ice plants in the country, and owing to the cheapness of motive power it can manufacture ice at almost what the fuel costs when steam is used. The plant cost over $50,000, and has a daily capacity of 50 tons. The ice is made in cakes 10 feet long, 3 feet wide and 10 inches thick, which weigh from 1,300 to 1,800 pounds, and which are nearly transparent. This ice is consumed in Portland, where it is in great demand.
     THE PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY was organized August 5th, 1892, with a capitalization of $4,250,000 this corporation being a consolidation of the Willamette Falls Electric Company and the Willamette Transportation & Locks Company. At the time of organization it acquired all the property formerly owned by the two last-named companies. This property consisted of all the electric lighting plants in Portland and Oregon City, the locks of the Willamette river, which were built at a cost of about $600,000; 2,000 acres of land, having a water frontage of four miles, above and below the falls, at Oregon City, and covering all available building sites for manufacturing institutions, and many other valuable assets.
     The officers of the company are: P.F. Morey, president; H.M. Byllesby, first vice president; F.V. Holman, second vice-president; Bank of British Columbia, treasurer; Charles H. Caufield, secretary; H.C. Levis, assistant secretary; H.W. Goode, general manager. Board of Directors: P.F. Morey, president; H. Failing, president First National Bank, Portland; F. Dekum, president Commercial National and Portland Savings Banks, Portland; T. Woodward, president United States national bank, Portland; C.A. Coffin, president General Electric Co.; H.M. Byllesby, president Northwest General Electric Co.; F.V. Holman, counselor-at-law; S. Farrell, commission merchant; W.K. Smith, capitalist; H.W. Goode, general manager; C.H. Caufield, manager Bank of Oregon City.
     The company is making large improvements on its property both at Oregon City and Portland, the principal feature of which is the construction of a new 12,000 horse-power electric station on the west bank of the river at the falls. The head works and ground work  of station walls, and flumes for 12,000 horse-power, will be installed at once, with water wheels for 6,000 horse-power, and 3,000 horse-power of electrical machinery. The balance of the water wheels and electrical machinery can be added from time to time, as additional capacity is required. The building will be constructed of concrete and iron, and be absolutely fire proof. It is expected that this new plant will be in operation early in the year 1894. The wheels in this station will be Victor turbines, of a vertical type, of 600 horse power capacity each, and on top of each shaft will be coupled direct the armature of a 600 horse-power electric generator. As soon as the new plant is completed, it is the intention of the company to extend its lighting business, and to also furnish electric for stationary and railway purposes.
     The present plant of the company, located on the east bank of the river at the falls, has been in operation since the year 1890. This plant, called Station A, has a capacity of 3,000 horse power in water wheels and electrical machinery, and its entire capacity is taken up in commercial and city lighting at Portland and Oregon City.    
     To transmit the electricity between stations at the falls and Portland, a distance of 13 miles, overhead conductors are used and high tension currents. The loss in transmission on the arc circuits is about 10 per cent, and on the incandescent circuits about 20 per cent. It is expected, however, that from the new station the loss on incandescent circuits will not exceed 10 per sent between Oregon City and Portland.
     The company at present leases about 4,000 horse-power of direct water power to mills and factories, located on both banks of the river, at Oregon City, and is prepared to offer strong inducements to any first-class manufacturing concern desiring a location.

©Shauna Williams