Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/536

 some extent by letters from Jason Lee to make this venture. The fishery was not successful, for there were no fishermen but the Indians, and they were not reliable in serving the Americans. And so Couch sold the vessel at the Sandwich Islands and returned to Newburyport, leaving in Oregon, George W. Le Breton, an active and pushing j'oung man, who made his mark in helping organize the Provisional Government. Having learned from this voyage, the conditions and requirements of trade in Oregon, Couch returned in 1842 with a stock of goods in a new brig—The Chenamus—named for the Chinook Indian chief who had lived opposite Astoria; and leaving this stock at Oregon City with one Albert E. "Wilson, and who also came out in the Chenamus, and Le Breton, Couch engaged his vessel in the trade to the Sandwich Islands, the whole business being under the name and auspices of Cushing & Company, of Newburyport. Couch continued to manage this business until 1847, when he returned home to Newburyport by the way of China. In the following year he engaged with a company of New York merchants to bring a cargo of goods to Oregon on the bark Madonna, Captain George H. Flanders coming out with the Madonna as first officer, and took command of the Madonna on reaching Oregon, while Couch took charge of the cargo, which was stored and sold at the new town of Portland on the Willamette. The two captains went into business together, and remained in Portland for the rest of their lives. And thus were two of the best men located in Portland that ever lived in the state.

Portland got the benefit of all this shipping by Captain Couch. He early saw and fully appreciated the advantages of the location for the foundation of a seaport and commercial city, and took advantage of his opportunities to locate a land claim at what has long been the north end of the city. And considering what Captain Couch did directly for the town, by making it the home port of his ships for several years, and also what he did indirectly by influencing other vessels to tie up at Portland, he probably exerted more influence to give Portland a start than all other persons combined.

Next after Couch, in giving Portland a start, came Captain Nathaniel Crosby, who founded the towTi of Milton, near the mouth of the Willamette slough. Crosby brought the bark Toulon into the river in 1845, and unloaded his vessel on the river bank at the foot of Washington street, and from there transported his goods up to Oregon City by smaller craft. Captain Crosby made numerous trips, and finally anchored in Portland and in 1847 erected the first palatial residence in the new city—the old story and a half house with the dormer windows which stood for so many years on the east side of Fourth street, between Yamhill and Taylor, having been removed to that site from its original location at the southwest corner of First and Washington streets. To accommodate the increasing traffic of his shipping, Crosby erected a small storehouse on the city front, probably on the open strip east of Front street, but most of his merchandise was sent up to Oregon City, which continued to be the commercial center of the whole country.

Besides Couch and Crosby, there were other traders with ships entering the river. In 1847 Captain Roland Gelston, of New York, brought in the bark Whiton loaded with merchandise, and Captain Kilbourn came in with the brig Henry also loaded with merchandise, and tied up at the east side opposite Portland, and seriously threatened to start a rival city over there. There was plenty