Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/543

 comprehended the great future of the place. He had considerable experience as a merchant and business man, and had traveled much, not only in the United States, but also in Europe; and not only appreciated the advantages of the position, but possessed the confidence and enthusiasm so necessary to succeed with a new enterprise. Born in Kentucky, moved to Indiana, from Indiana to Georgia, traveled in Europe, then to Oregon, he gave all his thoughts, time and energy to every possible plan to build up the new town. He sold lots at nominal prices, or gave them away to secure improvements. He did not get very far along until he felt the need of assistance, and soon found the right man in the person of Stephen Coffin, then living at Oregon City, to whom he sold a half interest in the townsite. Coffin was a man of great push and energy, and quite as much of an optimist as Lownsdale. The two men made a team that settled the future of Portland. But they did not get very far into the depths of the speculation until they ran up against so many legal snags and obstructions that they felt the need of a legal adviser. And' for that man, the man who fully believed in Portland, and most heartily and harmoniously worked with and approved the efforts of Lownsdale and Coffin, was William W. Chapman; and to Chapman, Lownsdale and Coffin united in selling and conveying an undivided onethird interest. So far as the town on the east side of the river is concerned, the water front and lands back of it for a mile were covered by the claims of James B. Stephens and Jacob Wheeler. But neither of these men ever contributed anything whatever to the success of locating or building a city at this point. Lownsdale, Coffin and Chapman soon put their affairs in shape for aggressive and continuous work for the town by organizing a townsite company, of which Coffin was president and Chapman was secretary, and thus making Portland the strongest and most active townsite interest on the Pacific coast north, of San Francisco. Lot Whitcomb, as the representative and principal owner of the Milwaukie townsite, had been giving the Portlanders a hot fight for supremacy. In this he was ably supported by Captain Joseph Kellogg, the father of all the Kelloggs and the man who brought across the plains in 1848 the charter of the first Masonic Lodge on the Pacific coast—orginally Multnomah Lodge No. 84, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, now Multnomah Lodge No. 1, Oregon City. With their saw mill and little schooner, they were earning money in making and carrying lumber down to San Francisco. And just when the race appeared to be about even between the two rival cities, Whitcomb got hold of a steam engine at San Francisco, brought it up here, and with the aid of Jacob Kamm, built and equipped a steamboat, launching her on Christmas day, 1850. Whitcomb soon had her going, a first-class, commodious boat for those days, and put her on the route between Milkaukie and Astoria, twenty dollars for the down trip and twenty-two dollars for the return trip, with meals additional, steaming past Portland without stopping or either saluting with a blast from the steam whistle.

At the same time that Whitcomb and Kellogg were waging their active opposition to Portland, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, which had at first made Astoria the end of their trip, suddenly abandoned Astoria, and came up and purchased a large interest at St. Helens, and erected a wharf and warehouse there, and made St. Helens the Oregon terminus of their San Francisco steamship voyage. Whitcomb and Kellogg at once united in this arrangement, and as it was a shorter run for their steamboat, it could be and was used effect-