Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/338

242 hundred and sixty wide; the upper, two hundred by one hundred and twenty, thus occupying the entire front of one block. For this work there were used sixty thousand feet of piles and timber, five hundred thousand feet of sawed plank, two thousand eight hundred perch of rock, and six hundred barrels of cement. The work was completed from plans of J. W. Brazee and supervised by John D'Orsay. The cost was fifty thousand dollars. The wharf and buildings of Couch and Flanders, in the northern part of the city, were improved, bringing their value up to forty thousand dollars. The river front was not then, as now, a continuous series of docks, and these structures made an even more striking appearance than later ones far more pretentious and valuable. In order to prevent delay and vexation in the arrival of ocean vessels, a call was made for money to deepen the channel of the lower Willamette, and was met by double the sum named. The improvements were soon undertaken with great vigor. Five thousand dollars was spent in grading and improving the public square between Third and Fourth streets on Main. With the general leveling of the irregularities of the surface of the city and the removal of stumps, more effort was made to adorn the streets and dooryards with trees and shrubbery, and to make handsome lawns. The surroundings of the city were, however, still wild, and the shattered forests blackened with fires had not yet given away to the reign of art.

The population was now five thousand eight hundred and nineteen; there were one thousand and seventy-eight frame buildings, fifteen one-story, thirty-seven two-story and seven three-story brick buildings—one thousand one hundred and thirty-seven of all kinds.

There were seven wharves in the city: Abernethy's at the foot of Yamhill street. Carter's at the foot of Alder, Knott's on Water between Taylor and Salmon, Pioneer at the foot of Washington owned by Coffin & Abrams, Vaughn's at the foot of Morrison, the O. S. N. wharf between Ash and Pine streets, and the Portland wharf of Couch & Flanders in North Portland, at the foot of C and D.

There were thirty-eight dealers in dry goods and general merchandise, thirteen grocers, ten meat markets, four dealers in produce and provisions, three drug stores, fifteen physicians, four dentists, twenty-eight attorneys, three booksellers, thirteen hotels.

The real estate agents now omnipresent and legion were represented by the single firm of Parrish & Holman. Plumbers were represented by a single name, C. H. Myers, 110 First street. Hatters had but one name, A. J. Butler at 72 Front street, while saddlers had four, J. B. Congle, 88 Front street; H. Kingsley & Reese, 100 First street; Wm. Kern, 228 Front street, and S. Sherlock & Co., 52 Front street. S. J. McCormick published the Oregon Almanac, 105 Front street; H. L. Pittock, The Oregonian, at No. 5 Washington. The Pacific Christian Advocate was published at No. 5 Washington by the Methodist church, and the Evening Tribune at 27 Washington street by Van Cleave & Ward.

There were salt depots on Front street, a soap factory operated by W. L. Higgins on Front street near Clay, and a turpentine manufactory by T. A. Wood & Co., near the same site. Carson & Porter at 208 Front street, and J. P. Walker at 230 Front street foot of Jefferson, operated sash and door factories.

The total exports of 1864 reached eight million seventy-nine thousand six hundred and thirty-one dollars; most of this was gold dust from Idaho, and the price of produce was far in excess of that at present.

During 1865 a steady forward movement was felt. Some of the streets were macadamized and some were laid with Nicholson pavement. A factory for furnishing staves, heads and hoops ready to be set up into barrels for the Sandwich Island trade was established in North Portland. The old court house on Fourth and Salmon streets, a handsome building in its day, was erected at