Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/695

Rh torical Society. The Pioneer Association took definite shape in the year 1873, and thereafter the address delivered at the annually recurring meetings of the association formed the ground work from which the historical society and its literature proceeded.

The Historical Quarterly has already accomplished a great work in securing and preserving the original facts and old records of the history of the northwest, as well as the history of Oregon. Ten volumes of the work has already been issued, making the most interesting and instructive reading that any person interested in this country can obtain. Prof. F. G. Young, professor of history in the State University is also secretary of the Historical Society and editor of the Historical Quarterly, and has rendered most efficient and invaluable service to the state, and especially to the rising generation, in his management of this very important branch of popular education.

And in this connection the services of {{author:George Henry Himes|Mr. Geo. H. Himes]], the assistant secretary of the Historical Society, and the secretary of the Pioneer Association for twenty-five years, cannot be overlooked. It is no more than justice to say that Mr. Himes has not only done more than any other one person, but he has done more than all other persons (leaving out the work of Mrs. Victor) to gather up and preserve the history of Oregon. He was an accumulator of historical facts, a gleaner of material, long before any other persons thought of, or at least before they took action to preserve the history of Oregon, for the use of the state. And upon Mr. Himes' work was prepared the history of the Willamette valley, published in 1885 and edited by H. O. Lang.

H. H. Bancroft of San Francisco copyrighted his history of Oregon in 1884. But Bancroft is not entitled to the slightest credit for it. Mrs. F. F. Victor had been gathering up material for a history of Oregon long before Bancroft conceived the idea of his series of histories of the Pacific coast. But when he found Mrs. Victor had this material, he offered her employment on his works, on condition that she turn over her material to him; with the hint, that if she did not do so, he would forestall her proposed history of Oregon with one of his own. And being a poor woman, she was forced to give up her brains and literary property to the selfish demands of a wealthy publisher.

{{c|THE PACIFIC MONTHLY.}}

Many efforts to establish a monthly magazine on the Pacific coast have been made, and no small amount of capital lost in such ventures. The "Overland" monthly of San Francisco was the most protracted effort in that line, but when the day of profuse and expensive illustration came in, the Overland fell behind. The two leading monthlies on the coast now published are the Pacific Monthly of Portland, Oregon, and the "Sunset Magazine" of San Francisco. "The Sunset" has the advantage of unlimited capital if necessary, furnished by its owner, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company ; while the Portland monthly has won whatever of success it has achieved by dint of the energy, push, and talents of its founders and owners.

The founding of the Pacific Monthly was a work of evolution, commencing in a limited way, and gradually growing up on the labors of love of the founders. The first work in this direction commenced in July, 1897, and took the shape of an announcement through the press, and by means of a circular letter to the public from the promoters, that a periodical would be issued at an early date "which should be the literary expression of the Pacific northwest." The name of the proposed monthly was to be "Drift," the first number of which was to be issued September 1, 1897, and the following persons to be the interested sponsors therefor: C. E. S. Wood, John Gill, B. B. Beekman, Luella Clay Carson, Frances Gotshall and Lischen M. Miller.

But for various reasons the publication of "Drift" was deferred until the next year; and in the meantime Mrs. Miller and Miss Catherine Cogswell (now