Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/889



CHAPTER XXXI.

1850 — 1910.

The Social Life — Economics, Prices, and IV ages — Economics, Morals and Politics — The Political and Economic Drift — The Lesson of It All.

Having traced the development of a great city from its initial log cabin, and its hesitating first settlers, down to the period when it is carried along by a vigorous confident population of over two hundred thousand souls; when its business houses are towering to the height of fifteen stories of steel and porce- lain brick ; when its railroads are spreading in every direction ; and its ships and merchandise are carried on every sea; when its banks, manufactories, and mer- chants are prospering beyond the dreams of avarice ; and its organs of public opinion circulate far and near, let us see what effect this material prosperity has had upon the life of those who have wrought the work, or been carried along on the wave.

Notwithstanding the simple sturdy life of the pioneers, they had and en- joyed the relaxation of social pleasures. And although their pleasures were wholly unlike what is seen in surfeit on every hand in Portland in 1910, their daily lives were influenced by what they had, just as the wild riot of dissipation called pleasure is influencing the lives of the people, especially the young, to- day. If anybody thinks that hard work, plain food, and scanty clothing made the pioneers blue and misanthropic, they are greatly mistaken. From the time Fred Bickel (still with us) hung his "dress coat" — the only one in town — on the bushes for an airing, and ten minutes later looked out of his bachelor's quarters in an upper room to see a noble red man of the forest striding down Stark street with the coat on his back, to the infinite glee of all the town — down to the time when Tom Mountain, (also still with us) mixed up all the babies, changed their clothing around while in his charge on the grand excursion of the Jennie Clark, while the mothers were enjoying the dance, so that the said mothers did not know their own children — on down to the time that William Beck donated the silk "plug hat'' he had worn at the first bridge celebration to Skookum Charley of Grande Ronde. the sturdy pioneers had their fun, pleasures and recreation in plenty ; and thereby hangs a tale.

William Beck was about the last man in Oregon that would have bought a tall hat. But the bridge celebration was to be the big event of that generation ; and Joe Buchtel and Joe Strowbridge, made a point that the celebration could not possibly come off unless the president of the Bridge Company appeared at the head of the procession dressed cap-a-pie in the best Oregon could produce — and especially with the tall hat. So like a martyr to a good cause. William Beck yielded to the clamor of the "boomers'' and got the hat and wore it across the Morrison street bridge and back again to the gun store ; and then put it on a high shelf. But annoyed with the presence, of what he felt to be his only indulgence in a vanity, he resolved to get rid of that hat. The first customer