Dave Knows Portland

December 31, 1915: Prohibition Eve in Oregon

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Morning Oregonian headline, 31 December 1915Three years before Prohibition took effect nationwide, the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed the Anderson Act, which prohibited the consumption and sale of alcohol in Oregon after December 31, 1915.

On the last day Oregonians could legally consume a beer, the Morning Oregonian employed the death penalty metaphor:

Here we are at the saloon’s last day on Oregon earth.

The gibbet is ready. The rope is rigged and tested. All the formalities of the execution are arranged.

Capital punishment has been taken off the shelf for the great occasion, and it will be a public hanging.

January 1, 1916 was a dark day in Oregon history.

Of course, prohibition was a failure – soon enterprising individuals -and organized crime- filled the void with illegal stills, rumrunning, and speakeasies.

Mercifully in 1933 the failed experiment was repealed on both the federal level and in Oregon.

In Oregon this did not, however, mark the end of government control of liquor – the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) was established that year, and continues operating today, to selectively regulate liquor production and sale throughout the state.

Cartoon on Morning Oregonian front page, 31 December 1915

December 27, 1901: French Bark Henriette Sinks in Astoria Harbor

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Morning Oregonian headline, 28 December 1901The French bark Henriette sank in Astoria’s harbor on December 27, 1901 (Morning Oregonian, 28 December 1901).

ASTORIA, Dec. 27. – The French bark Henriette, with a cargo of redwood lumber for Europe, is at the bottom of the river a short distance out from the wharves opposite Kopp’s brewery, in Uppertown. Yesterday afternoon and the night previous, the bark had dragged her anchors, and was well outside the river channel toward the shore, and a tug went to her to taker her to a safe anchorage in the lower harbor, but the tug’s service was declined. At low water last evening, shortly after 8 o’clock, the bark settled on some hard object and immediately began to leak. The tide at the time was extremely low, registering 1.9 feet below zero, one of the lowest of the year.

The pumps were manned, but the water began to make headway until 2 o’clock, this morning, when the officers and crew left her, and shortly afterwards she keeled over and sank.

Built on the Seine in 1874, the Henriette was a diminutive craft of the old school. She had been loaded with 400,000 feet of redwood lumber from California, which had been brought to Portland by steam schooner.

Within days agents for the bark called for bids to release her from the harbor. Green redwood lumber differs from fir and pine in the respect that all of it will not float, making the task of saving the cargo quite difficult (Morning Oregonian, 29 December 1901).

By March she had been raised and her cargo recovered (Morning Oregonian, 6 March 1902)

Stumptown Stories: The Missoula Flood, Evidence of Disaster (27-December-2011)

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Stumptown Stories: The Missoula Flood, Evidence of DisasterThe Stumptown Stories series, geared to everyone who loves this city we live in, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder). Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

This Tuesday, December 27, 2011 author, artist, and photographer Rick Thompson presents The Missoula Flood, Evidence of Disaster, based on his findings from 10 years of research uncovering the effects of the Missoula Flood in Oregon and Southwest Washington. With color photos, topographical maps and space photos Rick will show some of the effects still visible today.

This catastrophic ice age flood propelled over 500 cubic miles of water, ice, rock and mud across eastern Washington, further cut the Columbia River Gorge, covered the Willamette Valley with up to 400 feet of water and left gravel bars miles long and hundreds of feet high.

Doors open at 5pm for this free event (21 and over only). Presentation begins at 7:30pm.

December 26, 1897: Peter French Shot Dead

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Morning Oregonian headline, 28 December 1897
John W. “Peter” French, Cattle King of southern Oregon in the late 1800s, was shot dead by a young cowboy named Ed Oliver on December 26, 1897.

The Morning Oregonian published the following article two days after the shooting.

BAKER CITY, Or., Dec. 27. – A telephone passage to the Democrat from Canyon City says Peter French, a prominent cattlman and landowner of Harney county, was killed by a man named Oliver. It is reported that the deed was a cold-blooded murder. The victim was shot in the back of the head, the bullet coming out between the eyes. A land dispute is said to have been the couse of the trouble.

Oliver was indicted for murder, but just before the trial, which took place on May 19, 1898, the charge was reduced to manslaughter (Morning Oregonian, 7 June 1898). Sixteen witnesses were called by the state and nineteen by the defendant, who pleaded self-defense. The jury began deliberating the case at 4pm on May 28, and three hours later returned a verdict of not guilty.

Further reading:

December 25, 1850: Lot Whitcomb, First Steamboat Built on the Willamette, is Launched

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The Lot WhitcombThe first steamboat built to ply on the Willamette River, the side-wheeler Lot Whitcomb, was launched at Milwaukie on December 25, 1850 (Morning Oregonian, 25 December 1888). She was named for her principal owner, Lot Whitcomb, who was also founder of Milwaukie.

Designed along the lines of Hudson River boats, she was 160 feet long with 18 feet diameter side wheels. She operated on both the Willamette and Columbia Rivers between Milwaukie and Astoria until 1854, when she was renamed the Annie Abernethy and transferred to California to ply the Sacramento River.

Lot Whitcomb’s captain was John C. Ainsworth, and Jacob Kamm was the engineer.