ers, Humphrey and Hugh, the latter of which became the first mayor of the city in 1851, a notice of whom will appear with that of the other mayors; and about the same time with O'Bryant, came in J. L. Morrison, a Scotchman, a contractor and builder, who built the first frame house on Morrison street, thus giving his name to the street. L. B. Hastings and family came across the plains in 1847, and stopped a while in Portland. He is remembered as an active, pushing business man, and stayed with the fortunes of the town for four years. But imagining he could see a larger city at the entrance to Puget Sound, joined with Pettygrove in building a schooner, and loading it up with all their worldly belongings. Pettygrove sold out his interests in Portland, and the whole party sailed away in 1851, for Puget Sound, where they founded the city of Port Townsend, and where they spent the remainder of their lives and strength in building up a city to eclipse Portland. Port Townsend has about two thousand population today, and Portland has one hundred and twenty-five times as many. And now Portland got its first politician and statesman in Colonel William King, landing on the river front in 1848. Colonel King was an unusual man. He would have been a man of mark in any community. He was needed by the new city, and he made his presence felt from his very first day in town. Nobody seemed to know from what corner of the earth King came, and he took no pains to enlighten them. But he was a valuable addition to the city, as he was familiar with all sorts of scheming, and by that early day the new town had to look out for its interests at every session of the legislature; and King was always on hand to see that there was a square deal with possibly something over for Portland. If King's advice had been followed there would have been no question as to the ownership by the city of Portland of its water front east of Front street in the original townsite. King made enemies as well as friends. His positive disposition and his love of fair play did not always tally with predisposed politics. It is remembered that at the time Governor Curry had selected officials for the militia without respect to party affiliations, a petition was gotten up by some democrats to have the whigs (republicans) removed or their appointments cancelled. was presented to King to sign, he read it over carefully, then as if not understanding it, read it a second time, and then vehemently tore the document to pieces, and proceeded to denounce the authors in words more forcible than polite: "That such men would rather see women and children slaughtered by the Indians than to have a good man of the opposite party hold an honorable position in the militia." As great nations have been dependent on the sea, not only for their prosperity, but also their very existence-England for example-so it was with Portland, in the years of 1845 to 1851. And now the story turns from the land builders of the town to the hardy sea rovers working to the same end. And in this good work the name of Captain John H. Couch stands at the top of the list. The first appearance of Captain Couch in Oregon waters, was in 1840, when he came out here from Newburyport, Massachusetts,-in command of the ship. Maryland to establish a salmon fishery on the Columbia. The ship belonged to the wealthy firm of the Cushings of Newburyport, who had been induced to some extent by letters from Jason Lee to make this venture. The fishery was not successful, for there were no fishermen but the Indians, and they were not reliable in serving the Americans. And so Couch sold the vessel at the Sandwich Islands and returned to Newburyport, leaving in Oregon, George W. Le Breton, an active and pushing young man, who made his mark in helping organize the Provisional Government. Having learned from this voyage, the conditions and requirements of trade in Oregon, Couch returned in 1842 with a stock of goods in a new brig-The Chenamus-named for the Chinook Indian chief who had lived opposite Astoria; and leaving this stock at Oregon City with one Albert E. Wilson, and who also came out in the Chenamus, and Le Breton, Couch engaged his vessel in the trade to the Sandwich Islands, the whole business being under the name and auspices of Cushing & Company, of Newburyport. Couch continued to manage this business until 1847, when he returned home to Newburyport by the way of China. In the following year he engaged with a company of New York merchants to bring a cargo of goods to Oregon on the bark Madonna, Captain George H. Flanders coming out with the Madonna as first officer, and took command of the Madonna on reaching Oregon, while Couch took charge of the cargo, which was stored and sold at the new town of Portland on the Willamette. The two captains went into business together, and remained in Portland for the rest of their lives. And thus were two of the best men located in Portland that ever lived in the state. Portland got the benefit of all this shipping by Captain Couch. He early saw and fully appreciated the advantages of the location for the foundation of a seaport and commercial city, and took advantage of his opportunities to locate a land claim at what has long been the north end of the city. And considering what Captain Couch did directly for the town, by making it the home port of his ships for several years, and also what he did indirectly by influencing other vessels to tie up at Portland, he probably exerted more influence to give Portland a start than all other persons combined. Next after Couch, in giving Portland a start, came Captain Nathaniel Crosby, who founded the town of Milton, near the mouth of the Willamette slough. Crosby brought the bark Toulon into the river in 1845, and unloaded his vessel on the river bank at the foot of Washington street, and from there transported his goods up to Oregon City by smaller craft. Captain Crosby made numerous trips, and finally anchored in Portland and in 1847 erected the first palatial residence in the new city-the old story and a half house with the dormer windows which stood for so many years on the east side of Fourth street, between Yamhill and Taylor, having been removed to that site from its original location at the southwest corner of First and Washington streets. To accommodate the increasing traffic of his shipping, Crosby erected a small storehouse on the city front, probably on the open strip east of Front street, but most of his merchandise was sent up to Oregon City, which continued to be the commercial center of the whole country. Besides Couch and Crosby, there were other traders with ships entering the river. In 1847 Captain Roland Gelston, of New York, brought in the bark Whiton loaded with merchandise, and Captain Kilbourn came in with the brig Henry also loaded with merchandise, and tied up at the east side opposite Portland, and seriously threatened to start a rival city over there. There was plenty |