Fun Fact #75 Portland Firsts

 

City Wide Firsts Timeline

All Entries Much Abbreviated from A.L. Barbur entry in The Greater Portland Plan: and Municipal Facts published October 1912

 

1843 The city [of Portland] was founded by Wm. Overton was named by F.W. Pettygrove after his native town of Portland, Maine [1845].

1847 Dr. Ralph Wilcox [the first teacher and first practicting doctor in Portland] conducted the first school in a house at the foot of Taylor Street

1850 “The Oregonian’s” first issue was published December 4, as a weekly paper

1851 First Drug Store and first City Election

1853 First brick building was built by W.S. Ladd at 103 Front Street 

1857 First Sash and Door Factory

1859 First Banking House

1867 First Court House erected at Fourth and Salmon, Main and Fifth Streets 

1872 First street car track laid & first Police Force 

1873 The first large fire

1878 First Telephone

1882 First paid Fire Department

1883 Commenced construction of “Hotel Portland”

1883 September 12th, the celebration of the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad into Portland

1887 First steel bridge across the Willamette River

 

Information for our timeline compiled by A.L. Barbur the City Auditor included on pages 42-44 of Edward H. Bennett’s report The Greater Portland Plan: and Municipal Facts. And for those interested in more details here is the link to the Bennette’s book held in the Harvard Library.

I was elated and surprised that in 1912 Wm. Overton was listed by Barber rather than the coin toss Pettergrove & Lovejoy narrative that was perpetuated for decades to learn more about Overton here is a link to an article about my neighbor’s research into  that lost history.