2132

Portland,OR - Multnomah County - 1854 - Adams & Co. Express and Banking Office, Second of Exchange :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Banks, Registers & Vending Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 800.00 USD
Portland,OR - Multnomah County - 1854 - Adams & Co. Express and Banking Office, Second of Exchange :
Adams & Co. Express and Banking Office Second of Exchange. Datelined San Francisco, lined out and "Portland, Oregon" hand-written above it. Dated November 21, 1854. No. 1031, payable "at sight" ("days after" is lined out) to Ephraim Pope for $500.00. Vertical signature of "Justin (illegible), Agt," written across center of note. Signed by Adams & Co., the certificate has no destination line, but Boston is hand-written at the lower left. Vignettes include miners with sluice box at top center, three allegorical women at center left, and the Seal of California at bottom center. Printers: Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co., New York & Philadelphia. In 1843 William Overton, a drifter from Tennessee, and Boston lawyer Asa Lovejoy were canoeing down the Willamette River when they arrived at the area that is now Portland. They began to establish a settlement, but Overton moved on, selling his half of the share to Francis Pettygrove. Portland was named following a coin toss between Lovejoy and Pettygrove in 1845. Lovejoy was from Massachusetts and wanted to use the name Boston, while Pettygrove was from Maine and wanted to name the area Portland. Pettygrove won the best of three toss, and Portland was born! The first Post Office opened in 1849, and by 1850 Portland's population had reached 800, including a log-cabin hotel and a newspaper called the Weekly Oregonian. After Congress passed the Oregon Land Act, every man or woman was entitled to 320 acres. It was incorporated in 1851, and became the second largest city in the Northwest. The regional economy was based on fishing, timber, wheat, and cattle. It also became a major transportation center because of its proximity to railroads and rivers [pdxhistory.com]. Printed on blue paper with several light vertical and horizontal foldlines, otherwise very fine. A rare piece from the Portland office of Adams & Co. Type III, Variety IB.