Early Oregon Commerce: the river steamers

Early Oregon Commerce: Reproduced article includes reference to prominent early Republicans, including Republican League members, John T. & A. J. Apperson

http://www.newsregister.com/news/story_print.cfm?story_no=189108

1850-1890: Glory days of river steamers

Published in the News Register, of McMinnville, Oregon: January 12, 2005

One transportation mode we often overlook in Yamhill County is the steam-powered riverboat of about 1850 to 1890.

Reminiscent of the days of the Mississippi River sternwheelers, Oregon's riverboats provided a needed and fairly luxurious form of travel for our early pioneers.

By 1850, abundant crops were being grown in the upper Willamette Valley. But getting them to market posed a serious problem.

Roads were not good, particularly in the wet months. During the fall harvest season, when crops needed to reach Oregon City and beyond, wagons were constantly becoming mired in mud.

James D. Miller of Linn City, aware of this problem, saw a way to help — and also to make some money for himself. So he started a water transportation service on the upper Willamette and Yamhill rivers in spring 1850.

He started with a 65-foot flatboat capable of carrying 350 bushels of wheat. The boat was manned by four Indian oarsmen who received $16 a trip, taking one day downriver and two back.

Charging 50 cents a bushel to carry wheat downriver to Canemah, and $35 a ton to ferry other goods upriver on the return trip, became the foundation of a lucrative business.

Canemah was located just above the falls at Oregon City. From there, the goods could be portaged down the river easily.

During that first year, Miller made many profitable trips, running both ways with full loads.

In the summer of 1850, George A. Pease jumped into the business. The two men enjoyed racing each other up and back on the Yamhill and Willamette, each making great profits.

Unfortunately for them, the Hoosier, a crude steamboat, appeared on the scene in May of 1851. The bigger, faster, more efficient craft put Miller and Pease out of business.

The appearance of the Hoosier at Dayton and Lafayette was a great event for county residents, and they flocked to see it dock.

It was able to haul more freight cheaper and faster than the flatboats. And it was also able to transport people.

But the Hoosier's monopoly was short-lived. It lasted only one month.

On June 6, the Washington churned up the Yamhill to grab a share of the great wealth of grain bound for lower Willamette River flour mills. For several months, they compete d fiercely.

In September, the larger Canemah was launched at its namesake port. It was soon joined by the Multnomah, an equally spacious side-wheeler.

These two steamers immediately began offering first-class accommodations for upper river residents bound for the Portland area.

In the next two years, the steamers Oregon, Shoalwater, Portland and Wallamet were added to the fleet plying the Yamhill and Willamette rivers.

A boat ride was a great adventure for the early pioneers. Good food and lodging were enjoyed on an easy trip to Oregon City.

About this time, John T. Apperson became a pilot on a riverboat plying the lower Willamette between Oregon City and Portland — the Clinton.

Working with him were his brother, A.J. Apperson, and an engineer named Edwin Fellows. The route was expanded to the upper Willamette, and the business prospered.

Fellows and John Apperson were on the Clinton when it burned to the water line in an explosion and fire in 1861. They bought the hull, rebuilt the Clinton and went into business as partners.

They soon added two other boats, the Yamhill and the St. Clair. They used their fleet to haul freight and passengers between McMinnville and Portland.

They usually had to stop at Dayton on the upriver leg. But during the winter, the water ran high enough to enable them to reach McMinnville.

It was a lucrative business. Soon they were able to add the Unio, a shallow draft boat that could more easily serve Yamhill County's largest city and seat of government.

The Civil War was under way, and Oregon businessmen were not prone to showing favorites. However, as the boat lay in dock at Lafayette one night, the partners decided to show their true colors and add an "n" to the name.

It didn't seem to hurt their business. They managed to conduct a booming trade on the Union through the first half of the 1860s.

At the time, Yamhill County wheat was selling in San Francisco for $2 a bushel. But the farmers who raised it were getting only 74 cents of that. The rest was going to steamboat companies to cover shipping costs.

The farmers couldn't yet look to the railroads for relief. Rail shipping was even more expensive in the Civil War period than steamboat shipping. So they looked for ways to reduce the cost of waterborne commerce.

The Yamhill Locks and Transportation Company was incorporated in December 1869 with capital stock of $75,000. The goal was to build two locks, one near the mouth of the Yamhill and one at the falls below Lafayette, to foster faster, more efficient river commerce out of McMinnville.

But they needed help from the federal government. And Congress didn't get around to appropriating the money until June 4, 1897 — almost 30 years later.

The locks, each 275 feet long with gates at each end, opened for business on Sept. 21, 1900. But by then, the railroads were speeding passengers and freight to distant points more quickly as well as more cheaply.

By rail, a merchant could actually go to Portland, conduct his business and return home the same day. The wonderful era of the river steamers was over.

Boats continued to traverse the Yamhill into the 1920s but in ever-diminishing numbers. The glory years were gone, leaving few traces.

NOTE: Jim Lockett, now retired, is a former Memorial Elementary School principal whose study of local history has made him a widely recognized authority.