Hitherto there has been no attempt to write a History of Portland. Slight sketches of the history of the city have, in- deed, been written, but nothing that answers to the importance of the subject has heretofore been undertaken. For conception and execution of the present work the city is indebted to D. Mason & Co., a firm of enterprising publishers of Syracuse, New York. Learning that no general history of Portland has yet appeared, these publishers offered to undertake the work and to collect the materials for it. Aware, however, that these materials should be subjected to local editorial supervision, they requested me to perform that duty. Though my own daily employments were very exacting, I consented to do so. The result is now submitted to the public.
My own work therefore has been that of editor rather than author. Some parts of the book I have written, and all of it, except portions of the biographical matter, I have re- vised with as much diligence as possible. Yet I cannot hope that the book is free from errors. Much has been handed down from memory, and inaccuracies therefore are unavoidable.
Acknowledgments are due chiefly to O. F. Vedder, H. S. Lyman and C. H. Carey for the'matter of this volume. All these have worked diligently in collection and preparation of the materials. . . .
He knew how to select assistants, the names of two of whom will be immediately recognized by all who read Oregon history—H. S. Lyman and Charles H. Carey. He went on to give full and explicit credit to each for the parts he had contributed, so that he not only knew how to pick good men but how to make them happy over their labors in association with him. This was an attractive characteristic—he did too much work himself to need to claim that of others. It was also characteristic that he should make clear and exact
