Page:Quarterlyoforego10oreg 1.djvu/140

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26 Wm. D. Fenton J. S. Smith, John W. Miller and N. Boane, all of whom were men of power and influence and of the same general type. These were the days when an empire was in process of build- ing. The Oregon territory originally was divided into four districts or counties — Tuality, Yamhill, Champoeg and Clack- amas. Tuality County was first established July 5, 1843, comprised at that time all of the territory west of the Willam- ette and north of the Yamhill River, extending to the Pacific Ocean on the west and as far north as the north boundary fine of the United States, which President Polk and his party claimed was 54:40. On September 4, 1849, name was change from Tuality to Washington County, and Portland, which was founded by A. L. Love joy and F. W. Pettygrove, in 1845, was first incorporated in January, 185 1, and remained within the limits of Washington County until the organization of Multnomah County, on December 22, 1854. At that time there was no newspaper or other publication in what is now Multnomah County, and it was not until December 4, 1850, that Thomas J. Dryer published the first newspaper adn named it The Weekly Oregonian. The Daily Oregonian was not pub- lished until February 4, 1861, and The Sunday Oregonian was first published on the 4th day of December, 1881. The first school of public instruction in this city was opened in a little frame building on Front street, at the corner of Taylor, and was constructed by Job McNamee, the father of Mrs. E. J. Northrup, who, with her family, were at one time members of Taylor Street Church. The first school teacher was Dr. Ralph Wilcox, of New York, and he had under his charge about a dozen pupils. He was also the first physician coming to this city, and it will be remembered that for many years he was Clerk of the United States Circuit Court for this district and Speaker of the House of Representatives in. the Territorial Legislature of 1848. Recurring to the statement that Wilbur was nominated in the joint convention of the Legislative Assembly, September

II, 1863, as one of the candidates for the office of United----