ries II, no.7, Beaker State Money I
'-V
OREGON ODDITIES
AND
Sp
ITEMS OF INTEREST
For use 'by teachers, students, libraries, and publications
*
Please give credit to
the information service
of
The Federal Writers' and Historical Records Survey Projects
of the
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION OF OREGON
49
Elks Building
Portland, Oregon
The items in this bulletin) selected from the material
compiled by the Writers1 Project and the Historical Records Survey
of the Works Progress Administration, are representative of the
significant collections being made by these nation-wide programs.
The Historical Records Survey is inventorying all sources
of early Oregon history, including county and state records; town
and church archives; historic cemeteries; old manuscripts and unprints1 old printing presses; monuments and relics; private diaries,
letters, and memoirsj hi&torio buildingsg and Indian records and
lore.
The chief undertaking of the Works Progress Administrtion Writers' Project has been the American Guide Series of Books.
In Oregon as in all other states the work includes the state Guide,
desied to acquaint Americans with America and to present to the
visitor the history, industry, recreational advantages and scenic
attractions of the s-bate. The Oregon Guide, now in the final stages
of editing will soon be added to the list of those already published
which includes Idahot A Guide in Word and Picture; Maine: A Guide
"Down East; Massachusetts: A Guide to its Places and People; New
Hampshire: A Guide to the Granite State; Washington: City and
Capital; Philadelphia: A Guide to the Birthplace of a Nation;
Delaware: A Guide to the First State; Mississippi; A Guide to
the Maolia State; Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State;
South Dakota: A South Dakota Guide; North Dakota: A Guide to the
Northern Prairie State; Vermont: A Guide to the Green Mountain
State.
In addition to all the state guide's, interesting publications now available include American Stuff; Cape Cod Pilot; Hoosier
Tafl Stories; The Hopi Italians of New York; New Orleans City Guide;
Whaling Masters; Who's Who in the Zoo; and Wisconsin Indian Lore.
Publications now in preparation by the Oregon Writers'
Project include the Oregon Guide, an Oregon Almanac for 1940, Old
Towns of Oregon, and Fire Prevention in Portland.
11
ssi
ro
til1
:ive
furs
lea
ost
told
o b
ey
ca
ead
ny
t i
ft01
uti
oke
****** ****
SPECIkL NOTICE
eta]
7er,
Oregon Oddities Radio Series
Beginning in January, 1939, on your local radio
Further notice in forthcoming issues
station.
of Oregon Oddities and in your local newspaper.
Mc
th
BEAVER STATE I1OIJEY
INDIA1' MONEY
j
Oregon many objects have served as
Long before white men had discovhis coast and set about methodically
p1der it of furs, Indians had their
It was called hiqua by the nancney.
es, and subsequently has been called
*1ia by ethnologists, because it contd of small conical sea shells, shaped
'sharp teeth. These shells wore
on rawhide strings and used not
ijror money but for decoration of the
ai He who owned many strings of
was accounted a rich man and he who
was obd none was poor indoed4 Eiq
d from British Columbia and used by
lhe tribes along the northwest coast.
stca Indians at Noskowin told that
e0t their tribesmon, by fasting, prayer
dgioal incantations, had boon able
crease the amount of his hiqua, but
them depended upon trade or war to
o'dde them this coveted sholl money,
n whito men anchored first in Oregon
ya1, astonishing the Indians with white
fling canvas on huge ships, they dovyed to the natives, in exchange for
bright blue beads. These were so
g that within a short timo they al-
4or
8
aupersedad hiq, Lewis and Clark
l.that their starving men were unable
zy food from tho Chinooks except when
eoffered the blue bead belt owned by
caawea. Astor's fur traders used blue
ads, recording in their account books so
yfathoms of blue Canton beads" exIndian grave excaed for poltries.
many
blue beads but
tis not only yield
the metal tokeis which were given
b the Hudson's Bay Company.
Those
ens were promises to pay or to redeem
rchandise from the company stores.
XOrthwost Fur Company, which preceded
Eudson
Bay Company in Oregon and was
UtUally mergod with the latter, issued
tal tokens bearing the image of the bea, the small animal on which the fur
de prospered. Their employees accepted
ese in place of money and used thorn in
8ame manner they would money.
PIONEER BARTER
jOney facilitates trade, but it is not
e usite. It is merely a convenience.
Ofley is not to be had men exchange
ets directly.
This is called barter.
de between Indians and white men in
a beaver skin was exchanged for a
1'..Ct coat was barter.
On the company
accounts, howuor, the busnoss was entered in pounds sterling and shillings.
In pioneer days Oregon settlers net only
used this kind of trading, in which cornmodities wore exchanged and money names
figured, but they often resorted to true
barter, A yoke of o.-cn mirht be traded
for a cabin, a pair of buckskin gloves
accepted for a scrap of iron, or labor
taken for a quantity of grain.
One of the most interesting examples
of true barter in Oregon is furnished by
the diary of William Barclay, now owned
In
by Mrs. E. L. Ryan of Junction City.
it is recorded:
Credit
Debit
l84455 Account of F. L. Matthews
by mRcing 1 axel
6-1,'3 bu. wheat
by fixing cradle
1 sythe blade
for sythe
making five shirts,
3 days harvesting
1 pair pantaloons
six days harvesting
one hog
three dollars,
1855
shooting match
two chairs
54 pounds pork
Mar oh
1 washing tub
making 1 pair pantale ens
making one axel
Terry Brown of Corvallis has in his
possession an account kept by S. K. Brown
Part of it reads:
in 1848.
"Jan., 16, 1848. Mit'hael Ridenour and
Solomon K. Brown furnished one ox to the
Callapooies Indians for land laying on
the Willomette River between Mary's River
25.00."
and Long Torn Creek,
This, of course, did not establish
title to the land, but was an effe.*e
barter, which indicated the value ox chat
intangible quality so often figuring in
property deals called "good will".
The necessity for barter is suggested
in a promissory note executed in Jackson
County in 1855 and now in the county
It reads:
clerk's files.
"Five months after the 28th day of
October, A. 1 1855, we, Isaac Constant,
William Allen, and John McCall, President,
Secretary, and Directors of the Eagle Mill
Company of Jackson County, Oregon Torntory promise to pay Thcmas Brothers and
Company or order the swn of Sixteen Thousand dollars---thc same to ho paid in
Superfine flour delivered at the Eagle
-2n good merchantable order in quar"John Travers and Win. Glasor, having
barrel sacks--at the price of two dol- associated themselves together in manufacturing hats at Oregon City, are now
and fifty cents per sack."
recalling the use of barter in early ready to supply their friends and cus, Medorem Crawford said:
tomers with hats manufactured in Oregon.
,11At these places, especially at the
Although profits are small, they confijand Salem, many improvements were
dently hope, by their prompt attention
'g made, and employment was given at
to business, to be able to furnish hats
rwages to all who desired to work. Pay.- -.to the Oregon citizens at reduced prices.
was made in lumber and flour and from
"Wool, beaver, otter, raccoon, wildat Salem, cattle and horses
cat, muskrat, mink, prairie wolf, and fox
heir herds, and orders on the misskins will be taken in oxchango for hats."
stores at the falls, kept by Hon.
WHEAT MONEY
go Abernethy. There was no money in
In 1845 the legislature o' the Proountry, in fact I do not remember
visional Government passed a law designed
a piece of money of any description to make legal tender of a variety of comre than a year after my arrival. A
modities.
This was, of course, in addi-.
financial condition was based upon
tion to regular United States monies, menattle, horses, and credit on the
tion of which, was a courtesy, since, as
onts Bay Co.'s or Abernethy's books.
Nesmith and Crawford said, there was no
these he could procure everything
actual coin in the country.
was purchasable in the country
The legislature ordered that "availof our olothes came from the Hudson's able orders, wheat, hides, tallow, beef,
Co., and was all of one size and said pork, butter, lard, peas, lumber, or
ye been made to fit Dr. McLoughlin,
other articles of export of this trriS a very large man."
tory shall at their current value be
Crawford himself J. W. Nesmith gave
legal tender in payment of all demands
toresting account, telling of his as- in this territory, where no special contion with Newell and Cook in a mnonop- tract has been made between the parties.
ót the transportation business around
"Provided, the same be delivered at
tails at Oregon City.
such points on the navigable streams, or
Their jointly acquired wealth must
such other places as may be establishod
Ciounted to $500 or $600 in trade.
depots for such articles."
trade, because there was no money
This law, however, did not receive the
o country.
It consisted of beaver
governors approval. The next session he
buckskins, wheat, shingles, hoopaddressed his reason to the assembly,
OO
salt salmon, and saw logs.
saying:
til the latter part of the year 1848,
"Wheat, in my opinion, should be tho
e began to receive returns from the
only articlo used in this country as
Qiflia gold mines, there was no money
legal tender in addition to gold and silroulation in the country. During
ver.
It is at present the staple article
tirat five residences in Oregon, three of our country, can be procured by all
Ca dollars was all the money I rethe settlers in abundance, can. be readily
or handled.tt
disposed of by the merchants and others,
use of barter is best ox- and is not a perishable article."
tied by advertisemonts such as the
According to this suggestion the legOWing, which were curront in the Oreislature did pass such a law. iTheat was
S
otato. in 1846.
accepted as legal tender. Curious eviThiTjcriber, having permanently
dence of this remains in a promissory
tOd in Oregon City, for the purpose of note given in October, 1846. It reads:
flg on the tanning business solicits
"I promise to pay Alex McKay 600
Patronago of the citizens of Oregon.
bushels of wheat in October, 1846 payable
°S Wishing to purchaso sole leather, to the Hudson's Bay Company. John
leather, skirting, saddle rigging, McPherson". Across the back of the nctc
L1dle filling, will call at the tanis written:
Merchantable trade orders of sol-.
"Please pay the bearer Dec. 18, 1845
merchants, and beef hides, will bo
Alexander McKay."
in exchange."
During the next year this note pacsed
idlls
-
She told him ho
sisting upon payment.
time; that
must be there at the appointed
He
was
very much
all the gold was gone.
SWell,
complainiflg
put out and wont away
hand."
Itra just disappointed on every
dust ovned
Not all persons who had gold
rocoiVing
scales to weigh it. Giving or
of chance.
value was often purely a matter
from poke
In passing from hand to hand or
demand
to poke, there was great loss. The
bocamo
so infor money made from the dust
sistent that the Provisional Legislature
passed a coinage act. In the meantime,
det.
however, the Oregon Exchange Company
tenabandoned
as
legal
coined
'out to provide
1though it was
1847, wheat was cided not to wait,
rby repeal of the law in
and
ton
dollar denominations.
money in five
1872
accounts
as
late
as
d to settle
selected was, appropriately
to the The design
that
'John R. Wilson settled his debt
enough, the beaver, something like
of
yamhill,
with
Company's
tice Mercantile Co.,
used on the old Northwest Fur
'bushel of wheat at 65 per bushel.
trade tokens.
prepared,
GOLD MONEY
Dies had to be made, lathes
took
things
The discovery ofjd in California
and designs made. None of these
Farmers,
Scraps of old
dreds of then from Oregon.
were to be had in Oregon.
deserted their work
Powell,
melted
by
Thomas
ders, and milimen
wagon tires were
If
they
the press. He
rushed to the gold fields.
a Salem blacksmith, to make
it
to
their
paid 6O
rollers
and
was
ek gold they expressed
also made the
their
quantities
to
pay
drew the dees in varying
for his work. J. G. Campbell
months,
returned
made
Hamilton
Campbell
'ts, or, after a few
sign for the dies.
Brando"-,
Eliza
Finley
M.
Wallace
1-laden with it.
the five-dollar die and Victor
4O more
f+1,cr built at Crawfordsvjlle, the
the ten. Thomas Powell received
vast
territory
beand
et grist mill in the
for helping to assemble the lathe, turn out
Sacramento, says of
en Oregon City and
the Oregon Exchange mint began to alloy
? father's experience:
pure gold coins. They contained no
gold
...On the day that the mill was cornand not less than eight percent more
the
forenoon,
and
the
same
deed he ground whoat in
than United States coins of
that there
the afternoon he mounted a horse and
nomination. This was done so
e away to the mines.
would never be any question of their rewere
rather was quite succesSfl1t the
demption in legal tender. The coins
send.
back
gold
OreFrequently he would
es.
made and circulated just at the time
in
paying
off
consequentlY
to my mother to be used
gon became a territorY, and
first heard
against
counterdebts. 11hen the settlers
violated the provision
Beaver
coins
were more
t she was receiving gold dust they were
feiting. Although
Each
man
who
came
anxious to see it.
valuable than federal money of the same
manufactured in dipour a little of the dust into his
denomination they were
and finger it over, then pour it back
federal
statute. The
rect violation of
This was very wasteful,
a the pouch.
"Bad money driVeS out
stick to the hand. old saying that circulation worked quick0. little would always
good money" from
last my mother worked out a scheme to
Beaver Coins were either collected
ly.
the
dust
in
She
ne'vor
kept
mint and soon became
Vent this.
or traded in at the
longer
than
was
of "pioneer
Possession a moment
musemi pieces. These products
received
a
shipment
.Cessal7. Whenever she
necessity and ingenuity" were serviceable
the new
:01d she would notify all the people to
to the community at a time "when
Upon
the
and present their bills.
a media of exthe dust in settlement was usir-, as
bills, drafts
ted day she would portion cut
change, beaver skins, wheat,
lasted.
She
coins
Zble payments as long as it
and orders, gold dust and silver
from
dy
and
a rule never to keep any over
of Mexico and Peru, all of changing
to
come
at
the
ap
Y' If a man failed
uncertain valuo"
continued in next
ted time he must wait until the
Beaver StatoMOfleY
ent to receive his pay. One man dis-i- issue of Oregon Oddities.
e.rded her rule, and came a day late,
until it caine
'one person to another
who
the possession of Sidney W. Moss
Alto collect on March 6, 1847.
state the fact,
6gh the record does not
apparentlY obtained a judgment against
The
collect.
ersofl and attempted to
property
raisers enumerated McPhersOn'S
but
it,
not
in
wheat,
set a value upon
net
o1lars and cents, which Moss could
It consisted of a silver watch,
lect.
oden clock, a "rifle gun", and many
of
and horses, but not one bushel