Misplaced Pages

Pittock Block

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

The Pittock Block is a historic building in downtown Portland, Oregon , occupying a city block between SW 9th and 10th Avenues, SW Stark and Washington Streets, and west of O'Bryant Square .

#88911

59-548: Before the Pittock Block was built, the site was occupied by the home of Henry L. Pittock , the publisher of The Oregonian . Pittock was preparing to move into the Pittock Mansion and leased the entire block to a California investor with the requirement that a "worthy" building named after Pittock would be built on the site. In May 1913, architects Doyle, Patterson & Beach announced they had been awarded

118-511: A Wells Fargo Bank branch and twelve stories of commercial offices. Pittock served as its president until his death and it survived him until it fell to a bank run in 1927. Having briefly lost control of the paper during the 1870s, and narrowly escaping bankruptcy during the depression of 1877, Pittock continued to manage his newspaper, maintaining long hours in his office until days before his death in Portland. Stricken with influenza , he

177-557: A disputed prior claim. In 1861, the newly elected President Lincoln rewarded Dryer for his work on the campaign in Oregon with a political appointment in the new administration. Dryer turned over the debt-ridden Oregonian to Pittock as compensation for remaining unpaid salary and agreement to assume the paper's sizable financial obligations. Pittock began daily publication of the Morning Oregonian on February 4, 1861, on

236-865: A few remaining shelters on Mount Hood still in use today. Those include the Coopers Spur, Cairn Basin, and McNeil Point shelters as well as the Tilly Jane A-frame cabin. The summit was home to a fire lookout in the early 1900s; however, the lookout did not withstand the weather and no longer remains today. Mount Hood is within the Mount Hood National Forest , which comprises 1,067,043 acres (1,667 sq mi; 4,318 km ) of land, including four designated wilderness areas that total 314,078 acres (491 sq mi; 1,271 km ), and more than 1,200 mi (1,900 km) of hiking trails. The most northwestern pass around

295-469: A half interest in The Oregonian in 1877, only to learn later that it went instead to wealthy U.S. Senator Henry Winslow Corbett for a much needed infusion of cash. Scott would ultimately purchase shares in the paper and had a long intermittent tenure on its staff, leaving for a time to work for the rival Portland Bulletin . Although they were able to maintain a working relationship afterward, it

354-410: A height of 11,240 ft (3,426 m), claimed to be accurate to within 1.25 in (32 mm). Many modern sources likewise list 11,240 ft (3,426 m) as the height. However, numerous others place the peak's height one foot lower, at 11,239 ft (3,426 m). Finally, a height of 11,249 ft (3,429 m) has also been reported. Download coordinates as: Mount Hood

413-418: A hunting trip and determined it to be 19,400 ft (5,900 m) upon which "pores oozed blood, eyes bled, and blood rushed from their ears." Sometime by 1866, Reverend G. H. Atkinson determined it to be 17,600 ft (5,400 m). A Portland engineer used surveying methods from a Portland baseline and calculated a height of between 18,000 and 19,000 ft (5,500 and 5,800 m). Many maps distributed in

472-452: A later adaptation), burned forests and villages in their battle over her. Sahale became enraged and smote the three lovers. Seeing what he had done, he erected three mountain peaks to mark where each fell. He made beautiful Mount St. Helens for Loowit, proud and erect Mount Hood for Wy'east, and the somber Mount Adams for the mourning Pahto. There are other versions of the legend. In another telling, Wy'east (Hood) battles Pahto (Adams) for

531-579: A majority of the shares of The Oregonian stock to be held by two trustees, with "full and complete authority" to run the paper for 20 years. Upon dissolution of the trust, its shares were divided amongst Pittock's heirs and, for a time, was managed by a board of two representatives of the Pittock family and one representing the Scotts. The arrangement eventually gave way to the Oregonian, "crown jewel" of

590-525: A new steam-powered press he had purchased for the expanded enterprise. Competition with the three other daily newspapers in Portland was fierce and at least two of the rivals, the Times and the Advertiser, appeared to have a better chance of success than the Oregonian . Both the telegraph and Pittock's competitiveness would play a part a few years later, when President Lincoln was assassinated, as told in

649-501: A play around 1911 at Pacific College. It is also possible it was 'invented' by scholars in the 20th century or even a minister hearing it second-hand around the same time the play was happening. In one version of Balch's story, the two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with the beautiful maiden Loowit, who could not decide which to choose. The two braves, Wy'east and Pahto (unnamed in his novel, but appearing in

SECTION 10

#1732791169089

708-603: A public-owned landmark known as the Pittock Mansion . The "Pittock block," still extant in downtown Portland where he and his family had lived since 1856, had become valuable downtown property and he leased it in 1912 for more than $ 8.3 million. The Northwestern Bank Building, at the corner of 6th and Morrison streets in Portland, was headquarters to the Northwestern National Bank Company, which he founded in 1912 with his son-in-law and paper mill partner, Frederick Leadbetter . The building now houses

767-488: A scheme to provide a water service to his palatial home at considerable taxpayer expense. Although the resulting scandal soon died down, Pittock continued relentlessly to discredit Daly, and ultimately succeeded in ending his political career, branding him as a socialist, through publication of documents obtained by burglary. In 1866, Pittock was a partner in the first paper mill in the Northwest, at Oregon City, and later

826-639: A second mill there and another at Camas, Washington . The Columbia River Paper Co. was formed by Pittock and Joseph K. Gill in 1884 to build the Camas facility. The mills supplied newsprint to The Oregonian and the Portland Evening Telegram which Pittock established in 1877 and the expanded and widely distributed Sunday Oregonian. Beginning in 1884, new presses were bought that raised printing capacity to 12,000 copies an hour and later to 24,000 copies an hour. The paper mills would grow into

885-593: A story related by the son of the Western Union telegraph operator in an oral history recorded by the Federal Writers Project. The telegrapher had been befriended by Pittock, and when news came across the wire of the assassination, the young man concealed it from the other papers until The Oregonian had published the news as a scoop . Pittock addressed the fiscal problems of the paper by requiring cash payment for subscriptions, and implemented

944-546: A summit elevation of 11,249 ft (3,429 m), it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the fourth highest in the Cascade Range . Ski areas on the mountain include Timberline Lodge ski area which offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America, Mount Hood Meadows , Mount Hood Skibowl , Summit Ski Area , and Cooper Spur ski area . Mt. Hood attracts an estimated 10,000 climbers

1003-442: A thriving company, eventually becoming part of the giant Georgia Pacific company. The Telegram Building in Portland is one of the city's two remaining historic newspaper buildings. Pittock's business interests would soon grow to include investments in Portland banks, real estate, transportation, and logging and lumbering. In 1909, he began construction of a 22-room Renaissance revival mansion on forty-six acres of woodland, now

1062-405: A typical dry-summer alpine climate ( Köppen : ETs ), with temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C) eight months of the year and no month with an average temperature above 50 °F (10 °C). Even in the hottest months, nightly average temperatures often dip below 32 °F (0 °C), and frost occurs almost every day, even in summer or the hottest time of year. Otherwise, all months have

1121-450: A vigorous collection effort for accounts Dryer had allowed to become delinquent. Ultimately, Pittock not only was able to bring stability to The Oregonian , but dominance in the Portland newspaper market. He was quick to invest heavily in new equipment and production procedures to stay ahead of the competition, sometimes dangerously stretching available capital. Longtime Oregonian editor Harvey W. Scott claimed Pittock had promised him

1180-618: A volume of about 282,000 acre⋅ft (0.348 km ). Eliot Glacier is the largest glacier by volume at 73,000 acre⋅ft (0.09 km ), and has the thickest depth measured by ice radar at 361 ft (110 m). The largest glacier by surface area is the Coe-Ladd Glacier system at 531 acres (215 ha). Glaciers and snowfields cover about 80 percent of the mountain above the 6,900 ft (2,100 m) level. The glaciers declined by an average of 34 percent from 1907 to 2004. Glaciers on Mount Hood retreated through

1239-416: A year. The peak is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields . Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt. The odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7%, so the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) characterizes it as "potentially active", but the mountain is informally considered dormant . Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark located on

SECTION 20

#1732791169089

1298-591: Is host to 12 named glaciers or snow fields , the most visited of which is Palmer Glacier, partially within the Timberline Lodge ski area and on the most popular climbing route. The glaciers are almost exclusively above the 6,000 ft (1,800 m) level, which also is about the average tree line elevation on Mount Hood. More than 80 percent of the glacial surface area is above 7,000 ft (2,100 m). The glaciers and permanent snow fields have an area of 3,331 acres (1,348 ha) and contain

1357-564: Is monitored by the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington , which issues weekly updates (and daily updates if significant eruptive activity is occurring at a Cascades volcano). The most recent evidence of volcanic activity at Mount Hood consists of fumaroles near Crater Rock and hot springs on the flanks of the volcano. A conflict exists between protecting public safety and protecting

1416-531: The Oregon Spectator in Oregon City , the first and largest newspaper published in the territory. Declining the only job he had been offered, that of a bartender, he found work as a typesetter for Thomas J. Dryer , founding editor and publisher of the weekly Oregonian in Portland, who provided him room and board as his only remuneration. The accommodations were meager, consisting of a space below

1475-742: The Dog River area east of Mount Hood in 1818. They reported climbing to a glacier on "Montagne de Neige" ( Mountain of Snow ), probably Eliot Glacier. There have been two United States Navy ammunition ships named for Mount Hood. USS Mount Hood (AE-11) was commissioned in July 1944 and was destroyed in November 1944 while at anchor in Manus Naval Base, Admiralty Islands . Her explosive cargo ignited, resulting in 45 confirmed dead, 327 missing and 371 injured. A second ammunition ship, AE-29 ,

1534-625: The National Register of Historic Places . The Pittock Block is home to a NWAX Point of Presence (Portland NAP), Portland's Internet exchange point . Other tenants of the Pittock Block include City Club of Portland and the administrative offices of the Oregon Symphony . Henry Pittock Henry Lewis Pittock (March 1, 1835 (some sources cite 1836) – January 28, 1919) was an English -born American pioneer , publisher, newspaper editor, and wood and paper magnate. He

1593-577: The $ 700,000 contract to construct the Pittock Block, with construction to begin immediately. According to a front-page story in the May 25, 1913, edition of The Oregonian :"One-half of the building will be eight stories in height, with frontage on the Washington Street side, while the Stark Street side will be three stories high. In addition to a deep basement there will be a sub-basement on

1652-578: The Pearly Gates, a gap in the summit rock formation, then right onto the summit plateau and the summit proper. Technical ice axes, fall protection, and experience are now recommended in order to attempt the left chute variation or Pearly Gates ice chute. The Forest Service recommends several other route options due to these changes in conditions (e.g. "Old Chute," West Crater Rim, etc.). As of May 2002, more than 130 people had died in climbing-related accidents since records have been kept on Mount Hood,

1711-554: The Pittock empire, being sold to a succession of national newspaper chains. Pittock was among the first inductees in the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame at the same time as his longtime editor, Harvey W. Scott, when it was established in 1979. Mount Hood Mount Hood , also known as Wy'east , is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc . It

1770-728: The age of twelve. He subsequently attended the Western Pennsylvania University preparatory school in Pittsburgh. He left home at seventeen with his brother, Robert, and inspired by frontier adventure stories, joined two other families to emigrate to the West. Pittock arrived "barefoot and without a cent" in the Oregon Territory in October 1853 and was rebuffed in his attempts to become a printer for

1829-425: The daughter of a flour mill owner, in 1860. The couple had nine children, six of whom survived to adulthood, and lived in a small house on a block of land now known as the "Pittock Block" that he purchased for $ 300 in 1856. An avid outdoorsman and adventurer, Pittock is credited to have been the first white man to ascend the summit of Mount Hood on July 11, 1857, with four friends, although his employer, Dryer, made

Pittock Block - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-510: The development of Portland. Born in London in 1835 or 1836 (sources vary), the son of Frederick and Susanna (Bonner) Pittock, Henry Lewis Pittock was raised from age four in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, United States, where his father had moved the family and established a printing business. The third of eight children, he attended public schools and apprenticed in his father's print shop from

1947-588: The environment. In 2014, a USGS employee, Dr. Seth Moran, proposed installing new instruments on Mount Hood to warn of volcanic activity. The instruments were installed at four different locations on the mountain, including: The proposed locations were in a protected wilderness area, tightly controlled by the United States Forest Service . The project was opposed by Wilderness Watch, a conservation group. Three monitoring stations were eventually installed on Mount Hood in 2020. Mount Hood

2006-980: The fair La-wa-la-clough (St. Helens). Or again Wy'east, the chief of the Multnomah tribe , competed with the chief of the Klickitat tribe . Their great anger led to their transformation into volcanoes. Their battle is said to have destroyed the Bridge of the Gods and thus created the great Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River . The mountain sits partly inside the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs . Three languages are spoken among this confederacy: Sahaptin , Upper Chinook/Kiksht (Wasco) and Numu (Paiute) . Therefore, any attempt to restore

2065-428: The first half of the 20th century, advanced or at least slowed their retreat in the 1960s and 1970s, and have since returned to a pattern of retreat. The neo-glacial maximum extents formed in the early 18th century. During the last major glacial event between 29,000 and 10,000 years ago, glaciers reached down to the 2,600-to-2,300 ft (790-to-700 m) level, a distance of 9.3 mi (15.0 km) from

2124-438: The first in 1896. Incidents in May 1986, December 2006, and December 2009 attracted intense national and international media interest. Though avalanches are a common hazard on other glaciated mountains, most Mount Hood climbing deaths are the result of falls and hypothermia . Around 50 people require rescue per year. 3.4 percent of search and rescue missions in 2006 were for mountain climbers. The summit of Mount Hood has

2183-498: The front counter where Pittock could spread some blankets. After six months on that basis, he was granted a salary of $ 900 a year. Over the next six years, Pittock was receiving a growing partnership interest in the paper in lieu of a salary. Dryer, paying more attention to politics than his business, was frequently unable to pay. Pittock assumed the duties of manager and editor of the newspaper. Pittock married Georgiana Martin Burton,

2242-640: The highest reachable point one can gain on the mountain without requiring mountaineering gear. The Timberline Trail , which circumnavigates the entire mountain and rises as high as 7,300 ft (2,200 m), was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps . Typically, the 40.7 mi (65.5 km) hike is snow-free from late July until the autumn snows begin. The trail includes over 10,000 ft (3,000 m) of elevation gain and loss and can vary in distance year to year depending on river crossings. There are many access points,

2301-460: The late 19th century cited 18,361 ft (5,596 m), though Mitchell's School Atlas gave 14,000 ft (4,300 m) as the correct value. For some time, many references assumed Mount Hood to be the highest point in North America. Modern height surveys also vary, but not by the huge margins seen in the past. A 1993 survey by a scientific party that arrived at the peak's summit with 16 lb (7.3 kg) of electronic equipment reported

2360-421: The midst of an extensive tract of low or moderately elevated land [location of today's Vancouver, Washington ] lying S 67 E., and seemed to announce a termination to the river." Lt. Broughton named the mountain after Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood , a British admiral. Lewis and Clark spotted the mountain on October 18, 1805. A few days later at what would become The Dalles , Clark wrote, "The pinnacle of

2419-567: The mountain is called Lolo Pass. Native Americans crossed the pass while traveling between the Willamette Valley and Celilo Falls . The name Wy'east has been associated with Mount Hood for more than a century, but no evidence suggests that it is a genuine name for the mountain in any indigenous language. The name was possibly inspired by an 1890 work of author Frederic Balch , although Balch does not use it himself. The name may have been popularized by his story being combined with

Pittock Block - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-609: The mountain's original indigenous name would require agreement on which language's name to use. The mountain was given its present name on October 29, 1792, by Lt. William Broughton , a member of Captain George Vancouver 's exploration expedition. Lt. Broughton observed its peak while at Belle Vue Point of what is now called Sauvie Island during his travels up the Columbia River, writing, "A very high, snowy mountain now appeared rising beautifully conspicuous in

2537-750: The mountain's upper slopes may be a source of potentially dangerous lahars when the mountain next erupts. There are vents near the summit that are known for emitting gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide . Prior to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens , the only known fatality related to volcanic activity in the Cascades occurred in 1934, when a climber suffocated in oxygen-poor air while exploring ice caves melted by fumaroles in Coalman Glacier on Mount Hood. Since 1950, there have been several earthquake swarms each year at Mount Hood, most notably in July 1980 and June 2002. Seismic activity

2596-483: The part of the block facing Tenth street. The Northwestern Electric Company , for which the structure is to be erected, will occupy a part of the West Park street side and all of the ground floor on the Stark Street side. The remainder of the ground floor will be designed for stores. The upper floors will be used for office purposes. The building will be of reinforced concrete construction." Since 1987, it has been on

2655-495: The past 1,800 years from vents high on the southwest flank and produced deposits that were distributed primarily to the south and west along the Sandy and Zigzag rivers. The volcano has had a VEI of 2 at least three times before. The last eruptive period took place around 220 to 170 years ago, when dacitic lava domes, pyroclastic flows and mudflows were produced without major explosive eruptions. The prominent Crater Rock just below

2714-541: The round topped mountain, which we saw a short distance below the banks of the river, is South 43-degrees West of us and about 37 mi (60 km). It is at this time topped with snow. We called this the Falls Mountain, or Timm Mountain." Timm was the native name for Celilo Falls. Clark later noted that it was also Vancouver's Mount Hood. Two French explorers from the Hudson's Bay Company may have traveled into

2773-935: The shortest being a small walk from the Timberline Lodge. A portion of the Pacific Crest Trail is coincident with the Timberline Trail on the west side of Mount Hood. The predecessor of the Pacific Crest Trail was the Oregon Skyline Trail , established in 1920, which connected Mount Hood to Crater Lake . Mount Hood is Oregon's highest point and a prominent landmark visible up to 100 mi (160 km) away. About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year. It has convenient access, though it presents some technical climbing challenges. There are no trails to

2832-548: The south route, begins at Timberline Lodge and proceeds up Palmer Glacier to Crater Rock, the large prominence at the head of the glacier. The route goes east around Crater Rock and crosses the Coalman Glacier on the Hogsback, a ridge spanning from Crater Rock to the approach to the summit. The Hogsback terminates at a bergschrund where the Coalman Glacier separates from the summit rock headwall . The route continues to

2891-463: The southern flank of Mount Hood just below Palmer Glacier , with an elevation of about 6,000 ft (1,800 m). The mountain has four ski areas : Timberline , Mount Hood Meadows , Ski Bowl , and Cooper Spur . They total over 4,600 acres (7.2 sq mi; 19 km ) of skiable terrain; Timberline, with one lift having a base at nearly 6,940 ft (2,120 m), offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America. There are

2950-484: The summit is hypothesized to be the remains of one of these now-eroded domes. This period includes the last major eruption of 1781 to 1782 with a slightly more recent episode ending shortly before the arrival of the explorers Lewis and Clark in 1805. The latest minor eruptive event was thought to have occurred in August 1907, but has been discredited as "an observation of non-eruptive fumarolic activity." The glaciers on

3009-509: The summit, with even the "easier" southside climbing route constituting a technical climb with crevasses, falling rocks, and often inclement weather. Ropes, ice axes , crampons and other technical mountaineering gear are necessary. Peak climbing season is generally from April to mid-June. There are six main routes to approach the mountain, with about 30 total variations for summiting. The climbs range in difficulty from class 2 to class 5.9+ (for Acrophobia ). The most popular route, dubbed

SECTION 50

#1732791169089

3068-461: The summit. The retreat released considerable outwash, some of which filled and flattened the upper Hood River Valley near Parkdale and formed Dee Flat . Older glaciation produced moraines near Brightwood and distinctive cuts on the southeast side; they may date to 140,000 years ago. Mt. Hood National Forest is home to approximately 1,000 mi (1,600 km) of trails. Cooper Spur Trail leads to 8,510 ft (2,590 m) in elevation,

3127-459: The years, as seen in the following table: Early explorers on the Columbia River estimated the elevation to be 10,000 to 12,000 ft (3,000 to 3,700 m). Two people in Thomas J. Dryer's 1854 expedition calculated the elevation to be 18,361 ft (5,596 m) and the tree line to be at 11,250 ft (3,430 m). Two months later, a Mr. Belden claimed to have climbed the mountain during

3186-499: Was active in Republican politics and Portland, Oregon civic affairs, and was a Freemason and an avid outdoorsman. He is frequently referred to as the founder of The Oregonian , although it was an existing weekly before he reestablished it as the state's preeminent daily newspaper. Pittock Mansion , a Renaissance revival mansion built by Pittock for himself and his wife, is a museum chronicling his and his family's roles in

3245-449: Was commissioned in May 1971 and decommissioned in August 1999. The glacially eroded summit area consists of several andesitic or dacitic lava domes ; Pleistocene collapses produced avalanches and lahars (rapidly moving mudflows) that traveled across the Columbia River to the north. The eroded volcano has had at least four major eruptive periods during the past 15,000 years. The last three eruptions at Mount Hood occurred within

3304-494: Was first seen by European explorers in 1792 and is believed to have maintained a consistent summit elevation, varying by no more than a few feet due to mild seismic activity. Elevation changes since the 1950s are predominantly due to improved survey methods and model refinements of the shape of the Earth (see vertical reference datum ). Despite the physical consistency, the estimated elevation of Mount Hood has varied substantially over

3363-412: Was forever strained by what Scott viewed as a serious betrayal. The bitterness would extend for generations between the two men's heirs, occasionally exhibiting itself in management disputes at the paper. It was one of several famous Pittock feuds. Another involved onetime Oregonian employee, and later City councilman, Will H. Daly . Long a political nemesis, Daly enraged Pittock by implicating him in

3422-662: Was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific Coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States . It is located about 50 mi (80 km) east-southeast of Portland , on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties, and forms part of the Mount Hood National Forest . Much of the mountain outside the ski areas is part of the Mount Hood Wilderness . With

3481-511: Was reported to have had himself carried to an east bay window of his mansion, to look once more at the vista across the city where he had made and broken careers, and amassed a fortune. The next night, January 28, 1919, he died leaving the largest estate which had yet been probated in Oregon, valued at $ 7,894,778.33, equivalent to $ 139 million today. Pittock was buried at River View Cemetery in Portland. Unwilling to yield control of his newspaper even in death, he had provided in his will for

#88911