Portland (sidewheeler 1853)

Advertisement for steamers Portland and Multnomah, of the People’s line, published April 7, 1854.
History
Name:	Portland
Route:	Willamette River
In service:	1853
Out of service:	March 17, 1857
Fate:	Washed over Willamette Falls and wrecked.
General characteristics
Type:	wooden-hulled inland/coastal steamboat.
Length:	90 ft (27.4 m)
Installed power:	steam engines
Propulsion:	sidewheels

Portland was a side wheel steamer built at Portland, Oregon in the summer of 1853. This vessel was chiefly remembered for its dramatic destruction in 1857 by being washed over Willamette Falls, an incident which killed its captain and a deckhand. The death of the captain, Arthur Jamieson, was one of at least four brothers, all steamboat officers, who were killed in three separate steamboating accidents occurring between 1857 and 1861 in Oregon and in British Columbia.

Portland was a small sidewheeler, 90 ft (27.4 m) long, launched at Portland on July 2, 1853. Built by Alexander S. Murray and Jack Torrance, Portland was designed to run between Oregon City and Portland. The vessel was owned by Murray, Torrence, and Capt. Archibald Jamieson.

For a brief period starting in 1853 Portland, under captain A.S. Murray, and Multnomah, under Capt George W. Hoyt, were combined together as the People’s Line. This was the first merger of steamboat interests on the river. As of November 12, 1853 Portland would leave Oregon City daily at 9:00 a.m. for Portland, and leave Portland at 2:00 p.m. on the return trip to Oregon City.Multnomah left Portland at 9:00 a.m. for Oregon City, and departed Oregon City in the afternoon, at 3:00 p.m. to return to Portland. As of April 21, 1855, under Capt. A.S. Murray, Portland was running on a daily route between Oregon City and Portland, departing Oregon City at 8:00 a.m., and leaving Portland at 2:00 p.m.

As of February 16, 1856, Portland, still under Capt. Murray, had joined with the Enterprise, under Captain Archibald Jamieson, to run under the name of the Citizens’ Line.Portland ran every day except Sundays for Oregon City, leaving Portland from the Hoyt wharf boat at 10:00 a.m. Above Willamette Falls, the Enterprise made semi-weekly trips to Corvallis, departing from Canemah on Mondays at 6:00 am., and Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. This association continued at least through March 8, 1856.

In October 1856, Portland was taken from the lower Willamette river around Willamette Falls, to run on the upper river to serve in the trade between Canameh and Dayton, on the Yamhill riverPortland was able to reach Dayton most of the year, except when there was extreme low water on the Yamhill river bar, where the Yamhill flowed into the Willamette.