Atkinson: Pioneer Oregon Educator by Donald J. Sevetson

Abstract

 Reviews African American population in the development , which was critical to the thesis around the erased community narrative. Comerford’s success in gathering images new to the public from private collections as well as from archives is laudable. The array of photographs offers a comprehensive and inspiring look at Northwest Portland spanning 150 years of growth. The text is approachable but unfortunately has an excessive number of typos and errors, prompting the author to create an errata sheet to complement the first addition. Paragraphs on pages 105 and 106, for example, contain the same text. The Forestry Building is described as both made of “peeled whole logs” (p. 28) and “gigantic unpeeled fir logs” (p. 32) (the images show unpeeled logs). A blimp at the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition is described as “driven by TS Baldwin” on page 29, but later identified as piloted by Lincoln Beachey on page 31. The historical errors are more critical. Amos King,for example,did not“give”the land to the city forWashington Park (City Park).He charged $32,624 in 1871, which was considered excessive.Comerford describes theAmos King claim extending to Lovejoy Street, yet the map on page 12 shows a different boundary to his property. On page 32, the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition is described as“the first time electric lights had been used for decorative purposes.” The World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1883, however, had 90,000 incandescent electric light bulbs illuminating the fair with“celestial fire.”A photo on page 37 describesoneof thehousesbelowtheThurman Street Bridge as possibly belonging to Danford Balch, but the image is of a shanty from the Chinese enclave in that region. Despite these problems, the book succeeds in defining boundaries and enhancing the community’s knowledge and connection to history by detailing the evolution of seven discrete neighborhoods within Northwest Portland , from the renowned Pearl District to the recently reclaimed Slabtown. In defining each sub-community within Northwest Portland, Commerford forms a straightforward framework in which each urban community attains a historically enhanced, unique sense of place. The non-confrontational, accessible writing style flows, making the text as approachable as the graphics. For those who live in or simply want to explore the northwest section of Portland ,A History of Northwest Portland: From the River to the Hills will sharpen their grasp of its early settlement and development. Tanya March Portland, Oregon Atkinson: Pioneer Oregon Educator by Donald J. Sevetson CreateSpace, North Charleston, South Carolina, 2011. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. 292 pages. $14.99 paper. Organized by the Presbyterian and Congregational churches, the American Home Missionary Society (AHMS) of NewYork City sent GeorgeAtkinson (1819–1889) as a missionary to frontier Oregon. Born into a well-established family residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts , Atkinson came to share his father’s interest in education and railroads. The son became well educated at Dartmouth College and Andover Seminary. Soon after his ordination,Atkinson and his wife traveled by ship to Oregon City in June 1848. An energetic young man, he established a small Congregational church, sold school text books, helped organize Congregational and Presbyterian ministries, set up Sunday schools in nearby settlements, and played an important role in founding Tualatin Academy and Pacific University. Territorial Governor Joseph Lane enlisted his help in establishing public schools. Atkinson, thereby, achieved a lifetime reputation as an advocate of public and private schools.  OHQ vol. 113, no. 4 Atkinson made eight trips to New England to gain support for churches and schools, to recruit teachers and missionaries, and to promote Oregon.Sevetson might have mentioned thatAtkinson’s first trip had much in common with those made by Rev. Jason Lee and Dr. MarcusWhitman for similar purposes.Eastern church organizations who sent both Whitman and Atkinson as missionaries also expressed concern about the excesses of missionary Rev. Henry Spalding. Atkinson failed to raise the money he sought,but he recruited Sydney Harper Marsh for Tualatin Academy. As the first president of Pacific University,Marsh became an important regional educator. On his return to Oregon, Atkinson served as superintendent of Clackamas County Schools and attempted to finance a girls’ seminary in Oregon City. Atkinson faced other difficulties during his time in Oregon, including quarrels...