A bit more
Under Lownsdale's influence, Portland actively sought to attract businesses and customers to patronize them. Merchants sent delegations to The Dalles and Eagle Creek to distract immigrants from Oregon City, and a road was blazed from Portland to Foster's Farm in Eagle Creek so they wouldn't have to pass through Oregon City at all. Portland grew so fast that tree stumps were left in the middle of the roads because no one could spare the time to tend to their removal. Local residents quickly found they could jump from stump to stump and stay above the muddy, unpaved streets -- hence the name "Stumptown." They went so far as to whitewash the stumps to make them more visible.
In 1853, a corduroy road was completed up Canyon Creek to tap the growing populations in the Tualatin and Yamhill Valleys. This access to prime farmland was key to Portland's success, as it allowed the town to become the hub of transport and commerce in the area. In 1855, a fruit peddler from Yamhill by the name of Aaron Meier brought his merchandise over the road. Twelve years later he teamed with Sigmund Frank to create Oregon's oldest retail house, Meier and Frank
Dean
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