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Hillsboro Court
House
Taken from the c.1894
Oregonian's Handbook to the Pacific Northwest |
Hillsboro
It was settled in the 1840s and
incorporated in 1876
First called Columbia and later
renamed Hillsborough, shortened later to Hillsboro, after David
Hill. He was a pioneer and settler who donated the land that would
become the city.
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Hillsboro,
Oregon- Hillsboro is 15 miles west of Portland, in an air line, but
by the usual means of travel between the two places-the West Side
division of the Southern Pacific railroad-it is about 21 miles
distant from Oregon's metropolis. It is the county seat of
Washington county, and contains a population of about 1,800.
The town itself gives every evidence of thrift, and it
is most pleasantly located. The growth of the place from a mere
hamlet has been made within a very short time past. Four years ago
Hillsboro did not contain to exceed 800 people. The cause of this
rapid growth can be traced to the impetus given the town by the
organization of the Patrons of Husbandry, a granger corporation, but
in no way identified with the Farmers' Alliance. The Patrons
of Husbandry erected at Hillsboro a brick block and established a
general merchandise store under the name of the Hillsboro
Co-operative Company. This largely increased the farming trade of
the town, and the initiative taken by this organization instilled
the spirit of progress into the minds of the leading citizens of
Hillsboro, and in less than three years after the first great stroke
of enterprise was made by the Patrons, the population of the place
had more than doubled.
Hillsboro boasts of two large flouring mills, both in
operation. One of these mills makes a specialty of the manufacture
of oatmeal, which finds a ready market in all parts of the coast. In
addition to these mills, the town also contains a large warehouse
which furnishes ample and convenient storage for the farmers of the
vicinity.
City Hall |
Morgan and Bailey Block |
Three new churches have been added to the town of late
years. The Methodist, Baptist, Congregational and Christian
denominations contain very strong memberships. The educational
facilities of Hillsboro have never been neglected. A well graded
school of 450 pupils is conducted in a fine school building, erected
at a cost of $14,000. The school contains seven grades, with a
teacher at the head of each.
The town contains 16 brick stores, and the leading
mercantile and professional pursuits are carried on with profit. A
handsomely designed and expensive brick court house occupies a full
block in the center of the town. Sessions of both the county and
circuit courts are regularly held here.
Hillsboro has good planked streets, electric lights,
water works, and every adequate protection against fire. Municipal
affairs have been conducted wisely and on a conservative basis, as
is evidenced by the statement that the city's indebtedness does not
exceed $4,000.
The Southern Pacific railroad furnishes the
transportation facilities of Hillsboro at the present writing. Two
trains run each way over this line daily, connecting Hillsboro not
only with Portland and the East, but also with all points of the
Willamette valley. A motor line of road now runs out of Portland
part of the way to Hillsboro, and it is probable that this will be
completed clear through to the latter place during the present year.
Two hotels, with rates varying from $1 to $2 a day, furnish
comfortable accommodations to the traveling public. The town
supports two good weekly publications, The Independent and
The Democrat.
The climate of Washington county is essentially the
same as that of the entire Willamette valley. Old age and disease
claim their victims here, however, as in every part of the world.
Dr. F.A. Bailey, the leading physician, and a prominent figure in
the growth of the city, makes a most gratifying report of the
healthy conditions of Hillsboro's population. The doctor has great
faith in the future of the town, and this faith will certainly not
be shaken by the future development here.
Owing to Hillsboro's proximity to Portland, city lots
and farming lands in the vicinity find a ready sale among careful
investors. J.J. Morgan has constantly on hand a large list of all
classes of property in Hillsboro and the adjoining section. He has
been prominent in almost every enterprise that has been inaugurated
in the town during the last 12 or 13 years. He is now a stockholder
in the Hillsboro Co-Operative Company; he is an officer and a
director of the First National Bank of Hillsboro, and he stands
deservedly high in the community where he has so long resided. All
information furnished by Mr. Morgan on Hillsboro and the tributary
district, can be relied on in all cases as strictly accurate and of
great value to the seeker for information on this part of the
Willamette Valley.
C.1894 Oregonian's Handbook to the Pacific
Northwest, Oregon Publishing Company
©Shauna Williams |