The Baker Boyer Bank

One of my volunteer tasks at the Washington State Library is to record the contents of a large series of drop folders. They are a large series of categorized folder that various paper items are dropped into.  Each folder is  labeled with a subject.     While working a folder marked Banks I came across several items about the "Baker Boyer Bank" located in Walla Walla, Washington. It brought back some memories of the times I worked summers around Walla Walla harvesting peas and wheat in the middle 1960s. Even though the ranch was in Oregon it bordered the Washington State line so all business trade was done in Walla Walla.  I would go there weekends to do laundry, eat and drink, et.  One thing I remembered was the Baker Boyer block.  Which appeared to be the family compound, but I was never sure who they were.  It was one of those mysteries we carry with us over the years.  Here was this medium sized Eastern Washington that had a family compound that you would expect to see in cities, or eastern states.

As the years pass and I learned more about the history of the Northwest I have earned a great appreciation for the city of Walla Walla and what it means to the history of Washington State and the Northwest. For a long while in the late 1800s Walla Walla was the largest city in Washington and second largest in the Northwest after Portland.  Two gentlemen named Dr. Dorsey S. Baker and John F. Boyer were at the center of much of that history.

While review the banking folder I found three items concerning the Baker Boyer Bank. So I thought I would share what I found and maybe peak you interest in the importance of these two men along with a third the Hon. Miles Conway Moore who has special history all his own.

The first is a letter written in March 1949 to Mr. Leonard Thorp, Asst. Ref. Librarian, Washington State Librarian.  The letter was from N. A. Davis, President of The Baker Boyer National Bank.  The letter was written to explain why his bank, The Baker Boyer National Bank, was the "first bank established in the State of Washington, the date was Nov. 10, 1869.  He talks about a conversation he had thirty years before with former bank President Miles C. Moore. [More on him later.]

The second document is a "Statement of Condition, December 31, 1948."  Baker Boyer National Bank, Walla Walla, Washington.  It is a short and to the point annual report.  It does show three Baker family members as Officers and Directors.  They are Charles F. Baker and D. S. Baker and D. F Baker.  No Boyer is listed.  The bank is showing Resources [assets] of  $25,711,430.23.

The third document in the files is a brochure printed for the" Fiftieth Anniversary, 1869 - 1919, of Baker - Boyer National Bank".  It was most interesting to me.  Like most anniversary brochures it went on to explain how the bank was formed.  Who the principle founders were, something about the present building and who the present officers are.

John F. Boyer was Dr. Baker's brother-in-law through Boyer marriage to Dr. Baker's sister, Sarah.  Boyer was born in Kentucky, but made his home in several states.  In 1849 he followed the money to California.  Even though he made some money mining he soon figured the real money was not in mining, but in selling to miners.  He opened a store in Sonora, California.  Later he returned east leaving his business in the hands of a partner.  Soon that old equalizer of the old west hit his business, fire.  So he stayed in the east until he married Sarah.  He then decided to return to Sonora, Cal.  The moved to Walla Walla, W. T. to be closer to Sarah's brother.  The two went in to the mercantile business.  Then selling that business they started a bank.

Dr. Dorsey S. Baker is, I think, the most interesting of the two and the driving force.  Much like Boyer, Baker came west to make something of himself.  After studying medicine Dr Baker came to Oregon to start a new life.  Like Boyer the lure of the gold fields was too much and off he went.  There he found that sell to miners rather than mining was the more profitable thing to do.  Later he came back to Portland, Oregon and started in business selling to miners around the west.  In the mean time Walla Walla had become a center of trade with the miners in Western Montana, Idaho, and Southern Canada.  If you wanted to be closer to the action Walla Walla was the place.  Good were shipped up the Columbia to the port of Wallula, W. T..  From there is was freighted to Walla Walla.  At Walla Walla the merchandise was purchased by miners, packed on horses or mules and packed into mining camps all over the inter-mountain west.

Baker was much more than just a store operator.  He was a true western entrepreneur.  Willing to try anything to make a dollar or two.  Like most entrepreneurs he was a bit of a gambler.  If not a gambler he was not afraid to take a chance when it looked like it would payoff well if worked right.  His biggest gamble was the building of the Walla Walla and Columbia River railroad. His thought was that if a railroad could be built between Walla Walla and the Columbia river port of Wallula.  People liked the idea, but getting them to back it with cash was another problem.  So he went it alone for the most part.  He had timber cut in the Blue Mountains of Easter Oregon and Washington and floated down various river for his use.  At first the rails were made of wood with a iron strap nailed to wood rails.  He purchased a steam engine and started to work.  He was able to provide a cheaper freight and passenger service.  It was slow, faster and cheaper then pack animals and wagons.  Once in business he purchased iron rails form Wales.  These were much more efficient and cost effective.  This was to be the first true railroad built in the State of Washington.

An Ad from the Walla Walla Statesman

for

 Dr Bakers Railroad in 1879

Dr. Baker went on to be come a force not only in banking, but transportation as well.  Not only was mining in need of transportation, wheat and flour were starting to become a major economic factor as well.  Now not only were goods coming up the Columbia, but goods were being shipped down river as well.  

The third person in the brochure was is the Hon. Miles Conway Moore.  He was president of the bank at it's fiftieth anniversary.  He is interesting, but cause he did get involved in politics some.  In fact he was the last Territorial Governor of the Washington Territory.  Washington became a state on November 11, 1889.  Moore accepted the duties of Territorial Governor for the months leading up Statehood.  He knew it was going to be an interim job.

The bank is still in business in Walla Walla.  It still stands on it's own feet continuing a proud tradition in old west banking.  Look it up.

This blog is just the tip of the iceberg.   I hope it entices you to learn more.  Their history is not only important, but on some level it is part of you.   

  

Great Republic

Howdy, A week ago or so I came across an article in the Walla Walla Statesman, April 26, 1879.  On page two is an article "The Lost Ship: The account of the Great Republic Disaster".   What is the Great Republic Disaster?   That is one thing I enjoy about volunteering at the Wa St Library. 

There are so may threads woven into the fabric of history that only come to light while indexing pioneer news papers.  It is history that is much more interesting than that which becomes common knowledge. We only learn about those things that are first.  The first president, the first boat, the largest mountain.  Yet while reading the papers I come across so much more to that fabric that makes up our history.

The Great Republic Disaster is just one of these.  On Friday, April 18, 1879 the Pacific Mail Steamship "Great Republic ran aground while entering the Columbia River.  While entering river under the guidance of a river pilot, he misjudge his position and ran the ship upon a shallow area called Sand Island.  The ship did not hit the bottom hard and most of the 1150 passengers on board didn't think much about it.  They would simply wait until high tide and float off and on to thier destination at Astoria.   Numerous tugs and other ships started to gather around the ship to give aid if necessary.  It be came necessary when it was realized the ship had gounded pretty much at hight tide.  Any added tide was of no help, nor did any attempt to tow offer any solution.  That's when life boats went to work removing people to some of the ships standby.  All passengers were removed safely.  Then came the task of removing baggage and freight.  That was not done.  A storm came up during the removal making it impossible.  In fact the only lives lost were of crew men attempting to remove the cargo.  A life boat capsized causing the lost of 10 men.The ship it's self broke inhalf during the storm and sank.

The Walla Walla Statesman reported a number of Walla Walla, Washington businesses had good lost.  One store, Adams Brothers lost $15,000 in merchandis,  mostly clothing and shoes.

From a history stand point this was not uncommon,  Numerous ship sunk each year with their cargo and passengers.  What makes this a little more interesting?  The Ship.

The "Grand Republic" was the largest ship of any kind built in America at that time.  It was built in 1866 for the Pacific Mail Company.  It was designed to travel between the Pacific Coast to China. It served on this run until 1876.  It was then used on a run from San Francisco to the Northwest.  It was replaced on the Pacific run by iron ships using screw drive.  The Great Republic was a wooden ship with side paddle wheel design. 

In 1987 a fisherman got his net caught on the bottom while fishing in the Sand Island area.  Rather than cut his net lose, he hired a diver to help retrieve his net.  The diver found the caught on a sunken ship.  That started a number of dives attempting to determine more information about the ship.  The researchers have come to the conclusion that it is the "Great Republic".  Not proven.  But best guess.  Because of the location it is hard for divers to spend much time on the bottom. 

This is just one of the many things I come across while reading the papers.  In future posts I plan on bringing more lost history to light for a short remergence.

Where did I get the info:
Walla Walla Statesman. 1879
New York Times, April 22, 1879
The Walla Walla Statesman got its info from the Oregonian Newpaper, Portland, Oregon.
Great Republic: A Historical and Archaeological Analysis of a Pacific Mail Steamship A Thesis by Andrew P. Roberts

70/enjoy

Roads ll

Reviewing the last post I see I should have checked it.  Some of it went in that big waste basket in the sky.  Not sure how that happened.  I guess I rested my finger on the wrong thing.  Anyway in the middle or so I talked about the roads and what NW newspapers in the 1850s had to say about over land mail.  Many of the Puget Sound towns of the era wanted mail sent by water.  It was usually faster and arrived in one piece.  While mail sent overland from Portland to Olympia and beyond arrived in a soggy, muddy state.  Much of it unreadable.  The mail had to travel in a stage with little or no protection from the elements.  The roads were so wet and muddy that the muck creeped into every crack on the stage making it almost impossible to protect mail or passengers.

Today with the internet and phones we sometimes fail to see the importance of mail.  In the early days it was of allr imporant.  It was the only way people had to communicate over long distances.  All business was handled through the mail.  It may take days or months to complete a transaction, but it was the only way it could be conducted.

 We like to say it was a slower paced time.  It was, but not for the reasons we talk about.  It was because an activity took months to complete.  The nerves it takes today to do business was the same then. If you were going to complete a deal it might take a couple weeks where today it might take minutes or a day or so.  Can you picture your self completing a loan transaction for a company deal knowing it will take six months to know if the deal is a go or not.  Then when an answer came it was just a wad of wet unreadable paper. 

Yes it was a slower time.  But the wait was longer.  The choice is yours. Now not then.    

 

Roads

Howdy,  Thought I would take some time and write a few thoughts this morning.  I am reading a book about the development of railroads in the U.K.  It is a small pocket book I picked up in Ruston, Wa. book shop.  It was printed for the Commonwealth market but some how found its way into that bookstore.  It starts out about roads in the U,K. before the coming of railroads.  In truth they didn't have any.  I find it interesting that with all the years from the beginning of time until the 20th century not one developed serviceable roads almost "they" insisted on sending it overland it was late, muddy, and much of it was unreadable. 
In one case a paper printed a notice that a club would meet each week except if the roads were too bad.  In another case Mrs. Strahorn state in here book "Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage" that she missed a train because she was stuck in a mud bog in the middle of a town along with several other wagons and couldn't get to the station. 

An old saying "you have never been stuck until yoou are stuck in a four wheel drive".  I suggest you have never been stuck until you have been stuck in a wagon with four horses.

Ah the those slower paced days of old.  Well they were slower because you couldn't go anywhere.

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So This Is Blogging

I have been thinking about this for a while. My goal is to bring thoughts, ideas and information I find of a historical nature I find while volunteering at the Wa St lib. Also thoughts about history. I have a general interest in all history.
It is said that history repeats it's self. I am not sure that is true. An interesting podcast lecturer suggested that it was more of rhyme. The lecturer took no credit for the statement, but suggested it may have been Mark Twain. I surely do not like, but feel it is a fit for me.

Well, let's see where this goes.