The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1897-10-16
EARLY DAY. "REMINISCENCES.
One of Our Dalles' Boys RecItes Incl
dents of the Past.

Over thirty-five years ago, in 1862,
Robert Pentland came to The Dalles
with his family, consisting ola daughter,
Anna Pentland, now Mrs. s. L. Brooks,
and two sons, Ed. G. Pentland, who is
now here visiting his sister, and Charles
Pentland, who died when a small boy.
The first water works here were put IN
by Robert Pentland.
In conversation with CHRONICLE re-
porter Mr.. Pentland recalls many in
cIdents of the early days. In the old
school house under the bluff, near where
Captain Coffin lived, he learned his A
B C's, under Miss Mollie Snyder. At
that time Oliver White, lately State
printer of Washington, and Joe Day, the
detective, and Tom Parrott, the artist,
were going to school. In those days
Fort Dalles was occupied by several
companies of soldiers. The fare was $12
for passage on the steamboats, from
Portland, and freight $50 ton. Front
street was the business street. The
postofice was in Waldron Bros drug
store, the stone building now standing
vacant. In those days coal oil was 81. so
a gallon, and apples were worth 10
cents each or three tor quarter. Small
change was unknown. 1t was the
''long bit" and the ''short Bit
Mr.. Pentland lived in The Dalles
sixteen years, and left here about nine
teen years ago. The boys and girls of
those days he now finds men and women
some of them heads OF families while
the children are themselves in business.
He recalls the names of Hope, Dill and
Ernest Ferguson, Fred and frankie
Stump, Malcolm and Zenas Moody,
George and Charley Craig, al Bettingen, :,
Ed Holland, Frank Mcfarland, Charles
Reed, Mike and viii Day. Farmer and
Clay Hill, Dennis and Will Bunnell,
Bert Bunnell, Geo. Gibbons, Clarence,
Edith and Adella Carter, Joe and Ben
Teal, Allie Martin, now Mrs. Crossen !;
Emma Harmon, now Mrs. Doane; Ella
Bulger, now Mrs. Michel; Emma
Condor, now Mrs. Thompson; Hattie
Condor, now Mrs. Arthur Coffin; Nell
Coffin, now Mrs. E. B. Mcfarland :;
Laura Mcfarland, now Mrs. McEwen
Alice Mcfarland, now Mrs. Abrams
Clara Humason, now Mrs. Judge
Waldo; Annie Thornbury, now Mrs.
Kinersley; Amanda Thornbury, now
Mrs. Hudson; Lu Donnell, now Mrs.
Crandall; and many other boy and
girl schoolmates of those days.
The people of The Dalles were always
TonfnA for tboir anoio lNilifxy onA IN
days the young people engaged them.
selves as much if not more than now
Mr.. Pentland says he has never haC
anything but the very pleasantest mem
ories of The Dalles.
AZ want to say one thing to the news
papers of The Dalles. 1t is mistake tc
burn up the capitalists of your town
and try to force enterprises. fine
human nature the same everywhere
and the place of newspaper is to poin
out where money can be proftably in
vested IN your town, and you will fine
that your men OF capital are just a
eager to invest in profitable enterprise
as they ever were. The Dalles is
splendid business town, and has
brilliant future. A permanent in
vestment which would pay propert,
owners Is the paving of Union stree
from the Umatilla house to the bluff
and Second street from Union street t
the warehouses; out unless the propert
owners see that it will actually pa
them to make such an investment
will remain undone. Then again a
agitation by all the newspapers shown
how profitable to the stockholders woul
be the development of the immens
water power near here would fnall
bear fruits and The DalIes become
manufacturing city. The Oalles has
great deal of available capital, and
the newspapers show where it can b
invested, with assurance of interest o
the outlay, the surplus money will /
invested at home. The Dalles bears tn
reputation abroad of being an entel
prising town. Your business men hay
shown, in many ways, very commend
able spirit
Mr.. Pentland leaves for his home i
independence, tomorrow, taking tn
Regulator line down the river an
obtaining his first view of the complete
locks at the Cascades.