Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1904-10-28
OREGON NEEDS ADVERTISING
Former Portland Man Surprised to
Find the State So Little Known
in the East.

John S. Pinney, a former manager
of the Portland, Spokane and Seattle
branches of the American Type
Founders Company, who was recently
promoted to position in the head
office in New York City, writes the
Portland Journal that he finds Oregon
poorly advertised in the Eastern states,
and that no Oregon fruits, labeled as
such, can be found in the Eastern
markets. Mr.. Pinney, an able man
by the way, became greatly attached
to Oregon during his few years stay
on the coast, and when promoted to a
higher position in the New York office
of his company, left the state reluc-
family, declaring that he would return
some day and spend the remainder of
his life in Oregon. Pinney has a
forceful, convincing way about him,
and it is pretty safe to say that the
men he meets will learn something
about Oregon if nobody else in the
East does. His letter to the Journal
is not exactly pleasing and palatable,
but it contains an almighty hard dose
of the truth, as any man who has ever
travelled through the country he writes
Of can abundantly testify. Every
Oregonian should read his letter and
profit by it. He SAYS:
May Is last I left Oregon to make
my business home in New York. /
determined, on starting, to learn to
what extent Oregon is known in that
section of the United States called ''the
east" and the result of my investiga-
tions is here stated;
During five months I have travelled
about 5000 miles. have visited
Minneapolis, st. Paul, Chicago twice,
Detroit, Cleveland, indianapolis twice,
Pittsburg twice, Philadelphia three
times, Buffalo, Albany, and the dis
tance from New York to Chicago has
been covered three times. have also
spent many days in New York City,
and in the larger cities near New York.
During all of this travelling / have en-
ioyed conversation with great many
business men and fellow travellers.
To my statement that came from the
Pacific coast, they have all replied,
invariably and instantly, ooh yes,
from California. Icounted the num-
ber of times that reply was made
during the first three months after
leaving Oregon, and the number was
1888. Since then have not continued
the count, but have been surprised
and panied that not single one of
the thousands of eastern men / have
met and conversed with, appeared to
know that Oregon was on the map,
but every one instantly said, ooh yes,
from California" when / mentioned
the Pacific coast.
Lately I have been Investigating the
why" of this seeming lack of knowl
edge of Oregon's existence. Here,
again, is the result: l find California
literature everywhere Railroad
advertising, land company booklets,
city souvenirs, fruit statistics, and the
fruits themselves, but nothing from
Oregon, or almost nothing.
[ have visited several of the largest
groceries in Newark, 25O,OOO popula-
tion, also in Elizabeth, $4,000 popula-
ton, Jersey City, 100000 population,
New York about 5000, 900, looking for
Oregon prunes, and other Oregon
fruits, and the invariable and unhesi
tating reply has been that they never
heard of Oregon prunes. have, how
ever, ordered eight boxes from a friend
in Oregon and they will be placed on
the tables of eight we'll known men
living in New York and New Jersey,
for 1 am determined that some one
within my circle of business and per-
sonal friends must be able to say that
they have heard Of Oregon prunes,
and have tasted them and found them
good.
1 have still further pursued my
investigations relative to Oregon pro-
ducts in the east. My latest effort has
been to discover, if possible, some Of
the excellent products Of that great
state advertised in the eastern maga-
zines and other high-class publica-
tions, such as the Ladies' Home
Journal, Saturday Evening Post, and
others. I have found one glorious
conspicuous exception to the discour-
agingly monotonous failure, and this
single shining example is the Pendle-
ton Woolen Mills, with their well
constructed, beautiful advertisement
for the Oregon Indian robes manu-
featured at Pendleton. Hurrah for
Pendleton and her enterprising woolen
mill and the Indian robes. / have
found two Of the robes in families liy-
ing on Staten Island and in Jersey
City, and felt like shaking hands with
old friends from my beloved Oregon.
q sent both robes east myself to these
families for Christmas presents some
years ago. wish it were possible to
send more Of them, not especially to
just make presents, but to let more
families back here know of at least
one Oregon product.
But what's the matter with Oregon
anyway? Why have thousands Of we'll
posted bright business men in nine Of
the largest and most wealthy eastern
s4atas said 70 mo ssOb vac from Cali /