[or-roots] Meier & Franks

[Sue Steward]

http://bluebook.state.or.us/cultural/history/history13.htm
Aaron Meier, a Jewish emigrant from Germany, worked his way north in the mid-1850s from the Sierra gold fields to new mines in the Rogue River Valley. He carried needles, thread, buttons, and bolts of cloth in his traveling dry goods business. He worked hard, saved, and in 1857 opened a small retail store in Portland, then a town of 1,300 residents. The city's boom during the 1860s with opening of new mining fields in the interior and the flow of capital through the emerging city gave him the chance to expand his business. In time Sigmund Frank, his son-in-law, joined him. Meier & Frank Department Store was on its way to becoming one of the nation's largest retail outlets.

http://www.salemhistory.net/Business/bgfk001.htm
Gerry Frank info

With all this talk of needles, I think it's appropriate to share a story

with you. The following is quoted from Quilt in a Day's "Pioneer Sampler" by

Eleanor Burns. Eleanor provides the following reference...Pioneer folklore

from Women's Voices from the Oregon Train, pp. 134-135; Susan G. Butruille,

Tamarack Books, Inc., Boise, ID, 1993.




The Missing Needle




The year was 1853 and Grandmother Drain owned the only darning needle in

Pass Creek Canyon, Oregon. It was the most cared-for-possession in the small

community of fifteen families! When clothing needed to be patched and

mended, everyone knew Grandmother Drain would lend it out.




Sharing the needle went well--until the day eight year old Jimmy Chitwood

was to take it back to its owner. Mrs. Chitwood put a long red raveling

through the eye of the needle, knotted the raveling, put the needle into a

potato, and sent Jimmy off to Grandmother Drain's cabin.




The small animals on the trail did not distract Jimmy from his important

mission--until a mother bear with her two cubs came into sight! He quickly

hid behind a stump under a bush until the bears left, and then he went on.

Oh, yes, as you guessed! The worst happened to poor Jimmy! Imagine his

horror to discover the only needle in town was lost while under his care.




All of the neighbors joined in the search--a search which seemed futile.

Suddenly Jimmy disappeared into the bushes. When he reappeared, he had the

needle--still stuck in the potato. Jimmy had finally recalled the stump

where he had hidden when frightened by the bears. The whole town shared the

joy of finding the needle.




One day in the fall of 1855, the head of the needle broke off as Grandmother

Drain was sewing. All of the ladies in Pass Creek Canyon hoped that a needle

would soon be provided.




It was around Thanksgiving when a peddler rode into Pass Creek on a mule.

One of the ladies bought a comb, two bought dress goods, another one bought

a doll head. Then, they remembered the need for a needle, and shared their

story. Being a generous man, the peddler gave a "Christmas present" to each

of the families of Pass Creek Canyon.




The peddler was Aaron Meier. After several years of peddling his wares

across Oregon, he opened his own store in Portland in 1857. With the help of

his family, he developed the Meier and Frank company into one of America's

great family-owned department stores.




"The Oregonian" ran a full-page ad on January 1, 1967. The headline read

"Have you ever heard the story of 'The Potato and and Darning Needle'?" At

the end was an invitation: "We still want every woman to have a darning

needle of her own. Come into our Fabric Center at any one of our three

stores Tuesday and get yours, free."   http://www.quilthistory.com/98312.htm




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Anne Comer 
  To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 2:16 PM
  Subject: [or-roots] Meier & Franks


  Hi, all. Does anyone remember a story that was posted here some years ago about a peddler who gave a new needle to an Oregon pioneer family whose precious needle had been lost? I think he later founded Meier & Franks department store. If anyone can dredge up that story, I would be grateful.

  Thanks, Anne

  I have this message again because I am not sure if it got through to the list. I beg your pardon if it gots to you twice, but better twice than not at all. :-)

  ******************************************
  Descended from these Oregon/Washington Territory Pioneers and Early Settlers:
  - Dela Fletcher and Phoebe (Flanary) CRABTREE, arrived 1846, Linn County
  - James W. and Elizabeth (Empson) PEEK, arrived 1847, Lane County
  - William Martin and Mary "Polly" (Dealy) PRINE, arrived 1850, Linn>Lake>Linn Counties
  - Rev. Joab and Anna (Beeler) POWELL, arrived 1852, Linn County
  - William Moore and Sarah (Scott) RUTLEDGE, arrived 1852, Thurston>Lewis>Baker>Linn Counties
  - Thomas C. SMITH, arrived before 1860, Lane>Thurston>Benton Counties
  - John Benjamin and Nancy Jane (Hamilton) HUDELSON, arrived 1876, Polk>Linn Counties

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