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<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A
href="http://bluebook.state.or.us/cultural/history/history13.htm">http://bluebook.state.or.us/cultural/history/history13.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><A
href="http://www.salemhistory.net/Business/bgfk001.htm">http://www.salemhistory.net/Business/bgfk001.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Gerry Frank info</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P>With all this talk of needles, I think it's appropriate to share a story</P>
<P>with you. The following is quoted from Quilt in a Day's "Pioneer Sampler"
by</P>
<P>Eleanor Burns. Eleanor provides the following reference...Pioneer
folklore</P>
<P>from Women's Voices from the Oregon Train, pp. 134-135; Susan G.
Butruille,</P>
<P>Tamarack Books, Inc., Boise, ID, 1993.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>The Missing Needle</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>The year was 1853 and Grandmother Drain owned the only darning needle in</P>
<P>Pass Creek Canyon, Oregon. It was the most cared-for-possession in the
small</P>
<P>community of fifteen families! When clothing needed to be patched and</P>
<P>mended, everyone knew Grandmother Drain would lend it out.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>Sharing the needle went well--until the day eight year old Jimmy Chitwood</P>
<P>was to take it back to its owner. Mrs. Chitwood put a long red raveling</P>
<P>through the eye of the needle, knotted the raveling, put the needle into
a</P>
<P>potato, and sent Jimmy off to Grandmother Drain's cabin.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>The small animals on the trail did not distract Jimmy from his important</P>
<P>mission--until a mother bear with her two cubs came into sight! He
quickly</P>
<P>hid behind a stump under a bush until the bears left, and then he went
on.</P>
<P>Oh, yes, as you guessed! The worst happened to poor Jimmy! Imagine his</P>
<P>horror to discover the only needle in town was lost while under his care.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>All of the neighbors joined in the search--a search which seemed futile.</P>
<P>Suddenly Jimmy disappeared into the bushes. When he reappeared, he had
the</P>
<P>needle--still stuck in the potato. Jimmy had finally recalled the stump</P>
<P>where he had hidden when frightened by the bears. The whole town shared
the</P>
<P>joy of finding the needle.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>One day in the fall of 1855, the head of the needle broke off as
Grandmother</P>
<P>Drain was sewing. All of the ladies in Pass Creek Canyon hoped that a
needle</P>
<P>would soon be provided.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>It was around Thanksgiving when a peddler rode into Pass Creek on a mule.</P>
<P>One of the ladies bought a comb, two bought dress goods, another one
bought</P>
<P>a doll head. Then, they remembered the need for a needle, and shared
their</P>
<P>story. Being a generous man, the peddler gave a "Christmas present" to
each</P>
<P>of the families of Pass Creek Canyon.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>The peddler was Aaron Meier. After several years of peddling his wares</P>
<P>across Oregon, he opened his own store in Portland in 1857. With the help
of</P>
<P>his family, he developed the Meier and Frank company into one of
America's</P>
<P>great family-owned department stores.</P>
<P><BR></P>
<P>"The Oregonian" ran a full-page ad on January 1, 1967. The headline read</P>
<P>"Have you ever heard the story of 'The Potato and and Darning Needle'?"
At</P>
<P>the end was an invitation: "We still want every woman to have a darning</P>
<P>needle of her own. Come into our Fabric Center at any one of our three</P>
<P>stores Tuesday and get yours, free." <A
href="http://www.quilthistory.com/98312.htm">http://www.quilthistory.com/98312.htm</A></P>
<P><BR><!--msnavigation--></P></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=comerslr@mindspring.com href="mailto:comerslr@mindspring.com">Anne
Comer</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us
href="mailto:or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us">or-roots@sosinet.sos.state.or.us</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, January 12, 2005 2:16
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [or-roots] Meier &
Franks</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>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.<BR><BR>Thanks, Anne<BR><BR>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. :-)<BR><BR><?fontfamily><?param Helvetica><?smaller>******************************************<BR><?smaller>Descended
from these Oregon/Washington Territory Pioneers and Early Settlers:<BR>- Dela
Fletcher and Phoebe (Flanary) CRABTREE, arrived 1846, Linn County<BR>- James
W. and Elizabeth (Empson) PEEK, arrived 1847, Lane County<BR>- William Martin
and Mary "Polly" (Dealy) PRINE, arrived 1850, Linn>Lake>Linn
Counties<BR>- Rev. Joab and Anna (Beeler) POWELL, arrived 1852, Linn
County<BR>- William Moore and Sarah (Scott) RUTLEDGE, arrived 1852,
Thurston>Lewis>Baker>Linn Counties<BR>- Thomas C. SMITH, arrived
before 1860, Lane>Thurston>Benton Counties<BR>- John Benjamin and Nancy
Jane (Hamilton) HUDELSON, arrived 1876, Polk>Linn
Counties<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><?/smaller><?/smaller><?/fontfamily></BODY></HTML>