Draft Horses at Star Sand Company Docks, Portland - c. 1900
It took strong horses, wagons, and men to distribute the crushed aggregate and sand sold by Star Sand Company, which was the largest company of its type in the Pacific Northwest. Founded by Christian Minsinger in about 1890, the company started by dredging sand from the Willamette River, but soon added crushed rock to its offerings.
The docks shown here were located near 15th and Front Street. It appears that the gravel and sand were loaded onto the wagons by hand, using shovels.
Today the company is infamous for its purchase of Coffin Rock, a 225 feet high mound of basalt on the lower Columbia. They used it as a source of rip-rap and crushed rock, and by 1952 the rock was completely gone. The land was purchased by Weyerhaeuser and is now the site of their Longview Chemical Plant.
-- This photo is restored and printed by Old Oregon.
Photographer | Unknown |
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Location | Portland, Multnomah County |
Subject | Construction, Docks and Harbors, Horses, Mules and Oxen, Road Work |
Decade | 1900s |
Print Maker | Old Oregon |
Original Type | Larger Print |
Size of Original | 7.0 x 9.9 inches |