Oregon Commercial Company Building - History

History

The foundation of this firm was laid in 1884, by R. M. Steel, D. P. Thompson and others, who were the contractors that constructed the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company to this point. It was known as the Oregon Construction Company, and ran along in that manner until January, 1894 when R. M. Steel, G. A. Steel and J. H. Aitkin became the incorporators and directors of the present institution. They carry a general line of merchandise, including farm machinery, vehicles, miner's supplies, lumber and building material of all descriptions. A representative of the Democrat was shown through their main store and found it equal to the department stores of a large eastern city, both in the amount of stock carried and the manner of displaying it. Every line is apparently a store by itself, each in charge of a responsible head, securing the same attention to each department as if it were a distinct store under different ownership, with this difference in favor of the O. C. Co., their clientage of customers is large and expense of doing business less. They do business strictly upon eastern principles, believing in a large volume and small profits, and with this idea have been alive to the proposition of selling goods at figures that would enable them to handle more merchandise until today they are recognized as being the heaviest buyers in Oregon outside of Portland. In 1897 they handled over two hundred cars of general merchandise, and are the only firm to ship a solid train load of groceries to any point of the northwest, as the shippers have found out on investigation. We present a cut of it, consisting as it did of fourteen cars of groceries and two of hardware. They also do an extensive forwarding business for interior points in Harney, Malheur, Baker and Union Counties, occupying a fireproof warehouse on the track, with a floor space of 8,000 square feet (740 m2).