Oregon Nursery Company
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Nursery Company (also known as Orenco) was a nursery
company founded and originally operated in Salem
, Oregon
, United States
. The company later expanded to a site in Washington County, Oregon
west of Portland
. The entire operation was eventually moved to Washington County, where the company founded the town of Orenco
. The company went bankrupt in 1927. Its legacy is the Orenco place name that is still widely used in the Hillsboro
area.
campus, along State Street. The company changed it name to the Oregon Nursery Company in 1896 to reflect its expanding business. By 1904, the company was one of the largest nursery companies in the country, shipping nursery stock throughout the United States, Canada
, and Mexico
. It was well known enough that Luther Burbank
chose the company to propagate his Maynard plum and introduce it into the market.
By the early 1890s the Oregon Nursery Company was being run by two Canadian Scots, Malcolm McDonald and Archibald McGill. In 1896, the partners decided to expand their operation into the Portland area. They purchased 640 acres (2.6 km²) of farm land in rural Washington County 17 miles (27.4 km) west of Portland, in what is now Hillsboro. When a fire destroyed the company’s packing plant in Salem in 1905, the entire business was moved to Washington County.
The first building to be built at the Washington County site was a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) packing shed, the largest building of its kind in the country. Because of its size the building was the home of the Washington County Fair for many years. Over the next several years, McDonald and McGill purchased additional farm land adjacent to their nursery, expanding the company’s property to 1200 acres (4.9 km²). Most of the land was quickly planted with fruit trees, nut trees, shade trees, berries, and other nursery stock. In 1909, the company built a new office next to the packing shed. That same year, the Oregon Electric Railway
opened a line to the Oregon Nursery Company site, offering the opportunity to further expand the company’s business.
During that time, the company began sponsoring Hungarian immigrant families into the area to add to its workforce. To accommodate its workers, the company built residential homes, utilities, a school, and a church. It also encouraged small business to locate in the area. As a result, the town of Orenco was founded in 1908. The town name was an acronym for ORE-gon N-ursery CO-mpany. By 1910, the town population had reached 500, and a fire department was organized. The Orenco city hall was finished in 1912. The city of Orenco was officially incorporated on 6 January 1913, and Malcolm McDonald was elected the city’s first mayor.
In 1913, the Oregon Nursery Company was at its peak of production and sales. Its 1200 acres (4.9 km²) were covered with millions of trees and shrubs, and its nursery stock was in great demand. On 21 June 1913, the company hosted a national horticultural event that brought three hundred nurserymen from around the country to visit the Orenco operation. A special train carried the attended from Portland to Orenco. A grand banquet was served in the packing shed, to impress the guests with the size of the building and show off company’s modern processing and distribution facilities.
Before 1916, the company had expanded production significantly, anticipating a move into the European agriculture market. The company planted more than a million apple trees specifically for that purpose. However, the outbreak of World War I
ended any hope of selling nursery stock in Europe
for many years. As a result of slow moving inventory that cost money to maintain and increasing competition from other nurseries, the company began losing money. It filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved in 1927.
When the company closed, the city of Orenco lost its only large employer. Some families started small nurseries of their own, but most moved away looking for work elsewhere. In 1938, eight Orenco residents, representing the community’s remaining families, voted to dissolve the city government.
community of Dallas, Oregon
.
Today, the Orenco place name is widely used in the Hillsboro area. A major development on the old nursery land is called Orenco Station
. One of the Hillsboro stops on the MAX Blue Line
light-rail is Orenco/Northwest 231st Avenue. According to the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce
and the Orenco Station Business Owners Association, many Hillsboro businesses still use the Orenco name including retail stores, apartments complexes, at least four restaurants, three banks, a number of professional offices, and a real estate company. In addition, the former Orenco Woods Golf Course is built on land once owned by the Oregon Nursery Company. There is also an Orenco Elementary School in the Hillsboro School District
.
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
company founded and originally operated in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company later expanded to a site in Washington County, Oregon
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
west of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The entire operation was eventually moved to Washington County, where the company founded the town of Orenco
Orenco, Oregon
Orenco is a former company town in Washington County, Oregon, United States, located between Hillsboro and Aloha. The former community of Orenco now forms the Orenco neighborhood in Hillsboro, which is the site of the Orenco Station housing development.The community was established in 1905 as a...
. The company went bankrupt in 1927. Its legacy is the Orenco place name that is still widely used in the Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
area.
History
The Capital City Nursery company was founded by 1867. It originally operated from a site in Salem just east of the Willamette UniversityWillamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
campus, along State Street. The company changed it name to the Oregon Nursery Company in 1896 to reflect its expanding business. By 1904, the company was one of the largest nursery companies in the country, shipping nursery stock throughout the United States, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was well known enough that Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science.He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 54-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables...
chose the company to propagate his Maynard plum and introduce it into the market.
By the early 1890s the Oregon Nursery Company was being run by two Canadian Scots, Malcolm McDonald and Archibald McGill. In 1896, the partners decided to expand their operation into the Portland area. They purchased 640 acres (2.6 km²) of farm land in rural Washington County 17 miles (27.4 km) west of Portland, in what is now Hillsboro. When a fire destroyed the company’s packing plant in Salem in 1905, the entire business was moved to Washington County.
The first building to be built at the Washington County site was a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) packing shed, the largest building of its kind in the country. Because of its size the building was the home of the Washington County Fair for many years. Over the next several years, McDonald and McGill purchased additional farm land adjacent to their nursery, expanding the company’s property to 1200 acres (4.9 km²). Most of the land was quickly planted with fruit trees, nut trees, shade trees, berries, and other nursery stock. In 1909, the company built a new office next to the packing shed. That same year, the Oregon Electric Railway
Oregon Electric Railway
The Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, began in 1907. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in 1910, and extended service to Eugene in 1912...
opened a line to the Oregon Nursery Company site, offering the opportunity to further expand the company’s business.
During that time, the company began sponsoring Hungarian immigrant families into the area to add to its workforce. To accommodate its workers, the company built residential homes, utilities, a school, and a church. It also encouraged small business to locate in the area. As a result, the town of Orenco was founded in 1908. The town name was an acronym for ORE-gon N-ursery CO-mpany. By 1910, the town population had reached 500, and a fire department was organized. The Orenco city hall was finished in 1912. The city of Orenco was officially incorporated on 6 January 1913, and Malcolm McDonald was elected the city’s first mayor.
In 1913, the Oregon Nursery Company was at its peak of production and sales. Its 1200 acres (4.9 km²) were covered with millions of trees and shrubs, and its nursery stock was in great demand. On 21 June 1913, the company hosted a national horticultural event that brought three hundred nurserymen from around the country to visit the Orenco operation. A special train carried the attended from Portland to Orenco. A grand banquet was served in the packing shed, to impress the guests with the size of the building and show off company’s modern processing and distribution facilities.
Before 1916, the company had expanded production significantly, anticipating a move into the European agriculture market. The company planted more than a million apple trees specifically for that purpose. However, the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
ended any hope of selling nursery stock in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for many years. As a result of slow moving inventory that cost money to maintain and increasing competition from other nurseries, the company began losing money. It filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved in 1927.
When the company closed, the city of Orenco lost its only large employer. Some families started small nurseries of their own, but most moved away looking for work elsewhere. In 1938, eight Orenco residents, representing the community’s remaining families, voted to dissolve the city government.
Products
The Oregon Nursery Company had numerous nursery products. Over the years, the company introduced and marketed a number of new varieties of fruits, nuts, and berries. The company sold millions of plants. During one week in 1909, a single Orenco salesman sold over 17,000 prune trees to farmers around in the central Willamette ValleyWillamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
community of Dallas, Oregon
Dallas, Oregon
The city of Dallas is the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 14,583 at the 2010 census.Dallas is located on Rickreall Creek, approximately 15 miles west of Salem, at an altitude of 325 feet above sea level...
.
- The Orenco apple is probably the company’s most famous product. The Orenco apple is a red apple, plump, crisp, and juicy with a small core. According to the company’s 1913 Descriptive Catalogue of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, the Orenco apple is "the ideal dessert apple." The catalog claimed the Orenco was better than the McIntosh Red apple or SpitzenbergEsopus SpitzenburgEsopus Spitzenburg is an antique apple. It was discovered early in the 18th century near Esopus, New York, and is reputed to have been a favorite apple of Thomas Jefferson, who planted several of the trees at Monticello....
apple, two apples that were known for their quality. Today, the Orenco apple can still be found in some Pacific Northwest orchards and nurseries that specialize in classic apple varieties.
- The Oregon Nursery Company was also selected by Luther Burbank to propagate and market his Maynard plum. The Maynard plum variety became well known for its large size and hardiness during storage and shipping.
- The GreengageGreengageThe greengages, also known as the Reine Claudes, are the edible drupaceous fruits of a cultivar group of the common European plum. The first true greengage was bred in Moissac, France, from a green-fruited wild plum originally found in Asia Minor; the original greengage cultivar nowadays survives...
plum was once the most popular plum in America. It is a very flavorful plum, but is too fragile for shipping over long distances. Today, the original Greengage variety is extremely hard to find. Almost all the remaining trees can be traced back to Oregon Nursery Company stock.
- Walnuts were an imports product as well. The Oregon Nursery Company marketed at least seven different varieties including Vrooman Franquette, Mayette, Mayette Rougue, Parisienne, Praeparturien, Chaberte, and Cluster walnuts.
Legacy
Today, the Orenco town site along with the rest of the Oregon Nursery Company property is part of Hillsboro, a suburb west of Portland. The house Malcolm McDonald built is a local landmark. It is sometimes called the McDonald-Russell House after McDonald, its first owner, and Eugene Russell who lived in the house while operating the Orenco Woods Golf Course in the 1960s. The house is now the House of Ruth, a home for single mothers. Archibald McGill’s house, often called the McGill-Pitman House, still exists. It is also well known in the area.Today, the Orenco place name is widely used in the Hillsboro area. A major development on the old nursery land is called Orenco Station
Orenco Station
Orenco Station is a neighborhood of the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The planned urban town center was designed as a pedestrian friendly, high density community built in conjunction with TriMet’s Westside light rail...
. One of the Hillsboro stops on the MAX Blue Line
MAX Blue Line
The MAX Blue Line is a 33 mile light rail line in the MAX Light Rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Operated by TriMet, the line runs between Hillsboro and Gresham, via downtown Portland...
light-rail is Orenco/Northwest 231st Avenue. According to the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and the Orenco Station Business Owners Association, many Hillsboro businesses still use the Orenco name including retail stores, apartments complexes, at least four restaurants, three banks, a number of professional offices, and a real estate company. In addition, the former Orenco Woods Golf Course is built on land once owned by the Oregon Nursery Company. There is also an Orenco Elementary School in the Hillsboro School District
Hillsboro School District
The Hillsboro School District 1J is a unified school district located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The district operates 26 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Founded in 1851, the school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union,...
.