Gaston, Joseph.  "Portland, Oregon Its History and Builders."  Vol. 2. 
Chicago and Portland, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911. p. 767.
 
RICHARD S. PERKINS

     To those familiar with the history of the northwest the name of Richard S.
Perkins calls to mind extensive like-stock interests which he conducted and also
the fact that he was the builder of the Perkins Hotel of Portland. His business
undertakings on the whole were of a character that contributed to the upbuilding
and welfare of this section of the country, with the interests of which he
became identified in 1852, when Portland was a town of only about one thousand
inhabitants. For seventy-nine years he trod life's pathway and then passed on to
that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.
     A native of Bristol, England, he was born August 23, 1823, and in 1851,
when twenty-eight years of age, crossed the Atlantic to the new world, settling
first in Cleveland, Ohio, where he entered the employ of Steadman Brothers. In
the fall of that year he went to Toledo, Ohio, and through the packing season
was employed by the firm of Howard & Walker. The theme of general interest at
that time throughout the east and the Mississippi valley was the opportunities
of the "golden west." While it was known that all who sought fortunes in the
mines had not been successful, those who went to the coast recognized the fact
that there were many other natural resources that could be utilized in
legitimate business ventures for the attainment of success, and the favorable
reports which Mr. Perkins heard determined him to establish his home in Oregon.
He, therefore, crossed the plains with Robert Perry, driving four yoke of oxen,
and in November, 1852, reached The Dalles. From that point he proceeded to the
Cascades and toward the latter end of the month arrived in Portland.
     For a half century thereafter Richard S. Perkins was a resident of the
northwest and contributed his full share toward its upbuilding and progress. His
initial effort here was made as an employe of Albright & White, butchers of
Portland, with whom he remained for a few weeks, when he entered into
partnership with A. H. Johnson and established a butchering business on the site
of the First National Bank building, under the firm name of Johnson & Perkins.
From the beginning the new enterprise prospered and was successfully conducted
for ten years. Mr. Perkins then became a drover, buying cattle throughout the
Willamette valley and driving them across the plains to Idaho. la 1864 he went
to Montana and soon afterward returned to Portland. In 1869 he started for
California with forty-four hundred sheep but sold them on the road, and after
making the sale, went to Texas, where he secured four thousand cattle which he
brought to Oregon. He herded his cattle upon the plains of Idaho, selling a part
of the number during the next two years, and in the spring of 1871 he returned
to Oregon with the number that remained. Securing a farm in Washington county,
he there cultivated his fields and cared for his stock until 1872, in which year
he bought a herd of eight hundred cattle, which he took to Umatilla county. His
Beaverton farm was a most valuable one. He continuously developed his
stock-raising business, increasing his herd of cattle to five thousand, and also
secured about five hundred horses. He was one of the most extensive
stock-raisers and dealers on the Pacific coast and continued in the business
until 1886, when he sold it at a handsome profit and returned to Portland.
     On again locating in this city Mr. Perkins became connected with hotel
interests, renting and conducting the Holton House for five years. In 1890 he
began the erection of a hotel on the lot at the northeast corner of Fifth and
Washington streets, the building being one hundred by one thousand feet. It is
said that at that time he refused an offer of two hundred thousand dollars for
the land. The hotel, a six-story structure, was opened for business on the 4th
of February, 1891, and in an appropriate location on the top floor he placed a
golden steer, indicative of the fact that he had made his money in the cattle
business. When the widespread financial disaster of 1893-4 caught many prominent
and hitherto successful business men throughout the country, Mr. Perkins became
involved in financial difficulties and was compelled to part with his hotel in
1896. At that time he and his family took up their residence on Flanders street.
     It was in 1857 that Mr. Perkins was married to Miss Elizabeth East, a
daughter of John N. and Elizabeth East, of Polk county. Mrs. Perkins was born in
Kentucky, where her father was engaged in the surveying business until 1841,
when, with his family, he crossed the plains with an ox team. They were the
second party to make the trip over the plains, and on reaching this district
settled near Oregon City. They were about eight months on the trip and after
securing a claim in Polk county, Mr. East there built a log house and began the
development of a farm, which continued to be his home throughout his remaining
days. He was born in Virginia and died in 1876 at the age of sixty- two years.
He held membership in the Presbyterian church and was a strong democrat in his
political views. He and his family experienced all the hardships and privations
of pioneer life because of their removal from districts where the comforts and
advantages of an older civilization could be secured. Mrs. East was born in
Kentucky and died in 1887, when seventy-three years of age. Their daughter, Mrs.
Perkins, is a member of the Pioneer Society and is a most highly esteemed lady,
honored by all who know her. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were born eleven children
: Hannah N.. the wife of Clarence Brown, of Portland ; Robert Sitton ; Richard
Andrew ; John Arthur, deceased ; Charles Henry; George H.; Jane; Charlotte, the
wife of C. A. Malbouf; May; Daisy, the wife of Irving H. Pratt, of Seattle; and
Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Albert Mendenhal.
     Mr. Perkins was prominent in the Masonic fraternity with which he held
membership for over half a century. A contemporary writer has said of him : "He
was a man of rugged personality, and during his long business career exerted
that personal courage and ability of enduring fatigue, honesty and love of
adventure which have done so much to build up the Pacific northwest." His
experiences as he traveled over the plains with herds of cattle would often
constitute a story more thrilling than any romantic tale. He died April 29,
1902, and thus was closed a life record that had distinct value for the
northwest. He recognized business opportunities and operated on an extensive
scale in harmony with the spirit that has ever been dominant in the upbuilding
of this section of the country. Much of his life covered that picturesque period
ere the division of the land into small farms, when men, owning immense tracts
of land, herded hundreds and hundreds of cattle on the plains and hillsides.
They were forerunners of the present day civilization and progress and the work
which they did should never be forgotten.
 

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in May 2009 by Diana Smith. Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.