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In response to
"hello all. tell me something I don't already know. -- nm"
by
Truman
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When Francis Pettygrove and Asa Lovejoy had their famous coin flip to determine the eventual name of the City of Portland ...
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They did not use a gold or silver dollar coin as most people believe. Nor did they allow the coin to touch the ground.
Instead, they used what came to be known as The Portland Penny -- a penny minted in 1835 and currently housed at the Oregon Historical Society. Additionally, it wasn't a single coin flip, it was the best 2 out of 3 that determined the winner.
Also, before the City of Portland was named -- or incorporated -- the town was known simply as "The Clearing." The major commercial and industrial center at the time was actually in Oregon City, further south along the Willamette River.
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