Now You Know: Factoids and Curiosities
Factoids and curiosities
April 5, 2001
Portland, Ore., was nearly named Boston. That's what settler Asa Lovejoy of Massachusetts wanted to call it, but he couldn't persuade his partner, F.W. Pettygrove. They flipped a coin to settle the matter, and Lovejoy lost. Pettygrove got to name the place. He was from Maine.
Source: 'History of Oregon,' by Charles H. Carey, Pioneer Historical Publishing Co., 1922.
(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor