Joseph Paquet papers, 1856-1951

Construction contractor and shipbuilder Joseph Paquet was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1841, the son of a ship carpenter. The family came overland to Oregon in 1852 and eventually settled on a ranch near Oregon City. After learning his father's trade, Paquet pursued a career in ship and dam building. He was credited with constructing the first steam ferry that ran across the Willamette River at Salem, as well as a number of dams and dikes. He lived in Canemah, Oregon, from 1870 until moving to Portland in 1879. He continued building steamboats, as well as sewer systems, bridges, roads, and railroads. He served as president of many companies, including the St. John Shipbuilding Company, the Portland Sand Company, and the contracting firm of Paquet, Giebisch & Joplin. He owned multiple parcels of property in Portland, as well as an 800-acre ranch near the city, and he served as school director of East Portland for six years. He married Mary Elizabeth Blottenberger in 1870, and the couple had three children. Paquet died in 1924.