His will left funds for the creation of the Skidmore Fountain,which was named in his memory.[1]
Early life
Stephen Griggs Skidmore (middle name Gregg,according to some records) was born on December 28,1838,in Peoria County,Illinois,to Andrew Reed Skidmore and Sarah Ann Slater.[2] He was the second of six children. In 1850,his family moved from Illinois to Portland,Oregon.[3]
Career
Soon after arriving in Portland,at the age of 12,he began working as a paperboy for The Oregonian,which was recently established at the time. He soon after began working for the druggists Smith &Davis. In 1867,he founded his own pharmacy. Charles Sitton was his business partner.[2][3]
Skidmore earned a fortune of around $150,000 (about $4.5 million today).[2]
Beginning in 1882,Skidmore began suffering from an unspecified lung problem. He began to travel extensively for the last year of his life before dying on June 18,1883,while in San Rafael,California. His body was returned to Portland and he was buried at River View Cemetery.[3]
In his will, Skidmore left $5,000 to the city. $18,000 were also donated by Skidmore's friends Henry Failing and C. E. S. Wood, as well as his business partner Charles Sitton.[3] The city used these funds to build the Skidmore Fountain. It was sculpted by Olin Levi Warner and has water at different levels, originally for "people, dogs, and horses" to drink out of.[1]
Portland brewer Henry Weinhard offered to pump beer through the fountain for its dedication, but the city declined the offer.[5]
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