Oregon Improvement Company

Mining and transportation company of Washington state, 1888-1896.

Henry Villard founded the Oregon Improvement Company in 1880 as a central component in his attempt to dominate the economy of the Pacific Northwest by linking rail, river, and ocean transport. The OIC owned coal mines in western Washington, four small railroads, and a steamship company. They suffered financial problems from the start, and competition for the San Francisco coal market was stiff. They tried to overcome their liabilities by keeping strict control over labor, using lockouts, wage cuts, and armed guards in attempt to lower costs and suppress union activity. Villard was succeeded by Elijah Smith in 1884, and the company had some success until 1888, which saw worsening labor strife and a series of mine fires. In 1890 the OIC went into receivership and reorganized. The new management offered its workers a contract that would have reduced wages, forbid strikes, and set tough production quotas. It was rejected. The OIC then brought in black workers to reduce labor costs. The issue became race instead of working conditions, and worker resistance fragmented, but the company still struggled. The OIC went into receivership again in 1896, and the Pacific Coast Company purchased and absorbed it.

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