NW NATURAL

In 1852, H. C. Leonard and John Green moved from Astoria to Portland. A few years earlier, after emigrating from the East Coast, they had founded a store serving the frontier community. But believing that Portland was the city of the future, they moved upriver. Among other businesses, they founded a gas company. Their purpose was to bring gas lamps to Portland’s streets, homes and businesses. On Jan. 7, 1859, they obtained a perpetual franchise from the territorial government to distribute ... gas. Weeks later, on Feb. 14, Oregon became a state. Today, more than 150 years later, NW Natural carries on the tradition started by Leonard and Green and the Portland Gas Light Co. A business that started with 49 customers in one square mile of Portland now serves more than 700,000 homes and businesses in 107 communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington.More