‘Automo-bubble’ a part of Deschutes railroad war

Upon his arrival in The Dalles in 1909 in quest of a job on the railroad, 19-year-old Jim Morrell was met by a friend — probably the one who’d told him there was work to be had. Morrell’s friend staked him to a meal and a flophouse bunk, and the next day he wasted no time in seeking out J.D. Porter, who with his brother Johnson Porter ran the construction company that had the Northern Pacific (James J. Hill) contract. Porter’s first question after Morrell introduced himself was straight and to the point: “Do you know how to skin a bubble?” he asked. (The Dalles, Wasco County; 1900s, 1910s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/23-11.automo-bubbling-in-a-railroad-war-627.html)