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On this day in 1840, George Abernethy arrived in Oregon from New York. From 1845 to 1849, Abernethy was Oregon's first and only Provisional Governor. While operating the Methodist Mission Store at Oregon City in 1845, Abernethy developed a form of currency for making change with chips of flint left over from arrow points and spear heads fashioned by Indians from the rock at Willamette Falls. Each piece was inscribed with his name and value. This "money" was soon referred to as "Abernethy Rock" and gave rise to the expression, "a pocketful of rocks."
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