Old Dad Chiro Comes to Portland - 1908-10 - Conference Version - Acknowledgments & Introduction

Aug 28, 2026

Conference version text dated October 9, 1993, for Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia, recounts D.D. Palmer’s key Portland phase beginning in late October 1908. It addresses how established narratives only briefly cover these years and how limited attention has been given to Portland journal materials. The introduction outlines proposed motives for building a Portland school, describes early college operations and partnerships, and situates planning, curriculum intentions, and tensions shaping chiropractic institutional development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgments

Old Dad Chiro Comes to Portland, 1908-10

Introduction

The D.D. Palmer College of Chiropractic

Early operations and partnership

School location, journal issues, and management changes

Curriculum intentions and expectations

AHC Conference Version October 9, 1993 Life Chiropractic College Marietta, Georgia Old Dad Chiro Comes to Portland, 1908-10 J o s e p h C . K e a t i n g , J r . , P h . D . Director of Baccalaureate Studies Western States Chiropractic College formerly the D.D. Palmer College of Chiropractic (1908-10) 2900 N. E. 132nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97230 (503) 251-5774 Acknowledgments My thanks to Glenda Wiese, M.A. and Ms. Jetta Nash of the Palmer College Archives in Davenport for their assistance with source materials. Special thanks to the students in Thesis Writing Methods at Western States Chiropractic College for their help in critical review of the manuscript. This project was supported by the Western States Chiropractic College and the National Institute of Chiropractic Research. Old Dad Chiro Comes to Portland, 1908-10 Roses fragrant, roses rare; roses, roses everywhere. Portland is the "Rose City" (Palmer, 1910b, p. 6) . Introduction In late October, 1908 D.D. Palmer and his fifth wife, Mary Hudler Palmer, arrived in Portland, Oregon and commenced a most important phase in his chiropractic career. Although it is well known that Old Dad Chiro wrote his classic text, The Chiropractor's Adjustor: the Science, Art & Philosophy of Chiropractic, during his several years in the northwest, most accounts of Palmer's life provide only sketchy details of this crucial period in the evolution of chiropractic thought. Indeed, Gielow, Palmer's preeminent biographer, devotes only 2 of 133 pages of his text to DD's Portland years. Moreover, although it has long been recognized that Palmer's 1910 volume was in part a compilation of the various materials published in his Portland journal, little attention has been given to the periodical and the stories it tells. Anna Powell, D.C., an early Portland chiropractor, suggested that DD's interest in establishing a Portland school was in reaction to a lecture series in the city given by B.J. and Mabel Palmer in July, 1908 at the request of a number of Portland area chiropractors. That BJ would have received such a request seems not at all surprising, since several of the Portland DCs were graduates of the Davenport institution, including Leroy M. Gordon, George S. Breitling and John E. Marsh. The D.D. Palmer College of Chiropractic On Monday, 9 November 1908 the D.D. Palmer College of Chiropractic began operations. Palmer was its president, and Leroy M. Gordon, D.C., graduate of the original Palmer School in Iowa, would soon become DD's partner and business manager of the school: Upon a visit from Dr. D. D. Palmer, who was in Portland investigating what seemed to be a very flattering offer to establish a school, I became very much impressed with him. In conversation I found him to be a deep thinker, and with the ability to reach the depths of his subject which he has carefully weighed and analyzed, therefore, when he decided to open a school, I was more than pleased to become a student. A few days later he suggested that I become a partner. After due consideration I decided to accept his offer... L. M. GORDON, D.C. (Palmer, 1909a, p. 13) The nature of the "flattering offer to establish a school" is unclear. In any case, a photo of the first 13 students at the D.D. Palmer College soon appeared in Palmer's new journal, and included Gordon, George S. Breitling, D.C., John E. LaValley, D.C., John E. Marsh, D.C. and several more of the same DCs who had previously sponsored BJ's lectures in Portland. A letter dated 12 December 1908 from Cleveland, Ohio chiropractor M.J. Mapes to Dr. Breitling reflects the continuing hostility between the senior Palmer and his son, and the apparent competition to start a school in the northwest: I understand Dr. D. D. Palmer and Dr. Gordon have started a school in Portland; that BJ was looking towards your city to locate his school, but it now looks as if the Old Man got there first and will get the fruits of BJ's

FAQs

What period does the document focus on in Portland, and why is it important?

It centers on D.D. Palmer’s Portland phase starting in late October 1908, presented as a crucial turning point in the evolution of chiropractic thought and institutional development.

What background explains the motivation to establish a Portland school?

The text notes that an early Portland chiropractor suggested D.D. Palmer’s interest may have been a response to a July 1908 lecture series involving B.J. and Mabel Palmer, prompting a school initiative.

How did the D.D. Palmer College of Chiropractic begin, and who were key early figures?

Operations began on Monday, 9 November 1908, with Palmer as president. Leroy M. Gordon is described as soon becoming partner and business manager, with subsequent management changes by September 1909.

Aug 28, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver Hayes