More about the items found in the walls during the remodel of our 1910 Portland house...Remember
where we left off about the boxer Solly Burke and the mysterious envelope from a life insurance agency? There were more than just newspaper clippings. There were contracts, too. Real contracts, perfectly preserved from the 1920s. Some carbon copies, some mimeographs. Some originals. Take for example, this contract from a San Francisco fight...

Note here that it's made out to both Henry Dengel and Solly Burke. I've been trying to understand the relationship between the two names. Was Henry Solly's manager? Was "Solly Burke" Henry's stage name? Nothing comes up in google for Henry Dengel. But both Solly and Sailor Burke come up as boxers. Oh, and in case you were wondering, let's answer this question right now...

He wore purple tights. But also answered there is that he was his own manager. So I'm thinking Henry is the real name of Solly.
So here is a contract now for "Sailor Burke" to fight in Pennsylvania...

He was contracted to fight Danny Gordon. Hmm. I don't recognize that name. But I do recognize the name in this contract...

So did Burke fight Happy Jack Dempsey?! This contract is from Galveston, Texas, for a fight in 1928. Can you smell the mimeo? I'd rather not, but it's awfully cool to look at.
So I ventured to the Oregon Historical Society Research Library last week when I had a spare hour. First of all, an hour is in no way going to do justice to the work I need to do there. It was like revisiting the library of my childhood: reference books and catalog card references to point you to microfiche. Yowza. It's been awhile. But of the late 20's and early 30's books listing all of Portland's residents, I found no listing for Solly Burke nor for Henry Dengel. Beginning in 1930, they published a reverse listing, meaning I could look up the address and see the names and occupations of those that lived in the house. In the late 1920s, a tile contractor lived in the house, but beginning in the early 1930s, the name of Erwin appeared, listing several names, all employed as milwrights at "PCorp". I recognized the name Erwin because that name appears on a postcard that also appeared from the walls of this incredibly fascinating house....
of course this is to be continued.