Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Leupold, Fred September 12, 1875 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com January 21, 2011, 1:30 am Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 732 - 736 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company FRED LEUPOLD, of Portland, who has for many years been widely recognized as an instrument maker of exceptional ability, has gained marked distinction through his successful career as a maker of scientific instruments and his firm, Leupold, Volpel & Company, is one of the best known in its line in the United States. The following interesting description of this business was printed in the Portland Daily Journal, after an interview with Mr. Leupold: "If one were to wager a million of Uncle Sam's attractive gold dollars that not one hundred persons in Portland, aside from a tiny few of one profession, knew of the place to which this article refers, he would win the bet. And yet it is one of the most useful industries we have. Its products are the most intricate of any. They are mystifying to the layman. He looks at them, and knows not their uses. He examines them, and remains in ignorance. He carefully scrutinizes them, and is not the wiser. They are purchased by governments because indispensable to their requirements. They have been made in Portland for shipment to India. They have been manufactured here on orders from Spain. Fashioned in this city, they are in use in the Hawaiian islands, and our friends of the British Northwest possessions employ them in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia. "There is no other institution like this one between Denver and San Francisco. It is without a competitor in the North Pacific states, and is the supply depot for the commonwealths of Washington, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon, with established agencies in California. "Located at 107 East Seventeenth street north is the firm of Leupold- Volpel & Company, makers of scientific instruments, an industry employing fifteen of the highest skilled workmen. They have to be highly skilled. Their productions are made with the exactness of a watch. To the uninitiated the term 'scientific instruments' doesn't mean much. The untutored mind imagines it a something of consequence only to those with 'heads filled with learning,' and of small value to the world at large. That's a mistake. This factory's production is as important to the great, throbbing business pulse of the world as the heart is important to the body whose motive power it is. The Journal representative was convinced of this as the courteous Frederick Leupold, manager of the firm, kindly explained the mysteries of the institution. "'Twenty-one years ago,' he stated, 'we opened a small repair shop on Sixth street, on the West Side. Our business soon began to gain vigorous momentum, our reputation for painstaking construction seemed to reach interested people, and soon we were forced to secure more commodious quarters, procure new machinery and enter the field of manufacturing. Our first product was a precise engineer's transit. To construct this instrument our equipment must include a graduating engine. This is a refined piece of mechanism for dividing a circle with faultless accuracy into three hundred and sixty degrees. It was made for us in Germany and imported into this country. "'This engineer's transit was as perfect as any made in the world. It could not be bettered, and we are making transits and levels of the same quality still. We have taken climatic conditions into consideration in the design of our transits and levels, and this makes them especially suited to the Pacific Northwest. Many of them have been in use for several years, and are today, by foremost members of the engineering profession. "'Again outgrowing our quarters, we removed to this building where you find us now, away from the congested district, free from the city's dust, vibrations and magnetic disturbances, an essential factor in our work. "'In 1912 we began the manufacture of hydrometric instruments known as Stevens' Continuous Water Stage Recorders. These are used to automatically record the stages of water in lakes, rivers, mountain streams, reservoirs, irrigating ditches, canals, sewers, millraces and in drainage work. The United States government is one of our best patrons for these. They are largely used for irrigating projects in the United States, the Hawaiian islands, and in fact throughout the world. The slightest fall or rise of water is recorded or indicated by these instruments. Once set they require no attention whatever. The attendant may be absent for weeks, but the gauge remains "on the job" as faithfully as if his eyes were constantly on it. "'Our output at this time largely consists of continuous water stage recorders, eight-day recording water gauges, duplex water stage recorders and long distance water stage recorders. The latter is an electrically operated instrument, where the recording mechanism may be located in the office and the sending apparatus miles away, if necessary, on a stream or lake or reservoir. Any fluctuation, however minute, in the water on which it is stationed will be transmitted by electrical impulses to the recording mechanism and by it faithfully recorded on a continuous sheet of record paper. These are frequently installed at very remote places, and will operate like a clock for long periods without the least attention. We make four styles of surveying instruments adapted to the requirements of every class of surveying. "'In addition to our regular work, we make to order many scientific instruments of special construction,' Mr. Leupold concluded. 'Our repair department is supplied with every essential device to take care of all makes of broken or injured instruments. In locating our plant in Portland we have anticipated the needs of a large and promising country, rich in natural resources, in the development of which we wish to have a share. We like Portland. We like the people of Portland. We like this great West and expect to end our days within its delightful environs.' "Visitors are welcomed to the factory of Leupold, Volpel & Company and it is a most interesting place. It is considerable of an education to spend an hour with these gentlemen." The inventor of the water stage recorders referred to in the foregoing paragraphs is J. C. Stevens, who was formerly district engineer of the United States Geological Survey and is now a consulting engineer in Portland. Frederick Leupold was born in Germany on the 12th day of September, 1875, and after completing the public school course, received a good technical education in mechanical engineering, directing his attention particularly to the making of scientific instruments. When sixteen years old he came to the United States and located in Boston, where he lived until 1907, when he came to Portland and established his present business, becoming president of Leupold, Volpel & Company and so continuing to the present time. Mr. Leupold was united in marriage to Miss Rose Volpel, a sister of Adam J. Volpel, his business partner, and to them have been born three children, namely: Marcus, who is associated with his father in business; Norbert, who is a student in the Oregon Agricultural College at Corvallis; and Pauline, in high school. Mr. Leupold is a republican in his political views and is a member of the Portland Chamber of Commerce. His hobby is flute-playing. Though quiet and unassuming in manner, he possesses a strong individuality and all who come in contact with him are impressed with his thorough knowledge of the subject to which he has devoted his life and in which he has accomplished such notable results. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/photos/bios/leupold1384gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/leupold1384gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 8.4 Kb