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By TED MAST Charbonneau resident
R ichard ‘ Dick ’ Kaegi was destined for a career in pharmacy . At the age of 5 he was sweeping the sidewalk in front of his dad ’ s drugstore . Dick ’ s father graduated from the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy in 1921 and opened shop in Portland . His two boys followed in dad ’ s footsteps and both graduated from OSU Pharmacy College , Dick in 1952 and John in 1957 . Together they took over the family business , including an extensive collection of antique pharmaceutical products , relics and gadgets their father had amassed . Dick ’ s wife JoAnne ’ s parents lived in Keizer and the couple made numerous trips up and down I-5 visiting her family . Dick kept his eye on this little community on the banks of the Willamette . In 1973 the brothers left the big city and moved their business to the country , relocating in Wilsonville .
They opened the first pharmacy in town . Prior to that , locals had to drive to Tualatin or Canby to pick up a prescription . The first Wilsonville store was only 500 square feet and had a hitching post out front . It was
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not uncommon for a customer to come on horseback to pick up a prescription , and the brothers added veterinary medical supplies to their inventory . A larger location soon followed and , in 1980 , they opened a a drug store and soda fountain in Charbonneau . Longtime Charbonneau residents Ann and Tom Higgins have fond memories of taking their kids to Kaegi ’ s for ice cream .
Dick and JoAnne moved to Charbonneau in 1981 and bought a house on Boones Bend Road , the home he lives in to this day . He has seen a lot of change in his 43 years here . While out for a walk one day he saw a small plane make an emergency landing in what is now Louvonne . Dick says he loves Charbonneau and it still feels like he is living in a park .
The Charbonneau store closed in 1988 due to a lack of business . The brothers sold the Wilsonville Road location to Payless ( now Rite Aid ) in 1989 . Payless essentially told
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them “ We will buy all of your stock , but we are not curators , and don ’ t want any of your antiques .” It was a good thing for us all that they didn ’ t . If you want to spend an enjoyable hour or so , head over to the Clackamas County Historical Society Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City . One of the permanent displays there is the Kaegi Antique Pharmacy exhibit .
It is like taking a step back in time to the set of Gunsmoke and Doc Adams ’ shop in Dodge City , KS in 1890 . You ’ ll see bottles of arsenic , Swamp Root , rattlesnake oil and Karnak Stomachic ( sic ) Tonic and plenty more lotions and potions like those Doc used to give to Marshall Dillon , Chester , Kitty and the rest of the Dodge City residents to cure their ailments . All of this was made possible by a generous donation from the Kaegis .
In 2008 , the brothers were selected to OSU ’ s alumni Hall of Fame as “ Icons of Pharmacy ”, a fitting tribute to a family that ran neighborhood drugstores in Portland and Wilsonville for more than 60 years .
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� The Clackamas County Historical Society Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City has a permanent display of the Kaegi Antique Pharmacy .
� This photo of Kaegi ’ s
Pharmacy appeared in the
October 1981 Villager .
COURTESY PHOTOS
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