QUIRKY GIFTER

The 1870 California census contains a quirky entry for a man whose job is identified as “Emperor”.
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Joshua Norton (1818-1880) had been a successful businessman in South Africa before he arrived in San Francisco in 1842. After a decade of successful investments in commodities and real estate, he had become one of San Francisco’s wealthiest and most respected men. 
In 1852, China banned the export of rice, which caused the price of rice in San Francisco to skyrocket. Learning that a shipment of Peruvian rice would soon arrive, Norton made a deal to buy the ship’s entire contents, hoping to corner the market. However, soon more ships bearing Peruvian rice began arriving, causing the price of rice to plummet.  Norton sued, claiming he had been assured only the one ship would arrive. He won the lawsuits in lower courts, but eventually the California Supreme Court overruled them, and Norton was wiped out financially. Infuriated by what he saw as a lack of justice, in a series of letters to newspapers in 1859, he declared himself Norton the First, Emperor of the United States: “At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton…declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States.”

Meet the owner and craftsman of Sidetracked Workshop, Peter Huizenga! Peter lives and words in Portland, OR and has enjoyed working with his hands since he was very young.  In the summer of 2020, Peter had the opportunity to build a Tiny House on wheels, and he jumped at the chance.  After completing that project, he decided to turn his budding shop into a  woodworking business and create handcrafted home goods and furniture. 
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Peter sources almost all of his wood from local area sawmills and starts many projects with dried wood slabs. “Throughout the creative process, I strive to preserve as much of the natural form and beauty of the wood as possible,” Peter explains. To accomplish this, he uses organic shapes and live edge design in his pieces.

Peter works out of his 500 square foot home workshop and uses power and hand tools to create a variety of home goods including charcuterie boards, cutting boards and candle holders. He is also available for custom commissions and bulk orders. 

When Peter isn’t creating in his workshop, you might find him hiking, snowboarding or lounging with his Newfoundland puppy, Appa.