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Portland's
Award Winning Roses |
Having been around since the mid 1800s, Portland, Oregon has become a modern
city of great historic interest. Growing with the changing world, the "City
of Roses" has developed a vibrant view of the future while preserving its
links to the past. The largest city in Oregon is known for many things, from
its award winning gardens
(hence the nickname) to its many microbreweries,
and curiosities such as being one of only two US
cities to have an extinct volcano (in Mt.
Tabor Park) within its boundaries.
HISTORY
Early Years
When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the Pacific Northwest in 1804,
little did they know just how iconic their two year journey would become. No
less than four counties, three rivers, two towns and several educational institutions
bear their name. Their exploration vastly broadened the nation's land claims
and carved new trade routes. Still, it would be another 40 years before the
city of Portland was officially founded.
Life in the largest city
in the state began in the 640 acres (259 ha) commonly known as The Clearing,
located strategically along the Oregon
Trail, on the banks of the Willamette
River. The Oregon Trail was used as early as 1823, when fur traders
and explorers sought the best routes for crossing the immense continent they
were settling. By 1842, the trail would cross more than half of the country,
covering 2,170 dangerous, and sometimes precarious miles (around 3,500 km),
typically by wagon.
In 1843, Portland co-founder
William Overton fell in love with the region, but needed a financial partner
that could help him stake a claim to land. His partner would be Asa Lovejoy,
a lawyer coming west from Boston,
Massachusetts, and
for the impressive sum of 25¢ the two would share a 640-acre (259 ha) site.
Frontier life was demanding and labor intensive, and Overton eventually sold
his share of the land to future Portland co-founder Francis W. Pettygrove from
Portland, Maine.
Legend has it that new partners Pettygrove and Lovejoy entered into a famous
coin toss to determine the name of their new home, each wishing to pay tribute
to their own hometown. Pettygrove won, and Portland was born.
Later that year, The Great
Migration brought an estimated 800 immigrants to the Willamette
Valley region between Portland (in the north) and Eugene
(in the south), and the population explosion began. The migration would increase
following Oregon joining the union in 1859 to become the 33rd state, and again
after the Civil War. In these years, Portland became an important supplier of
lumber, fish and agricultural products to the growing nation.
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| Mt.
Hood |
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In 1869, the first transcontinental
railroad was built connecting the major trade centers and providing a faster
and much safer means of travel than the Oregon Trail. It would take almost 20
years to complete a route between the city and the state of California,
but the railroad helped Portland grow significantly to become the most important
community in the region. Its location, the vast and rich agricultural terrain,
and the great potential for business opportunities provided by the shipping
routes along the railroad, the river network and the ocean secured the city's
popularity, not to mention its population.
Access to the Pacific Ocean
down the Willamette and Columbia
Rivers in particular provided many important advantages not dreamt of
by other port cities, helping Portland gain a substantial interest in trade
with foreign nations. This would also go a long way to sustain life locally,
providing bountiful resources ideal for both food and shelter. These successful
years led to many new businesses, including the opening of Portland's first
department
store, Meier & Frank, which once employed then aspiring actor and
future film legend Clark Gable as a tie salesman. The building still exists,
though it is now operated by Macy's.
As can be expected from
any growing population, trade routes were developed to reach the rest of the
inland cities. The Great Plank Road, now covered by US Highway 26, became one
of the main routes through the West Hills into the Tualatin Valley. Routes like
the Great Plank Road were fundamental to Portland's agricultural and financial
stability and helped the city attract wider attention, though not all of it
was favorable.
Late 1800s
In 1888, Portland earned the nickname The City of Roses, due to its many award-winning
rose gardens, an enduring image that eventually led to the Portland
Rose Festival. The best known of these is the International
Rose Test Garden, located in Washington
Park. Based on its many desirable attributes and pleasant image, and
a population of nearly 100,000 residents, Portland became the fastest growing
city and most important trade port in the Pacific Northwest until Seattle,
Washington took
its thunder in the 1890s.
The latter half of the 19th
century saw the rise of Portland's dark side. These years saw the reign of Sweet
Mary, known for running a "floating brothel" on a barge that traveled
up and down the Willamette River, thus operating outside local jurisdiction
and avoiding the legal hassles met by the conventional brothel so common in
those years.
The city also became popular
for the dubious practice of "shanghaiing". Intoxicated men were kidnapped
from the many brothels, opium dens and pubs (some of which, like Boss Saloon,
can still be visited) only to be transported through an underground network
known as Shanghai Tunnels and sold as slave labor on merchant ships. One corrupt
bar keep in particular, Joseph "Bunco" Kelly, became notorious for selling his
drunken customers to ships crossing the Pacific Ocean (often to Shanghai, which
gave the practice its name). Legend claims that Bunco was so crooked that he
once passed off a wooden statue wrapped in blankets as a drunken sailor. The
tunnels still exist and can be explored through one of the many historical tours
that detail Portland's varied history.
Perhaps the most famous
of nefarious moments came almost 100 years later when a man using the name Dan
Cooper (known popularly as D. B. Cooper) hijacked a 727 flying out of Portland
International Airport in 1971 using a briefcase full of "wires and red
sticks," which he claimed was a bomb. After picking up $200,000 USD and
four parachutes in Seattle, Wa, Cooper ordered the plane to head towards Mexico,
and at some point jumped out the rear door. He is believed to have landed approximately
30 mi (48 km) north of Portland and was never seen again. Some believe he perished
in the jump, but most believe he got away with it. His success, and similar
hijackings the following year, led to the installation of the "Cooper Vane",
a device that prevents stairways being lowered during flight, on commercial
aircraft.
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Portland
At Night |
The 20th Century
The arrival of the 20th century brought many positive changes to the region,
and the end of many of these criminal activities. Lumber mills and agriculture
brought an increase in wealth and much needed financial security, and Portland
began looking to revive its image and once bright future. Much time was spent
developing the quality of life. The Benson
Bubblers, a collection of drinking fountains that still exist throughout
the city center, are poignant evidence of the collective desire to restore the
city. The Bubblers came to be when lumber tycoon Simon Benson discovered his
workers drinking alcohol during their shifts because they claimed there was
no fresh drinking water downtown. Benson had the fountains built and alcohol
consumption dropped considerably.
Other changes implemented
to make living in the city more appealing included one of the first pension
plans covering city employees such as the fire and police forces. The success
of this program led to similar programs in other corporate centers, and before
long pension plans became a nationwide standard.
Out of efforts like these
blossomed the city sponsored Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition (promoted
as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair),
held over four months in the summer and fall of 1905. The
festival brought together the sounds and flavors of 21 countries and more than
1.5 million visitors. To accommodate the masses, Guild's Lake in the Northwest
was filled in, and the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company operated as
many as 150 streetcars every hour, hustling the curious to and from the Expo
and its then cutting edge attractions. The result was one of the largest and
most efficient streetcar systems in the world. It was during these festivities
that Portland Mayor Harry Lane suggested starting a festival of roses. The Portland
Rose Festival has since become the biggest annual celebration in the city.
Also in 1905, Portland opened
the first of many amusement parks, called Oaks
Park. Many others opened soon after, and began attracting large crowds.
Many visitors fell in love with the city and decided to stay, and Portland's
population doubled in a few short years. Of all the amusement parks and themed
attractions that opened in the early years of the 20th century, only Oaks Park
remains.
Always a progressive thinking
city, Portland saw Moy Back Hin, one of the first Asian millionaires in the
United States, appointed as counsel to the Chinese government overseeing trade
between China and Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and Montana in 1906.
Over the next few years,
development continued and Portland invested heavily in infrastructure. Many
bridges were built, the railroad to Seattle was completed and the water reservoir
was expanded to the extent that Portland was able to sell quality water to surrounding
communities like Gresham.
In 1914, the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) established a presence in the
city, and is now the oldest branch of the organization west of the Mississippi.
The First World War greatly
affected the local economy, and Portland sank into recession. Shortly after
the war, however, exports increased dramatically, especially that of lumber
over waterways, which increased fivefold. By 1926, Portland was producing more
lumber for export than any other city in the world. Not surprisingly, the docks
were expanded to accommodate the growth.
Portland's secure export
capabilities and growing strength in manufacturing developed during the First
World War led to an influx of workers during the Second World War, and special
housing was built for the war effort. Shipbuilding became prominent, bringing
thousands more to the area. In the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, when fears
of attacks on American soil led to the relocation of Japanese-American citizens
to internment camps, Portland became one of the regional processing centers.
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| The
Streets of Portland |
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The continued concern of
invasion in postwar America led to the development of extensive civil defense
systems, which included a test evacuation of the city. The evacuation took only
19 minutes and one-third of all residents were mobilized.
Portland maintained its
progressive vision during the Cold War years, and hired its first black high
school teacher, Robert G. Ford. In 1948, Dorothy McCullough Lee was elected
the city's first female mayor, and under Mayor Lee attention returned to developing
the city.
Construction resources focused
mainly on infrastructure such as building new bridges for the projected growth,
and the expansion of major thoroughfares. Many attractions such as the Japanese
Gardens, the zoo
and a brand new stadium
found homes in the core, and the riverfront was extensively renovated.
By the mid 1970s, sections
of Harbor Drive were closed with the intention of further beautifying the riverfront.
These changes were temporarily suspended in 1980, however, when Mt. St. Helens
in Washington, less than one hour northeast of Portland, erupted in the largest
volcanic blast in the history of the 48 contiguous states. The entire north
face of the volcano crumbled in one of the largest debris avalanches in recorded
history. Portland was spared any damage and life returned to normal.
Entering The Millennium
The technological
revolution of the next two decades brought many creative minds to Portland,
looking to develop their talents and leave their mark on the global community.
Several were left without jobs when the economic bubble burst in the early 2000s,
but decided to stay in the city, either finding new careers or turning the bust
into opportunity and focusing on their art. The thriving artistic community
is still incredibly active, as can be seen throughout the streets and the many
galleries that
call Portland home, and continues to draw people to the growing metropolis.
The artistic renaissance has carried over into the 21st century, and there is
increasing attention given to promoting the local artistic culture on an international
level.
In 2000, Portland was voted
the number one city in America to live in by Money Magazine, and shortly thereafter
the City of Roses officially celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001. Looking
back on its history, the city developed an exhibition of the many events that
shaped the region. The exposure, not to mention the rave reviews in the national
magazine, helped draw in the crowds, proving once again that Portland knows
how to throw a party.
Most recently, the Lewis
and Clark Expo was revisited on the anniversary of the first expo. The focus
of this event in 2005 was on global innovations of the previous century.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- White Rose
- Mount Hood Reflected In Trillium Lake, Oregon
- Night View of the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland Oregon
- Portland Hours After a Snowstorm
