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Portland, Oregon, from Mount Tabor.
View of Portland from Mount Tabor, a Boring Lava Cone located east of Portland.
The Tualatin Mountains, also known as the Portland West Hills, rise as a backdrop to Portland.
Image taken May 9, 2010.
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Portland ...
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Portland, Oregon, is located on the Willamette River, approximately 10 miles upstream from the Willamette's confluence with the Columbia River.
Historians are uncertain as to when Portland was first established. Records show a settler Etienne Lucier may have settled in what was later East Portland in 1829, and in 1842 a William Johnson had a cabin at what is now SW Macadam Avenue and Curry Street. A.L. Lovejoy and William Overton landed at the site of Portland in November 1843 on their way from Fort Vancouver to Oregon City. They returned and took a land claim of 640 acres. In 1844 Overton sold his part of the land to Francis W. Pettygrove, who had arrived at the Columbia River in 1843.
In 1845, Lovejoy (from Boston, Massachusetts) and Pettygrove (from Portland, Maine) laid out 16 blocks of a townsite, flipped a coin as to which hometown would be honored, and Portland, Oregon, was born.
The Portland Post Office was established in November 1849. Today the city of Portland is the largest city in the state and it's metropolitan boundaries stretch to the Columbia River. Mount Hood, a Cascade Range Volcano, looms over the city. The Portland International Airport lies on the northeast side of the city and once was the location of a large "Skil-loot" village visited by Captain Clark in 1806. On April 2, 1806, Captain Clark camped at the location of today's St. Johns Bridge across the Willamette, just north of downtown Portland.
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"City of Roses" ...
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Portland was dubbed "The City of Roses" during the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial.
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"... Portland has long had a love affair with roses. In 1888, Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of pioneer publisher Henry Pittock, invited her friends and neighbors to exhibit their roses in a tent set up in her garden; thus the Portland Rose Society was established. By 1905, Portland had 200 miles of rose-bordered streets - a strategy to draw attention to the Lewis and Clark Centennial celebration - and had been dubbed the 'City of Roses.' ..."
[Portland Parks and Recreation website, 2006]
The Portland Auditor's Office website suggests a bit different history for the moniker "City of Roses".
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"... Charles Paul Keyser (Portland Parks Superintendent 1917-1950) stated that Portland was "christened the City of Roses by visitors to an Episcopal Church convention which was held in the city in 1888 when the Portland Rose Society was formed. In 1889 Portland's first annual Rose Show was held and from 1904 through 1906 the Portland Rose Society sponsored a Fiesta along with its annual rose show.
In a 1905 address at the Lewis and Clark Exposition, Mayor Harry Lane suggested that Portland needed a "festival of roses." Two years later, in 1907, the first Rose Festival was held.
[Portland City Auditor website, 2006]
Another common name used to represent Portland is "Rose City".
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Views ...
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Portland, Oregon, just visible in the distance, as seen from Jolie Prairie, Vancouver, Washington.
The Columbia River can be seen in the middle of the image.
Image taken March 8, 2004.
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- Belgian Blocks ...
- Boring Lava Field ...
- Broadway Bridge ...
- Christmas Ships ...
- Council Crest ...
- Fremont Bridge ...
- Kenton District ...
- Lewis and Clark 1905 Centennial Exposition ...
- McDonald's ...
- Montgomery Park ...
- Portland Geology ...
- Portland Meadows Racetrack ...
- Portland Rose Festival ...
- Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District ... "Made in Oregon" ...
- Union Station ...
- Willamette River ...
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Belgian Blocks ...
Boring Lava Field ...
The Boring Lava Field surrounds Portland. Rocky Butte, one of the better known of the Boring Lava Cones, is located east of downtown Portland and is a good location for views of Washington State, the Columbia River, and the city of Portland. Good views of Portland and other Boring Lava Cones can also be had from the Willamette National Cemetery, south and east of Rocky Butte.
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Boring Lava Cones east of Portland, Oregon.
View from the Interstate 205 Bridge crossing the Columbia River.
Image taken August 30, 2006.
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Broadway Bridge ...
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According to "Bridgehunter.com" website (2018), the Broadway Bridge is a Rall-Bascule lift bridge crossing the Willamette River at Willamette River Mile (RM) 11. The bridge was built in 1912 and rehabilitated in 1927. It was the first bascule span built in Portland, and, at the time it was constructed, it was the longest Rall-Bascule lift bridge in the United States. The Broadway Bridge's largest span is 304.1 feet in length with the total bridge length being 1,742.2 feet. Deck width is 45.6 feet. In 2012 the Broadway Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#12000930).
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Broadway Bridge, Portland, Oregon.
Image taken September 24, 2006.
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Christmas Ships ...
The year 2004 marked the 50th anniversary of Portland's Christmas Ships. What began with one ship back in 1954, now consists of 50-60 ships sailing nightly for two weeks up and down both the Columbia River and the Willamette River. Each night they sail a different section of rivers, from Washougal, Washington to Scappoose, Oregon. Highlights of the season are sailing around the Interstate 5 Bridge, nights which pack the riverside restaurants and motels full.
[More]
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Christmas Ships - "Modern Art".
View on the Columbia River from Washougal, Washington, Marina.
Image taken December 19, 2004.
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Council Crest ...
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Penny Postcard: Council Crest, Portland, Oregon.
Penny Postcard, , "Council Crest, the Dreamland of Portland, Oregon".
Copyright - 1911 - J. Weinstein, 9-2-11.
Postmarked April 29, 1912.
Published by the Portland Post Card Co., Portland, Oregon.
Card #A-1252.
In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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Caption on back: "Council Crest is 1200 feet above the City. All the Mountains surrounding Portland can be seen from this Point. Tourists will find this one of the most pleasant spots of recreation."
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Fremont Bridge ...
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The Fremont Bridge crosses the Willamette River at Willamette River Mile (RM) 11. The Fremont Bridge and it's associated Fremont Street were named for explorer John C. Fremont, who explored the Oregon area in 1843 and 1844.
According to "Bridgehunter.com" website (2018), the Fremont Bridge is a steel through arch bridge built in 1973. Its largest span is 1,255.3 feet in length with the total bridge length being 2,149.0 feet (0.4 miles). Deck width is 68.0 feet.
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Fremont Bridge as seen from Interstate 5, Portland, Oregon.
Image taken August 24, 2014.
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Mount Hood, the Willamette River, and Portland, Oregon, as seen from the Fremont Bridge.
View looking south, from the lower deck of the Fremont Bridge.
Image taken June 10, 2012.
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Crossing the Fremont Bridge, heading west, Portland, Oregon.
Upper deck.
Image taken September 4, 2012.
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Crossing the Fremont Bridge, heading east, Portland, Oregon.
Lower deck.
Image taken October 7, 2012.
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Kenton District ...
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Historic Kenton Neighborhood sign, Portland, Oregon.
Image taken June 19, 2016.
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Lewis and Clark 1905 Centennial Exposition ...
Portland, Oregon, hosted the
1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, a "World's Fair" to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The exposition was built on land created by filling in Guild Lake in
Northwest Portland, next to the Willamette River. The Forestry Building won acclaim as "the world's greatest log cabin."
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Penny Postcard: Lake View Terrace, Lewis and Clark Exposition, 1905, Portland, Oregon.
Caption on top reads: "Official Mailing Card Lewis & Clark Centennial, 1905, Portland, Oregon". Published by B.B. Rich, Official Stationer. View shows Guild Lake on the right. In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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McDonald's ...
Portland's iconic "Golden Arches", located on SE 91st Avenue and Powell Boulevard, was built in 1962. It is in the process (March 2018) of now being torn down.
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McDonalds, 91st and Powell, Portland, Oregon.
Image taken March 15, 2018.
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McDonalds, 91st and Powell, Portland, Oregon.
Image taken March 15, 2018.
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Montgomery Park ...
In a new concept of "mail-order" business, the Montgomery Ward warehouse was built in west Portland on the site of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.
In 1985 the "Montgomery Ward & Company" building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (Event, Architecture/Engineering, #85001184).
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"The Montgomery Ward Warehouse, situated on land formerly occupied by the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition grounds, is a nine-story-plus-basement, reinforced-concrete structure built in two building phases between 1920 and 1936. One of seven such facilities in the United States, the Portland warehouse and retail operation was similar to one built in Kansas City in 1917. Constructed for 1.5 million dollars, it was designed by W.H. McCaully of the Montgomery Ward Company. The building retains a high degree of interior and exterior integrity. ...
When constructed, the building contained the greatest floor space of any building in Portland, and was claimed to be one of the largest concrete buildings west of the Rockies. ...
Three rail spurs enter the first-floor courtyard under the elevated entrance ramp from the east. A gable roof extends above the first floor in the interior court to shelter the unloading of freight. ...
Initially constructed in 1920 for 1.5 million, the building was expanded in 1936 by 230,000 square feet, and in its heyday, employed 1000 employees. ..."
Source:
"Montgomery Ward & Company" National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1985, #85001184.
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Montgomery Park, Portland, Oregon.
View from the Fremont Bridge.
Image taken February 10, 2018.
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Portland Geology ...
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The Geology of Portland:
"The City of Portland sits at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers and occupies the western half of the Portland Basin and much of the adjacent Tualatin Mountains. The flat floor of the Portland Basin is punctuated by several small buttes and the Boring Hills, a complex region where small volcanic cones mix with blocks uplifted by faulting. The Tualatin Mountains, a straight and narrow range with a sharp, fault-bounded eastern edge, separate the Portland Basin from the Tualatin Basin to the west."
Source:
Ian P. Madin, 2009, "Portland, Oregon, Geology by Tream, Train, and Foot": Oregon Geology, vol.69, no.1, Fall, 2009, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, Portland.
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Portland Meadows Racetrack ...
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Portland Meadows Racetrack, Portland, Oregon.
View through front window of moving car.
Image taken October 2, 2017.
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Portland Rose Festival ...
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The first "Portland Rose Festival" was held in 1907.
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Penny Postcard: "City of Roses", Portland, Oregon, ca.1916.
Penny Postcard, Postmarked 1916, "Beautiful Homes and Side Walks Lined with Roses, Portland, Oregon.". Published by Lipschuetz Company, Portland, Oregon. Card #289. April 4, 1916, date is handwritten on back. In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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Penny Postcard: Portland Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon, ca.1909.
Penny Postcard, Postmarked 1909, "Forestry Building, Rose Carnival, Oregon.".
The Foresty Building was built for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial and left as a memorial to the explorers.
Published by E.P. Charlton & Co., Portland, Oregon.
In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District ... "Made in Oregon" ...
Portland's "Made in Oregon" sign is part of the "Portland Skidmore/Old Town Historic District, listed in 1975 on the National Register of Historic Places.
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"Made in Oregon" Sign.
Image taken February 14, 2009.
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Union Station ...
Portland's Union Station once had on display the Oregon Pony, the first steam engine in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Pony hauled passengers and freight at the portage at Cascade Locks on the Columbia River.
[More]
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Penny Postcard: Union Station, Portland, Oregon.
Penny Postcard, Divided Back, "The Union Station, Portland, Oregon".
Published by Rose City News Co., Portland, Oregon.
Card #35.
In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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Caption on back: "A beautiful structure serving all the railroads entering the city. In the little park can be seen the "Oregon Pony" the first locomotive operated in the state."
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Penny Postcard: Union Station, Portland, Oregon.
Penny Postcard, Linen, Divided Back, "The Union Station, Portland, Oregon".
Photo by Wesley Andrews.
C.T. Art Colortone, Wesley Andrews Co., Portland, Oregon.
Card #731.
In the private collection of Lyn Topinka.
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Caption on back: "The Union Station. This depot handles all passenger service of the various rail lines entering Portland. The Historic Engine mounted in Park is the first in Oregon and was used in the portage span at Casscade Locks prior to building of Union Pacific in 1884."
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Union Station, Portland, Oregon.
View from car heading to the Broadway Bridge.
Image taken September 24, 2006.
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Willamette River ...
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Sternwheeler "Portland", now the home to the Oregon Maritime Museum.
Willamette River, Portland, Oregon.
Image taken February 14, 2009.
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"The Golden Age of Postcards" ...
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The early 1900s was the "Golden Age of Postcards", with the "Penny Postcard" being a popular way to send greetings to family and friends.
Portland was a popular view and thousands of images exist.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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