History of Portland, Oregon, USA

Portland, the most populous city of Oregon, a port of entry, and the capital of Multnomah co., is situated on the left (W.) bank of the Willamette River, 12 miles from its Junction with the Columbia, and about 100 miles from the ocean. It is 772 miles by rail from San Francisco, 2056 miles from Minneapolis, and 145 miles S. of Tacoma. Lat. 45°30' N., Lon. 122°27'30" W. Steamboats ply regularly between this port and San Francisco, Olympia, and other places on Puget Sound and the Columbia River. Portland contains a court-house, about 20 churches, a custom-house, a public school system embracing a high school and grammar schools, a seminary for girls, called St. Helen's Hall, a national bank with a capital of $250,000, 2 other banks, an asylum for the insane, gas-works, 3 iron-foundries, several machine-shops, flour-mills, breweries, and manufactories of engines, boilers, clothing, leather, carriages, brooms, brushes, furniture, &c. There were in 1890 over 500 manufacturing...

One autumn evening in 1843, A. M. Overton and A. L. Lovejoy, two residents of Oregon City, on their way home from Vancouver, landed from their canoe and pitched their tent for the night under the pine trees upon the west bank of the Willamette River. Before they resumed their journey, the next day, they had projected a town upon the site of their encampment. Within a few months, a clearing was made and a log cabin built. From this beginning grew the present city of Portland.

But our story must go back of this beginning, for the historical significance of Portland lies not so much in the fact that it is today the great metropolis of that vast territory, once all called Oregon, and now divided into the States of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming and Montana, not to mention British Columbia; but its significance is rather to be sought in the consideration that in Portland culminated and found final form the metropolitan life of Oregon Territory, which, in its earlier and ...

Easter & Western Lumber Co., J.A. Martin & Co. and Portland Union Stockyards Are the Heaviest Losers.

Loss - Insurance
Easter & Western Lumber Company - $100,000 $40,000
J.A. Martin Co - $25,000 $10,000
J.A. Martin - $30,000 $4,000
J.A. Martin and E. Martin - $25,000 $5,000
Portland Union Stock Yards - $10,000 $3,000
Oregon Sash & Door Company - $3,000 $3,000
Fire Department - $1,000
City (roadways) - $5,000
Six scow dwellings - $1,000
Totals - $260,000 $65,000

Fire swooped down on Portland’s defenseless water front yesterday and licked up $200,000 worth of property. “It burned up everything it touched,” said a gloomy insurance man, as he watched the dollars go heavenward. “The only thing that didn't burn was the water, and I’m not so sure about that.

The planing mill of J.A. Martin Company, near the foot of Seventeenth Street, first went up in smoke. The smaller sawmill of the Eastern and Western Lumber Company was next sacrificed to the flames. Twp wharves then...

Portland, the most populous city of Oregon, a port of entry, and the capital of Multnomah co., is situated on the Willamette River (here crossed by several bridges), 12 miles from its junction with the Columbia, and about 100 miles from the ocean. It is 52 miles N. by E. of Salem, on the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co.'s R., the Southern Pacific and other railroads. Lat. 45° 30' N. Steamers ply regularly between this port and San Francisco, Olympia and other places on Puget Sound, the Columbia River, Alaska, China, and Japan. Portland is an important commercial centre and shipping point and one of the wealthiest cities of its size in the country. Its manufactures comprise iron and woollen goods, flour, fur-garments, furniture, beer, cordage, paints, oils, soap, carriages, etc. ; and it exports large quantities of wheat, fruit, flour, wool, lumber, salmon, and oats. The city is also extensively engaged in packing and slaughtering and in ship- and boat-building. A large dry-dock was...

Nick Falotico, the 14 months old son of Mr. and Mrs. Rocco Falotico, 615 Fourth Street, was possibly fatally injured by being struck by Finley & Sons' Hearse during a funeral yesterday afternoon. The funeral party stopped while the child was taken home and a physician summoned, and then went on to Riverview Cemetery.

The child was sitting in front of his home near Fourth and Sheridan Streets when the funeral party approached. He jumped up and ran out into the road, evidently intending to cross the street. he fell and the front wheel of the hearse struck the child's chest, crushing several ribs. The child was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital. The hearse was driven by D.D. Parks and stopped within six feet. Dr. H.F. Leonard was summoned by W.W. Johns, a member of Finley & Sons, and the baby was hurried to the hospital.

Portland, Oregon, Dec. 1. - Four men lost their lives in a fire today in the Ben Hur Hotel formerly known as the Oak Hotel in the business district here. None of the dead had been identified several hours after the fire. All the other guests were reported to have escaped, most of them in their night clothing. The building was destroyed.

The number of injured had not been determined at daybreak.

The fire broke out in the hotel furnace room. Taxicab drivers and police worked heroically to arouse the guests, until an explosion on the third floor forced the rescuers from the building.

Guests at two of the principal hotels the Benson and Oregon, which adjoined the Ben Hur, were awakened by the management and warned to prepare to leave if the fire spread.

The fire was controlled before it reached other buildings.

The cause of it has not been determined.

Cracking under the weight of water covering flooded Vanport, the Denver avenue and Union avenue roadway dikes washed out Monday night and spewed a ghostly cavalcade of Vanport homes in a deluge acress the lowlands to the east.

All along the Columbia river hundreds of weary flood fighters appeared to be losing their battle as Portland and Vancouver braced for the crest of the flood Tuesday night.

The Denver avenue breach was believed to have claimed the life of one man in a car which slid from the road into the raging torrent and over a 15-foot waterfall.

Sheriff's deputies later identified the car as an emergency vehicle of the Portland Electric Power company. They identified the man as Mike Skaggs, 420 S. E. Grant avenue.

Identification of Skaggs as the probable victim was made by his partner, A. Amorin, 32, Vancouver, who luckily did not go on the last ride.

Amorin said he and Skaggs had been installing floodlights on Bridgeton road and that Skaggs had gone for spare...

In 1955, their city government completed "Operation Greenlight"—a drill to evacuate the city center. Hospital patients were packed into semi-trucks, pedestrians were picked up by passing motorists, and the city's construction equipment and emergency vehicles were rushed out to "dispersal points." The entire city center was evacuated in 19 minutes.

Powell's City of Books: Get lost in the world's largest independent bookstore, Powell's City of Books. It's a paradise for book lovers, with multiple floors and rooms dedicated to different genres.

Washington Park: Spend a day in Washington Park, home to the International Rose Test Garden, the Oregon Zoo, and the Portland Japanese Garden. It's a beautiful and expansive urban park with a variety of attractions.

Pioneer Courthouse Square: Known as "Portland's living room," this square hosts various events and festivals throughout the year. It's a great spot to relax and people-watch.

Portland Art Museum: Explore the diverse collection of art at the Portland Art Museum, featuring both contemporary and classical works.

Voodoo Doughnut: Indulge in some quirky and delicious doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnut. Their unique flavors and shapes have made them a Portland icon.

Portland Saturday Market: If you're in town over the weekend, check out the Portland Saturday Market for...