Dave Knows Portland

Archives for May 2011

May 29, 1958: Fort Clatsop National Memorial Established

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Oregon Senator Richard Neuberger‘s bill to establish the presumed site of Fort Clatsop as a national memorial was signed into law, after unanimous passage in both the senate and house, by President Eisenhower on May 29, 1958 (Sunday Oregonian, 22-June-1958).

The Lewis and Clark expedition built the original Fort Clatsop, the first American military structure west of the Rockies, in 1805. They wintered at the fort before setting out on the journey back east on May 23, 1806.

A replica of the fort constructed on the site had been dedicated during the Lewis and Clark sesquicentennial celebration in Astoria in 1955 (Sunday Oregonian, 21-August-1955). It burnt down in 2005, but was rebuilt in 2006 (with fire detection system).

Heather at Fort Clatsop

Match Day (29-May-2011): Portland Timbers vs. D.C. United

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Portland TimbersThe Portland Timbers (5-3-2) aim to remain undefeated at home in league play when D.C. United (3-4-3) visit today for an afternoon match.

The Timbers have not been scoring like they did the first two games at home, which they won 4-2 and 3-2. But their defense has improved dramatically: they’ve won the last three home games with 1-0 score lines. D.C. United are one of the most storied MLS franchises, but are coming off a 2010 season they would rather forget (in which they garnered a league low 22 points). They have a respectable record so far this year, but have only played four road games (today’s will be their first and only in May), and have been giving up lots of goals (18 in ten matches).

Kick off is at 2pm today at Jeld-Wen Field. Match will be broadcast live on KPDX 49, and you can listen at AM 750 or La Pantera 940 (ESP).

Match reviews and intrigue

May 28, 1926: Burnside Bridge Opens

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Burnside Bridge Opening Ceremony Headline (Morning Oregonian, 28-May-1926)The Burnside Bridge opened with great fanfare on May 28, 1926 (Morning Oregonian, 29-May-1926).

The bridge opening was a big deal: the mayors of San Francisco, Spokane, Seattle, Tacoma, and the city manager of Sacramento all sent messages of congratulations on the the opening of the bridge, conveyed by carrier pigeons (Morning Oregonian, 28-May-1926).

Construction took about two years and cost about four and half million dollars. The bridge was built by the Pacific Bridge company, the same company that built the first span across the Willamette River in Portland 39 years previously, the first Morrison street bridge. The Burnside is unique in Portland in that it is the only Willamette river crossing designed with the help of an architect:

a result of the early 20th century City Beautiful Movement that called for adding architectural ornamentation to engineering designs. The bridge’s distinctive Italian Renaissance towers reflect the trend. Burnside is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and protected by preservation laws. Originally designed by the firm of Hedrick and Kremers, Burnside was completed by Gustav Lindenthal (1850-1935). Burnside’s opening mechanism, or bascule, was designed by Joseph Strauss (1870-1938), whose Golden Gate suspension bridge would open 11 years after Burnside.

The city and county put on quite the shindig to celebrate the opening. Three parades took place, one from each side of the river, and one marine parade right down the middle, which passed downstream while the bascules of the bridge were open. The bascules closed and the two terrestrial parades met in the middle of the bridge where the Prohibition era dedicatory services culminated with the breaking of a bottle of Bull Run water at mid-bridge by Dorothy Jane Myers, daughter of District Attorney Myers and Mrs. Myers (Morning Oregonian, 28-May-1926).

The bridge was opened to pedestrians after the program, and on the river the Portland Motorboat club staged a regatta while fireboats ran fire drill maneuvers. The bridge officially opened to vehicular traffic (two street car tracks and four lanes of traffic) at 7 P. M. after an address by Chairman Smith over KGW, The Oregonian radio.

"1926 New Burnside Bridge decked out for opening"

Photo credit: “New Burnside Bridge decked out for opening” from the Office of the City Auditor webpage.

Portland Memorial Day Weekend Amusements (2011)

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Lots of ways to enjoy the rain this holiday weekend!

Friday

Portland Art MuseumPortland Art Museum Free Day

Enjoy free admission to the Portland Art Museum on Friday, May 27, 2011 from 5pm until 8pm!

The museum offers free admission ever fourth Friday (5pm-8pm) of the month, so if you can’t make it this week, mark June 24, 2011 on your calendar! [more]

Fireworks!Rose Festival Fireworks Spectacular

The 2011 Rose Lighting Ceremony & Fireworks spectacular takes place Friday, May 27.

Festivities begin at 8pm at Tom McCall Waterfront Park with a special performance by the Curtis Salgado Band.

The Rose Lighting Ceremony takes place at 9:45pm, followed at 10pm by the one of the state’s largest fireworks displays. [more]

Saturday

John Gets WastedJOHN GETS WASTED’s World Premiere

ULTIMATE PORTLAND PREMIERE-Hollywood Theatre, May 28th, 7pm. This is it, kids, the real-deal premiere. 450 seats, a big-ass screen, beer. Several prominent local media people are already declaring this to be the movie event of the summer. [more]

Saturday-Sunday

Pee Wee's Big AdventureFleur de Lethal Cinematheque Presents: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

The third annual Pee Wee’s BIG Weekend takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, 2011 at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne).

Portlanders love certain things: “movies, beer and dressing in silly costumes to name a few. But the bicycle – oh the bicycle – how we love the bicycle!” [more]

Saturday-Monday

Multnomah County Fair - Bunnies!Multnomah County Fair

The 2011 Multnomah County Fair takes place on Memorial Day Weekend at Portland’s historic Oaks Park.

Seriously, don’t miss this! Heather and I had a blast at the 2010 fair – what’s not to like about red necks, funnel cakes, and award winning vegetables? And bunnies!? [more]

Sunday

Portland TimbersPortland Timbers vs DC United

The Portland Timbers (5-3-2) aim to remain undefeated at home in league play when D.C. United (3-4-3) visit today for an afternoon match.

The Timbers have not been scoring like they did the first two games at home, which they won 4-2 and 3-2. But their defense has improved dramatically: they’ve won the last three home games with 1-0 score lines. [more]

Portland Youth PhilharmonicPortland Youth Philharmonic Free Concert

America’s first youth orchestra, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, celebrates their 87th season with a free concert on Sunday, May 29, 2011.

The program features: Giuseppe Verdi’s Overture to La Forza del Destino; John Caughman’s Sinfonietta; Howard Hanson’s Fanfare for the Signal Corps; and, the showpiece, Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 3. [more]

Monday

KBOO and Hall of RecordsKBOO’s Monday Sampler Live from Hall of Records

Join KBOO at Hall of Records (3342 SE Belmont) on Monday, May 30, 2011 from 2pm until 4pm for a special live remote broadcast of The Monday Sampler radio show hosted by Matthew Clark.

The Sexy Water Spiders will perform live during the broadcast, and from the Hall of Records tap, Hopworks‘ special KBOO IPA will be available. [more]

Witch of KodakeryHistory Pub

Trials and Triumphs of an Oregon Photographer: Myra Albert Wiggins 1869-1956, this month’s History Pub event , takes place Monday, May 30, 2011 at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd) at 7pm.

“Carole Glauber’s book, Witch of Kodakery: The Photography of Myra Albert Wiggins, is the groundbreaking biography of Myra Albert Wiggins, the successful turn of the 20th-century Oregon photographer and painter with connections to New York photographer Alfred Stieglitz and the Photo-Secession.” [more]

Tuesday

Get back to work!

And for even more weekend events and activities, check out the Dave Knows Calendar, and visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and PDX Pipeline!

May 27, 1991: Rodney McCray Crashes Through Wall at Civic Stadium

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Rodney McCray didn’t take a traditional route to professional baseball fame, in fact, he only mustered 14 Major League at-bats in his brief career.

But on May 27, 1991 during a game against the AAA Portland Beavers at Civic Stadium, the then Vancouver Canadians outfielder made sports blooper history when he ran through the outfield fence chasing down a fly ball.

Fortunately he was not seriously hurt, and in 2006 the Beavers commemorated his “achievement” by creating a bobble head in his honor and christening the right center field portion of fence through which he ran, “McCray Alley.”

Portland ended up winning the game 4-2. During the infamous play McCray dropped the ball, but it remained in play. Beaver second baseman Chip Hale was the batter. His hit got him to third base and knocked in the tying run. Hale later scored the go-ahead run and Portland gained a share of first place, with Calgary, in the Northern Division of the Pacific Coast League (The Oregonian, 28-May-1991).