Archives for May 2011

East Portland Sunday Parkways (22-May-2011)

May 18, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

East Portland‘s first Sunday Parkways takes place May 22, 2011 from 11am to 4pm.

The 7 mile traffic-free route connects Lents, Bloomington, Ed Benedict, and Gilbert Heights Parks. Bike, skateboard, jog, or walk from park to park. Observe and take part in activities including disc golf with the pros, a soccer tournament, a kids circus, dance and fitness classes, free bike repair, bike skills track, live music, and more.

Check out the route map below and visit the East Portland Sunday Parkways webpage for more detailed information about the first parkways of 2011!

May 18, 1910: Steamer J. Marhoffer Explodes in “Boiler Bay”

May 18, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

The J. Marhoffer, a 175 foot long 600 ton steamer, left San Francisco for the Columbia River on May 14, 1910 with the intention of loading lumber at St. Helens and Oak Point before returning to the Bay City (Morning Oregonian, 20-May-1910).

Traveling at about 9 knots off the coast a few miles north of Newport on May 18, 1910, an assistant engineer had an accident with a blowtorch and set the engine room on fire. Without the ability to quench the fire or shut down the engine – the valves were too hot and the fire continued to spread – Captain Gustave Peterson pointed the steamer towards shore and gave the order to abandon ship. The crew, the captain, and his wife boarded lifeboats and made for shore. One of the lifeboats capsized, but everyone made it to shore as the J. Marhoffer crashed into the rocks with a dramatic explosion.

The only casualty was the cook Frank Tiffany, who, badly burned and tossed into the sea when the lifeboat he was on capsized, died of exposure or drowning (Morning Oregonian, 21-May-1910).

Brigg’s Landing, where the ship exploded, was later renamed Boiler Bay. To this day, during extremely low tides, the ship’s 12 foot diameter boiler is visible on the rocks.

May 17, 1858: Portland’s Central School Opens

May 17, 2011 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

Several schools, most private and a few quasi-public, sporadically served the children of Portland from the late 1840s through the mid-1850s. But finally on May 17, 1858 the Central School opened, the first public school in Portland in a building, and on land, owned by the school district.

The school was constructed at 6th and Morrison, where Pioneer Courthouse Square is now. The first principal was L.L. Terwilliger, and he was assisted by Owen Connelly and Mrs. Mary J. Hensill. The first class had an enrollment of 280.

Additional source: Portland Public Schools, 1845-71, but Charles N. Reynolds. Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 4 (Dec., 1932), pp. 334-347.

May 16, 1898: Astoria And Columbia River Railroad Connects Portland and Coast

May 16, 2011 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

Astorians celebrated the completion of the Astoria and Columbia River Railroad, connecting Astoria to Portland via a route following the Columbia River, on April 4, 1898. The first train from Portland arrived, carrying 700 people, on May 16, 1898.

Astoria and Seaside had been connected by railroad since 1890. With the completion of the Portland link, tourists began arriving on the coast in droves. Seaside became a resort town, expanding from hundreds of residents to thousands during the summer months. Astoria became an important hub for the timber industry, which with the arrival of the railroad had access to the forests of the Coast Range.

May 15, 1994: USS Blueback Opens for Tours at OMSI

May 15, 2011 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

The first public tours of the USS Blueback, docked at OMSI, began on Sunday, May 15, 1994 (The Oregonian, 15-May-1994).

The Blueback was launched on May 16, 1959 and was commissioned the following October as the last non-nuclear submarine in the US Navy.

For over three decades she was deployed throughout the world on various missions and exercises. She visited Portland twice for the Rose Festival, in 1978 and 1981.

The USS Blueback famously appeared in The Hunt For Red October, and Hawaii Five-O!

According to one source, the Blueback was used because it was the last active sub with six forward torpedo tubes. More modern ships had torpedo tubes off to the side. For consistency, the film’s interior scenes that included torpedo tubes had to use the Blueback as a setting. In an ironic twist on the ship’s long Cold War service, some crewmates were paid $50 to have their hair cut and put on Russian uniforms.

Blueback also appeared in the 1970’s television series, Hawaii Five-O, earning a cameo spot in the fourth episode (“Samurai”) of the first season.

She was decommissioned in 1990, and OMSI took possession in 1994.

Photo credit: USS Blueback (SS-581) image by Wikipedia user Decumanus (Matthew Trump). Used under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.

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