Dave Knows Portland

Archives for October 2011

Construction Begins on New Home for Portland’s Locomotives

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Oregon Enginehouse and Rail Heritage CenterThe locomotives of Portland will soon have a new home.

Dignitaries including Portland Parks Commissioner Nick Fish, former Commissioner Mike Lindberg, and Congressman Earl Blumenauer were present this morning for the groundbreaking for the Oregon Enginehouse and Rail Heritage Center.

This new steel building will combine modern technology with traditional design elements in the 19,200 square foot Enginehouse. The Enginehouse will be the new home for Portland’s three heritage steam engines: the Southern Pacific 4449; the Spokane Portland and Seattle 700; and the Oregon Railway and Navigation 197. These machines were the engines that fueled the economy to make Portland what it is today.

The locomotives will have to be relocated before the planned 2012 expansion of the Union Pacific’s Brooklyn Yard, where the historic locomotives have been stored, out of public viewing, up until now. Volunteers with the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation have successfully raised over $4.5 million for the center’s construction. About a $1 million more is needed!

Opening in late summer 2012 across the street from OMSI, the new center will include a public viewing area, interpretive displays, and a gift shop. Future plan call for an expansion of the 2nd floor overlooking the shop and adding spurs that radiate from the historic Brooklyn turntable outside for displaying vintage cars.

History Pub: The Early Organization of Portland’s Polish Community & The White Eagle Saloon (24-October-2011)

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White EagleThe Kennedy School Theater (5736 NE 33rd) hosts the latest History Pub on Monday, October 24, 2011. Topic: The Early Organization of Portland’s Polish Community & The White Eagle Saloon.

For decades the White Eagle Saloon in North Portland has been a favorite blues & rock ‘n’ roll joint. It also has a reputation for being one of the most haunted spots in the city, drawing many ghost hunters and curiosity seekers, especially this time of year. But this venerable establishment, which dates to 1905, began its life with a much different mission: an important hub for Polish immigrants. Meetings to organize the first Polish Catholic Church on the Pacific Coast as well as Portland’s Polish Library Hall, which turns 100 this year, were held at the White Eagle.

The presenter is the McMenamins empire’s own historian, Tim Hills.

Join event co-sponsors Oregon Historical Society and Holy Names Heritage Center at 7pm Monday for a beer and history! Admission is free and this event is all ages. Canned food donations will be accepted for the Oregon Food Bank.

Brainstorm: Explore the Genesis of Innovation, Part 4 (24-October-2011)

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BrainstormOMSI and Portland Monthly present the fourth and final part of the OMSI Science Pub talk series Brain Storm: Exploring the Genesis of Innovation this Monday, October 24, 2011 at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne).

The talks are part of “Brain Storm,” a unique collaboration between OMSI and Portland Monthly to explore creative thinking in science, business, health, technology, and the arts. From a field of 130 nominees, a jury of peers selected 12 leading innovators whose work, creative processes, and personal stories are being presented through an interactive display at OMSI, a series of profiles in Portland Monthly, and onstage in conversation with Portland Monthly editor in chief Randy Gragg.

This week‘s guests are Mia Burk, cofounder of Alta Planning + Design and innovator of bicycling policies;
Jean Auel, novelist, author of Clan of the Cave Bear and the “Earth’s Children” series; and
Larry Sherman, head of the Sherman Lab at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at OHSU, and a pioneering researcher in MS and the aging process.

The doors of the Bagdad open at 5pm, program begins at 7pm. $5 is the suggested admission. Minors are permitted if accompanied by parent or guardian.

October 21, 1893: First Soccer Game at Multnomah Field

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Multnomah Field Soccer - October 21, 1893A game of Association Football, a.k.a. soccer, was played on Portland’s Multnomah Field on October 21, 1893 (The Morning Oregonian, 21 October 1893).

The third game between the Astoria and Portland football association teams will be played on Multnomah field this afternoon, commencing at 3 o’clock. There is a marked difference between association and university or Rugby football. The latter is the more commonly played in the country, though in the former science is brought into play more than actual strength, the foot being used to carry the ball, instead of the hand. The only exception to this rule is the goal-keeper, who is permitted to handle the ball.

That the author felt it necessary to explain the differences between association and university or Rugby football suggests that readers may have been unfamiliar with the game. (You’ll find the whole article attached to this post). But the fact that Astoria and Portland both boasted football association teams in 1893 suggests that at least some of the populace of the area did know the game. In any case though this was almost certainly not the first soccer match played in Portland, it may well have been the first ever played on Multnomah Field.

Multnomah Field eventually became Multnomah Civic Stadium, then Civic Stadium, then PGE Park, and now JELD-WEN Field.

The following day’s Sunday Oregonian revealed that the Portland team beat Astoria 5 to 0, and that attendance was very good, and a great deal of interest was expressed, especially by the crowd of Astorians who came up to back their team.

Amtrak 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train Stops in Portland (October 29-30, 2011)

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Amtrak Exhibit Locomotive (photo credit: Mike Milburn)As part of Amtrak’s 40th Anniversary celebration the Amtrak Exhibit Train, a traveling display showcasing historic memorabilia, will make a stop at Portland’s Union Station on Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, 2011.

The Exhibit Train showcases Amtrak history over the decades, displaying memorabilia such as vintage advertising, past menus and dinnerware, and period uniforms. The Exhibit Train will also include a train-themed kids’ activity area, Chuggington Depot, based on the popular television series on Disney Junior and designed for kids ages 2-7 and their families. In addition, commemorative 40th anniversary merchandise will be available for purchase onboard the train.

There will als be exhibits inside the station from railroad history and railroad safety groups, tourist destinations, and other local travel partners. The exhibit is open 10am to 4pm each day and is free and open to the public. This stop is the Exhibit Train’s only stop in Oregon.