Dave Knows Portland

January 17, 1914: Ride the Red Electrics

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Red Electric Train
Photo credit: Lake Oswego Public Library

Portland’s Red Electrics began their run on January 17, 1914. The interurban trains belonged to the Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway and were painted red, hence the name. The all-steel railroad was one of the largest 1500 volt systems in the country. Much of the rails the passenger carrying Red Electrics rode upon had previously been used by Southern Pacific‘s steam powered freight and passenger trains.

The system connected cities and towns throughout the Willamette Valley: Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Carlton, Forest Grove, Saint Joseph (near McMinnville), Oswego, Sherwood, Newberg, Lafayette, and Corvallis. (Visit The Red Electrics page at PDXHistory.com for more details, including a service map, train schedule, and historical photographs!). With the rise in popularity of the personal automobile and other factors, the trains stopped running by 1930.

January 16, 1905: Second Morrison Bridge Opens to the Public

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2nd Morrison Bridge OpensThe Morrison Bridge we know today is the third such bridge at the same approximate location.

The first one was built way back in 1887, out of wood. At the time, remarkably, it was the longest bridge west of the Mississippi. According to the December 3, 1927 Morning Oregonian article pictured to the right, in 1904 it was struck by a lumber steamer, knocking one of the spans three feet out of line. Although the span was jockeyed back into place, the structure was not considered safe thereafter.

Construction on the second Morrison Bridge, pictured below, began in 1904, and opened to the public on January 16, 1905. It was built of steel and the price came in under $400,000!

Second Morrison Bridge

The third Morrison Bridge, the one we use today, was built in 1958.

Re-Building South Portland (9-November-2010)

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South PortlandRe-Building South Portland, a rare free event from the Architectural Heritage Center, takes place Tuesday, November 9 2010 at the Church of All Nations (136 SW Meade), from 7pm until 9pm.

In conjunction with our new AHC exibit, Re-Building South Portland, please join us in the South Portland neighborhood, as PSU Professor Carl Abbott leads a discussion on the growth, destruction, and re-birth of South Portland. Dr. Abbott will give a short lecture on the neighborhood followed by what should prove to be a lively discussion with area residents and anyone curious about South Portland, its history and the effects of urban renewal.

South Portland was an immigrant neighborhood with clusters of Italian-Americans and Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia, which was mostly destroyed by urban renewal and freeway building after World War II. Carl Abbott is the author of one of my favorite books about Portland, Greater Portland: Urban Life and Landscape in the Pacific Northwest (Metropolitan Portraits).

November 5-7: Coffee Fair 2010, Portland in Postcards, and more!

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Friday

Planes Trains And AutomobilesCort and Fatboy’s Midnight Movie: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (5-November-2010)

The Cort and Fatboy Midnight Movie for November is Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

“Prepare yourself for the Thanksgiving Holiday the correct way. With dread, and annoyance, and maybe the sharpest dialog John Hughes ever wrote, delivered by the genius of John Candy (R.I.P) and Steve Martin.” [more]

Saturday

Portland PostcardsPortland in Postcards

Native Portlander Mark Moore, curator of PDXHistory.com, presents Postcards in Portland at the Architectural Heritage Center (701 SE Grand) this Saturday, November 6 2010.

“Beginning in the early 20th century, postcards rapidly developed into a hugely popular tourist souvenir item and postcards of the “City of Roses” were no exception.” [more]

Filmed By Bike: Best of the WorstFilmed By Bike: The Best of the Worst

Filmed By Bike‘s The Best of the Worst, (what not to do) takes place at The Art Department (1315 SE 9th) on Saturday, November 6 2010. . .

To spice it up a bit between crap bike films, festival organizers have scheduled mini-talks with veteran Filmed By Bike filmmakers, including Lars C. Larsen and Mike Vogel. The 2011 festival trailer will also be debuted, the jury will be available for a Q&A, and there will be plenty of beer and food! [more]

Saturday-Sunday

Coffee Fair 2010Coffee Fair 2010

The 2010 Coffee Fair at the World Forestry Center (4033 SW Canyon Road) takes place November 6-7 from 10am to 3pm each day. . .

The fair features demonstrations on how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, roasting your own, and of course copious amounts of coffee to try! [more]

And for more, visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and PDX Pipeline!

X-Ray Cafe – a 30-something Portlander’s flashback (#4)

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X-Ray CafeAlas, I only have two, almost forgettable memories of the now legendary X-Ray Cafe.

In high school my friend Don and I tried to get into a show at Key Largo (31 NW 1st – now The Ohm, Whiskey Bar). We got carded, however. Dejected, we wandered in a southerly direction, towards the part of town more hospitable to suburban kids like us. On our way we stumbled upon the X-Ray. No need for fake ID, the X-Ray was an all ages club. We spent a couple hours enjoying some really crappy music (sorry, I don’t recall what band(s) played).

At a later date I returned to see my friend Ryan’s early 90s Portland band, Hog Wild (or was it Hawg Wylde?) perform.

But now us geezers can refresh our feeble memories, and whippersnappers and transplants can have their minds blown: The Life and Death of the X-Ray Cafe, the second volume of the Oregon History Comics series, is available (thanks to The Dill Pickle Club, writer Sarah Mirk, and artist John Isaacson).

The X-Ray was run by Benjamin Arthur Ellis and Tres Shannon (now of Voodoo Doughnuts fame). For the Portland history buffs I also recommend the movie Ellis made about the trials and tribulations of the X-Ray Cafe: X-Ray Visions (available at the library, and on Vimeo!).

Comic vignette from from The Life and Death of the X-Ray Cafe – illustration by John Isaacson, written by Sarah Mirk.

More 30-something Portlander’s Flashbacks:

  1. Sam’s Hof Brau
  2. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour
  3. Quality Pie