Dave Knows Portland

May 10, 1862: The Oregon Pony, First Steam Locomotive in Oregon, Makes Inaugural Run

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Oregon Pony (Image courtesy of the Oregon State Library)With machinist and engineer Mr. Theodore A. Goffe at the controls, the Oregon Pony made its debut run on the morning of May 10, 1862 (Morning Oregonian 23-July-1905). The tracks of the Oregon Portage Railroad, the state’s first, ran between Tanner Creek (not the Northwest Portland Tanner Creek, but a creek of the same name near where the Bonneville Dam is now) and Cascade Locks.

The locomotive was built by Vulcan Iron Works of San Francisco for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, which operated the railroad and steamships that served the Columbia River ports of Astoria, Portland, and The Dalles. The Oregon Pony was used to portage steamboat passengers and goods past the Cascade Rapids (which were inundated when the Bonneville Dam was completed).

In 1864 another railroad, with heavier locomotives and better rails, was built on the Washington side of the river. The Oregon Pony’s duties briefly shifted to a portage railroad around Celilo Falls, but in 1866 the locomotive was sold and shipped to San Francisco, where it was used to grade roads. In 1904 the locomotive was donated to the Oregon Historical Society, which displayed it at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition and then later at the Albina Rail Yard. It was put on display at Union Station in the 1930s, and then returned to Cascade Locks in 1970. Restored by the Port of Cascade Locks in 1981, the Oregon Pony is now on permanent display in a weatherproofed enclosure at Cascade Locks Marine Park near the Cascade Locks Historical Museum.

Image courtesy of the Oregon State Library

May 8, 1905: New York City to Portland, Oregon Auto Race Commences

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On the morning of May 8, 1905 a pair of Oldsmobile Curved Dashes left New York City on the first cross country road race – destination Portland, Oregon. The New York Times reported:

A transcontinental automobile run over a new route will start at 9 o’clock this morning from this city. Two light runabout cars of seven horse power each will attempt to cross the country to Portland, Oregon. They are due to arrive there by June 21, when the convention of the National Good Roads Association will open. This convention will continued through June 24. It is one of the special features arranged in connection with the Lewis and Clark Exposition, which will open June 1, and prominent automobilists from all parts of the country have been invited to attend and discuss questions pertaining to local and National good roads.

The winners, Dwight W. Huss and Milford Wigle, arrived in Portland on June 21:

The plucky drivers left New York 45 days ago, and were 44 days and six hours in making the arduous journey. Many ordeals have they passed through in the way of difficult mountain trails, sandy desert roads and swollen streams. The trip was finished, however, without serious mishap, and the end of the journey found both very much tanned and weatherbeaten, but in excellent health. They have the distinction of winning the first transcontinental automobile race, although the trip has been made by auto many times before. [Morning Oregonian, 22 June 1905]

National Train Day (7-May-2011)

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National Train Day 2011National Train Day 2011 takes place this Saturday, May 7th from 10am to 4pm – the Portland event is at Union Station (800 NW 6th).

National Train Day marks 142 years of connecting travelers coast to coast and commemorates the day the first transcontinental railroad was created. On May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah, the “golden spike” was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, transforming America by creating the nation’s transcontinental railroad.

The Rose Festival Character Clown Corp and train artist J. Craig Thorpe will be in attendance, along with representatives of organizations dedicated to trains, railroad history, and more. Giveaways will occur all day, including a Grand Prize trip to Vancouver, BC on the Amtrak Cascades with two night stay at the Westin Grand and $125 credit to use on attractions, courtesy of Tourism Vancouver.

The star attraction again this year is the 110 foot long, 10 foot wide, and 16 foot tall SP 4449. One of three locomotives owned by the city of Portland, the 4449 weighs 433 tons and can reach speeds over 100 mph with its 5,500 horsepower engine. In the 1940s and 50s it pulled the Southern Pacific Coast Daylight coaches from LA to Portland. In 1958 it was put on display at Oaks Park, but was restored in 1974 so that it could pull the 1975-1976 Bicentennial Freedom Train. (Visit the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation website for more information about the other locomotives and learn about the foundation’s efforts to build a permanent home for these historical locomotives and other rolling stock.)

This free event is one of my favorites – check out my posts on the 2010, 2009 Train Day events to get a taste of what’s in store!

March 20, 1947: Last Trip of the Sternwheeler Georgie Burton

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Georgie Burton (The Oregonian, 21-March-1947)By mid-century competition from the railroad, and later, paved roads and automobiles, spelled the death knell of Columbia River steamboat operations.

One of the last steam powered sternwheelers to regularly ply the waters of the Columbia River was the Georgie Burton. After 41 years of service, she made her final trip from Portland to The Dalles on March 20, 1947.

The Oregonian editorial page lamented the next day:

This page feels sentimental about the occasion for any number of reasons. For one thing, the boat, launched at Vancouver, Wash., on the day of the San Francisco fire, was christened for Mrs. H. L. Pittock, Georgie Burton being Mrs. Pittock’s maiden name.

The plan was to convert the Georgie Burton into a marine museum for a future waterfront park in The Dalles. Unfortunately a flood the following year tore her loose from her moorings and she was wrecked.

March 18, 1836: The Steamship Beaver Arrives Off The Oregon Coast

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Steamship BeaverThe Beaver was an England built 100 foot paddlewheel steamer; the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest.

She left England on August 29, 1835, sailed (her engine and paddles hadn’t yet been installed) around Cape Horn, made calls at Juan Ferndandez and Honolulu, and arrived off the Columbia River on March 18, 1836. Finally, on April 10 she made it to Fort Vancouver, where her paddles and engine were hooked up.

The Beaver began her career as a Hudson’s Bay Company floating trading post. She was replaced by the more powerful Otter steamship after 17 years. The Royal Navy later chartered her to map the British Columbia coast, and then she spent her twilight years as a tow boat. That is, until her final trip on July 25, 1888 when she ran aground at Prospect Point in Vancouver B.C.’s Stanley Park.