In Oregon City's early years, the town was concentrated near the Willamette River, but as the city grew, it expanded onto the top of the bluff that the city backed up to. Initially residents used the trails originally built by the Native Americans who originally inhabited the area. By 1867, steps had been built to supplant the trails. Over the years, more steps were built as the search for an easier route continued, but ultimately the preferred route had 722 steps.
In 1899, the idea was advocated of an elevator to connect the two parts of the city. It took a number of years for the idea to gain traction, but on May 10, 1912, the City Commission decided to put to the voters a ballot measure for bonds for "A Public Elevator at the Bluff." The first measure, on July 8, 1912 ballot, was defeated, but when placed on the ballot again on December 2, 1912, the measure authorizing a $12,000 bond "to construct and operate an elevator from the lower to the upper town at some point to be selected" was approved. A committee of City Commissioners was formed to "investigate the elevator proposition ." They found that while most residents approved of the elevator idea, none of the wealthy residents wanted the elevator near their homes atop the bluff. By March of 1913, the committee had decided that the best place for the elevator would be between 6th and 7th streets at the top of the bluff, but the property owner objected to having the elevator so close to her home and refused to sell access to the city. The case went to the State Supreme Court, who found in the city's favor. The property owner would never ride the elevator.
Mural depicting the original Oregon City Elevator
The city contracted with the Oregon Bridge and Construction Company to build the elevator. The choice had to be made of whether the elevator would be operated by water power or electricity. Water power was less expensive, but the City's Water Board was worried that the elevator would affect the integrity of the entire water system. The City Commission solved the problem by appointing a new Water Board made up of City Commissioners. The elevator was able to be constructed and opened on December 3, 1915. Nearly the entire Oregon City population of 3,869 people rode the elevator that first day. The elevator took three to five minutes to rise 89 feet. At the top, a 35-foot catwalk carried passengers from the elevator tower, over the Southern Pacific Railroad, to the top of the bluff. The elevator used an average of 200,000 gallons of water per day and when operating it lowered the water pressure in the surrounding area. In 1924, the elevator was converted to more reliable electric power and the ride was reduced to 30 seconds, but by the 1950s reliability was becoming a problem, as frequent breakdowns led to passengers having to climb out a trap door and down a narrow ladder.
New & Old Oregon City Elevators
The City Commission spent $7,000 planning a structure that was "as plain as possible, without adornment." A $175,000 bond measure for a new elevator was approved in a special election in May of 1952, but when bids were opened in November of 1953, the lowest was over $200,000. In January 1954, Stevens & Thompson Engineers-Architects submitted a proposal for a new, less expensive design by Portland architect Gordon Trapp, which James& Yost, Inc. General Contractors was awarded the contract for after submitting the low bid of $116,000.
Historical Photos:
Oregon City depot before elevator (shastaroute.railfan.net/)
Old and New Elevators and Depot (HistoricPhotoArchive.com)
Oregon City Municipal Elevator viewed from the Willamette Falls Locks on February 1, 2010
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on September 11, 2010
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
The new elevator consists of over 751 tons of concrete and steel, and is 130 feet high overall. It was dedicated on May 5, 1955, and accepted by the City Commission on July 13, 1955.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator Plaque on August 19, 2006
The dedication plaque bears the names of City Manager Robert D. Clute, Resident Engineer Chris Strohmeyer, Commissioners Richard W. Long & C. George Helzer and Mayor Albert Roake.
Amtrak Cascades Train near the Oregon City Municipal Elevator
Unlike the original elevator, which was on the west side of the railroad tracks and had a catwalk above them to reach the bluff, the current elevator is on the east side of the tracks, against the cliff, and passengers use a 35-foot-long tunnel to go under the tracks.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
Oregon City Municipal Elevator Tunnel on August 19, 2006
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
The two levels are 90 feet apart, and a one-way trip between them takes 15 seconds.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
Although the elevator has always been free, and remains so today, 2,000 elevator passes were printed as keepsakes. To this day, the elevator is manned by an operator. It is one of only four municipal elevators in the world, and is the only one in North America. The elevator carries approximately 10,000 riders every month. It is currently operated by Five Stars International.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
In the 1980s, 13 small historical paintings and 4 murals were painted in the observatory at the top of the elevator to create an interpretive center. The interpretive center concept was envisioned by Rick McClung, Director of Oregon City Public Works, with additional concept development by Judi Van Cleave of the Oregon City Enterprise Courier, Oregon City's weekly newspaper. The project was developed as part of the cities of Oregon City, West Linn and Gladstone's "River Cities Arbor Week," chaired by Gerald Herrmann of the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center and co-chaired by Thor Wegner.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
The interpretive center was created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Overland Migration to Oregon over the Oregon Trail. It was authorized by the Oregon City Commission, made up of Mayor Dan Fowler, Commission President Suzanne VanOrman, Carol Powell, James Ebert & Robert Light, and was funded by a grant from the Oregon City Civic Improvement Trust composed of the Oregon City Commission and Alayne Woolsey, Claire Met, Phyllis Gehring and Dan Daniels, with the support of Oregon City staff members Kate Daschel & Denyse McGriff and with additional funding by the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center, the Smurfit Newsprint Corporation and the Simpson Paper Company. The research and historical photos were from the Clackamas County Historical Society, collected by Executive Director Robert Monaghan, Clee Ann McAllister and Art Torsdahl. The interpretive center was created by Media Master Publications, with design & development by Reid Iford of the Enterprise Courier and surveillance system by Gates Electronics & Security. The artists of the paintings were Jon & Angela Hanley.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on August 19, 2006
The Interpretive Center advertises the following Oregon City attractions: the Clackamas County Historical Museum, the McLoughlin House, the Stevens-Crawford Museum, the Ermatinger House, the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the Rose Farm (where the first Territorial Legislature met in an house built in 1847) and the John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center.
Here is a look at the 13 small paintings that are around the elevator observatory.
IN 1843, THE OVERLAND MIGRATION BEGAN BRINGING PIONEERS TO THE OREGON TERRITORIES.
ORIGINAL PAINTING BY JOHN & ANGELA HANLEY
PIONEER WOMEN ENDURED GREAT HARDSHIP ON THE TRAIL, AND PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN BRINGING WESTERN CIVILIZATION TO OREGON.
WILLAMETTE FALLS STATION “A” FROM LOWER RIVER. 1895.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
FIRST STREET CAR (HELEN) INTO OREGON CITY AT SIXTH AND MAIN STREET. 1893.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
PADDLEWHEEL STEAMBOATS RACE UNDER THE OREGON CITY-WEST LINN BRIDGE. 1936.
OREGON CITY CELEBRATED THE NATION’S BIRTHDAY WITH A PARADE DOWN MAIN STREET ON JULY 4, 1891.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
THE ORIGINAL OREGON CITY-WEST LINN BRIDGE AND CLACKAMAS COUNTY COURT HOUSE.
A COMPOSITE PAINTING FROM PHOTOS TAKEN APPROXIMATELY 1891.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
A STEAMBOAT PASSES THROUGH THE WEST LINN LOCKS IN 1873.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
REGULARS GATHER AT “THE OLD LOG CABIN,” LOCATED AT 4TH AND MAIN ST. IN 1905.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
PAPER AND WOOLEN MILLS AT WILLAMETTE FALLS AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
…LEWIS…BOARDWALK…, 1891.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
EARLY OREGON CITY, FROM A “SPY SKETCH” BY BRITISH CAPTAIN SIR HENRY WARRE.
ORIGINAL IN LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
COMPOSITE PAINTING OF WILLAMETTE FALLS PRIOR TO DEVELOPMENT.
CLACKAMAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO
Some of these paintings deteriorated considerably over the years. On November 17, 2006, Oregon City Mayor Alice Norris announced that the city had received a $13,000 grant from the Clackamas County Tourism Development Council (with another $2,500 pending) to artistically upgrade the interior and exterior of the elevator, including restoration of the paintings and murals. Mayor Norris appointed the Oregon City Art Committee, chaired by Chuck Clemans and made up of local professional artists, representatives of the McLoughlin Neighborhood, public works staff and former members of the Oregon City Arts Commission, to guide the art selection decisions. The city has retained Cheryl Snow of the Arts Action Alliance of Clackamas County to coordinate the project. By May 2007, the Art Committee had raised a total of $25,000 in grant money and was originally to select an artist or artists to complete the work by the beginning of summer 2007, but the selection was pushed back to September 2007 with the project to be completed by July 2008.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator on February 20, 2010.
The new elevator art by Michael Asbill is titled Elevations in Transition and was dedicated on September 27, 2008. It consists of 68 panels under the windows with lenticular images that change as the viewer walks by them. Each panel contains historic and modern views of downtown Oregon City taken from the same vantage point, and part of a panorama of Willamette Falls that runs through all the panels. Around the elevator enclosure are eight panels, each with three pictures depicting resources, people and industries associated with Willamette Falls. On the floor of the observation deck is a map based on an old Oregon City plat map.
Oregon City Municipal Elevator Tunnel on September 11, 2010
Additional lenticular images are in the entry tunnel.
Continue to 28: George Abernethy Memorial Bridge…
