PlacesPages: Portland Places: Tom McCall Waterfront Park

I originally posted the PORTLAND PLACES: Tom McCall Waterfront Park page on my old website on October 10, 2008 and last updated it on March 17, 2010.

Downtown Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park lines the western shore of the Willamette River and fits the area so perfectly that it’s difficult to imagine that just a few decades ago, instead of a beautiful public waterfront park, Portland's waterfront was lined with an expressway. The story of the Portland waterfront is as interesting as the amenities that today call the park home. This page includes links to historic photographs from the Salem Public Library's Oregon Historic Photograph Collections, the Oregon State Library Photograph Collection, the University of Oregon Library Digital Collections, the ODOT History Center, the Oregon Historical Society, the Portland Auditor's Office, and Dave's Electric Railroads.

John Yeon Building
Battleship Oregon Memorial Marine Park
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Oregon Maritime Center & Museum
Salmon Street Springs
United States Merchant Marine Memorial
Japanese-American Historical Plaza & Bill of Rights Memorial
Friendship Circle
Portland Police Memorial
Portland Saturday Market & Bill Naito Legacy Fountain
Portland Spirit
Historic Front Avenue
Made in Oregon Sign
Portland Fire & Rescue Central Fire Station
Mill Ends Park

Early History of the Portland Waterfront

Until the early 1800, the shores of the Willamette River were covered with dense forests with many species of trees. The tallest western broadleaf, the Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), grew along the riverbanks, reaching heights of 200 feet with trucks 7 feet thick. Because of these forests, most Indians of the region relied on canoes for transportation instead of horses.

When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark came down the Columbia River in 1805, they initially missed the mouth of the Willamette. After learning of it from the Multnomah Indians, Captain Clark returned to explore it and named it the Multnomah, after the Indians.

With the establishment of Fort Astoria in 1811, traders came to the Pacific Northwest, trading with the Indians for furs in exchange for metal goods and other items. In 1825, the Hudson Bay Company's Fort Vancouver became the region's dominant trading post. The Indians of the Willamette Valley traveled to Fort Vancouver to trade. Many of them stopped to camp halfway between Oregon City and Vancouver. The Black Cottonwood trees in the area were easily cut for firewood and temporary shelter, and one area was cleared to an acre in size, becoming known as "The Clearing."

Many tribes and bands of Indians came to the area to trade. The Multnomahs were of the Chinook tribe. The Clack-a-mas were another area tribe. Others were the Wah-lal-la band and the Clowe-we-wal-la or Willamette band of the Tum-water tribe, the Mol-la-la band of the Molalla tribe, and the Chemeketes from south of Salem. There were many bands of Kalapuya or Calapooias, including the Tualatin band, the Yamhill band, the Che-luk-i-ma-uke band, the Chep-en-a-pho or Marysville band, the Chem-a-pho or Maddy band, the Che-lam-e-la or Long Tom band, the Mohawk band, the Winnefelly band, the Tekopa band, the Chafan band and the Santiam band. The greatest number were from the Klickitat Nation, who used 1500 miles of waterways in the Pacific Northwest.

In 1840, Captain John H. Couch described the clearing as "a good spot for a seaport, for any vessel which can come up the Columbia can come this far up the Willamette." Soon, the first wharf was built by John Waymire at the foot of Washington Street.

The first organized wagon train to travel the 2,000-mile Oregon Trail departed Independence, Missouri in the spring of 1842 with 100 immigrants, most of whom survived the heat, thirst and near starvation to arrive in the Willamette Valley that fall. They were the first of thousands to come to the Oregon Country to take land claims, although at the time the region was still in dispute between the United States and Great Britain.

Founders’ Stone on September 10, 2008

William Overton became Portland's first settler when he took a 640-acre pre-emption land claim here in 1844. Asa Lawrence Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts paid the filing fee, and received half the claim in return. A year later, Overton sold his half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove from Portland, Maine.

Founders’ Stone on September 10, 2008

Lovejoy and Pettygrove surveyed, platted and named Portland in 1845. The two men each wanted to name the new city after their hometown; the name was chosen by the flip of a copper penny, in which Pettygrove won two out of three. The Francis Ermatinger House in Oregon City claims to be the site of the coin toss, though it no longer stands on its original site. The original Portland townsite extended from Front Avenue to Second Avenue and from Washington Street to Jefferson Street.

Founders’ Stone Plaque on September 10, 2008

One of the oldest monuments in what is now Tom McCall Waterfront Park, the Founders' Stone, honors the memory of Portland's founders, Asa Lawrence Lovejoy and Francis W. Pettygrove. It was erected by the City of Portland and dedicated on December 19, 1945.

On June 15, 1846, the United States and Great Britain signed a boundary treaty that resolved the dispute over the claims to the Oregon Country, though it wasn't until 1850 that the Oregon Donation Land Act began giving titles to American settlers. White male U.S. citizens 21 years of age or older, and their wives, were eligible for land grants from 160 to 640 acres, depending on their marital status and how long they had lived on and cultivated land in the Oregon Territory. The act was the first U.S. statute to base land grants on residence and cultivation, and the fact that married men were eligible for larger claims encouraged marriage, leading to brief courtships and early weddings, with many brides in their early teens. A total of 7,432 settlers claimed 2,614,082 acres of public land in the Oregon Territory under the Oregon Donation Land Act before it was replaced by the National Homestead Act of 1862.

Second Trinity Church (Episcopal) - Built 1872-73 at 6th & Oak
Oregon Historical Society Photograph

Later, Lovejoy and Pettygrove sold the river front portions of their claims to Daniel H. Lownsdale and to Benjamin Stark, for whom Stark Street is named. Stark was born on January 22, 1822 and came to Portland in 1845 aboard the bark Toulon. He established a merchandising business and purchased interest in a land claim from Asa Lovejoy. He traveled to the California gold mines in 1848, and when he returned to Portland his land claim was disputed; he ended up with a triangular piece of land extending north from Stark Street to Ankeny Street and west from the Willamette River to 10th Street. Stark studied law and was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1850. He became a territorial legislator in 1853, and was appointed by Governor Whiteaker to serve the unexpired term of U.S. Senator E. D. Baker from September 1861 to December 1862. Stark donated the site for the first Trinity Episcopal Church at 2nd and Oak Streets, and donated a bronze bell in 1873 for the church's second building. The church still has the bell at their third building at NW 19th and Everett. Stark eventually returned to New London, Connecticut, where he had lived before coming to Portland, and spent his final years there until his death on October 11, 1898.

While Portland began to develop on the west side of the Willamette River, there was also growth across the river on the east side. James B. Stephens was born in 1806 into a family of English settlers. The family moved to the Indiana Territory where Stephens became a cooper. He and his family, including seven children, came over the Oregon Trail, arriving in Oregon City on December 24, 1844. He contracted with the Hudson Bay Company to built barrels and bought the squatters rights of Mr. A. Davis from Dr. John McLoughlin for $150. Stephens platted the town of East Portland by 1850 and began operating a ferry near the site of today's Morrison Bridge around 1853. The ferry employed a barge on which horses or mules on a treadmill were hitched to a capstan and used to turn a gear which connected to a six-foot gear wheel under the deck. This barge carried any animals and foodstuffs, while towing a smaller boat for passengers. When Multnomah County was formed in 1855, Stephens was the first to pay a license fee to the county: $10 for his ferry. Much of the ferry's income was from the military, which paid in script with little value. Stephens eventually sold the ferry to the Joseph Knott family, and in 1863 it became the Stark Street Ferry.

James B. Stephens Marker on September 7, 2008

Stephens took a 640 acre donation land claim, and purchased additional land until he owned 1,920 acres, bounded by Stark Street, S.E. 20th Avenue, S.E. Division Street and the Willamette River. He built a large log house on the Willamette River at what is now Stephens Street, and later built a frame home which was moved in 1902 to 12th and Stephens where it still stands today. Stephens was involved in various other business ventures before his death in 1889: he opened the first East Side Bank, which failed, he lost $16,000 in the timber business with blacksmith James Terwilliger, and he made the first cider in Portland, which was sold in Portland's first candy shop on Front Avenue between Washington and Alder Streets.

James B. Stephens Marker on September 7, 2008

This marker across the river from James B. Stephens' Land Claim was given by the Wahkeena Chapter of the Oregon State Daughters of the American Revolution and was dedicated by Chapter Regent Mrs. Arthur Allen Bettger on June 19, 1978 and rededicated by Andrea Ellen Bettger, State President of the Oregon State Children of the American Revolution on March 11, 1989.

Stark Street Ferry Marker on September 7, 2008

Engraved in the sidewalk next to the marker are the words "1863-1895 STARK STREET FERRY."

Stark Street Ferry Marker on September 7, 2008

Near Naito Parkway (formerly Front Avenue) is a monument placed by the Lang Syne Society in 1961 marking the site of the Stark Street Ferry.

Stark Street Ferry Marker on September 7, 2008

On April 12, 1887, the first Morrison Bridge was dedicated. The wooden truss swing span bridge was the first bridge across the Willamette River and the longest bridge west of the Mississippi River. The bridge was operated manually by two men on calm days or four men on windy days. It was originally a toll bridge, charging for a one-way crossing 15¢ for a horse-drawn rig, 20¢ for a team of horses and 5¢ for a pedestrian. It became toll free in 1895, putting the Stark Street Ferry out of business. The bridge lasted until the second Morrison Bridge, another swing bridge, opened in 1905. The current Morrison Bridge was completed on May 24, 1958.

First Morrison Bridge

Morrison Bridge Plaque on September 7, 2008

This marker is located at the western foot of the first Morrison Bridge. It was placed by the Lang Syne Society in 1987.

Morrison Bridge Marker on September 7, 2008

The current Morrison Bridge is in the background.

Hawthorne Bridge on September 7, 2008

After the Morrison Bridge was built, other bridges followed it. The Hawthorne Bridge opened on December 19, 1910, replacing two previous Madison Bridges built in 1891 and 1900; it is the oldest operating vertical lift bridge in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland.

Hawthorne Bridge on September 10, 2008

Historical Photos:
View of a previous Madison Bridge (Oregon Historical Society)
Hawthorne Bridge (Oregon Historical Society)
Hawthorne Bridge (Portland Waterfront History)
Hawthorne Bridge (Portland Waterfront History)
Sternwheeler & Hawthorne Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb)
Hawthorne Bridge fully raised (Multnomah County Genweb)
Streetcar on the Hawthorne Bridge (Dave's Electric Railroads)
Streetcar on the Hawthorne Bridge (Dave's Electric Railroads)
Hawthorne Bridge (Oregon State Library)
Trolleybus on the Hawthorne Bridge (Oregon Historical Society)
Hawthorne Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center)

Burnside Bridge on September 7, 2008

The original Burnside Bridge was completed in 1894; the current Burnside Bridge opened on May 28, 1926, replacing it.

Burnside Bridge on September 7, 2008

Gustav Lindenthal, designer of New York City's Hell Gate Bridge and Queensboro Bridge, was involved in the construction of the Burnside Bridge, and the opening mechanism was designed by Joseph Strauss, who went on to design the Golden Gate Bridge.

Willamette Queen under Burnside Bridge on February 1, 2010

In this photo the sternwheeler Willamette Queen is passing under the Burnside Bridge on February 1, 2010.

Historical Photos:
Burnside Bridge Grand Opening, 1926 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Burnside Bridge, circa 1926 (Oregon Historical Society)
Postcard View of Burnside Bridge (Portland Waterfront History)
Burnside Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center)

Portland's Waterfront in the early part of the 20th century
Photo courtesy of Oregon Historical Society (neg #COPO2263)

As Portland grew along the Willamette River, slaughterhouses, canneries and other industries were built along the waterfront. Without water quality laws, these industries used the river as a convenient to dump their waste and sewage. The same was true in the other cities and towns along the river. By the 1930s, the river had become a menace to public health: unsafe for drinking or swimming and toxic to fish and wildlife.

Oregon citizens demanding clean rivers in the 1930s
Photo courtesy of Oregon Historical Society (neg #CN001253)

In 1938, Oregon voters overwhelmingly supported an initiative petition creating the State Sanitary Authority to clean up and protect the river. World War II delayed the effort, but by the mid 1950s, sewage plants had been installed at every city and town along the river to remove at least 30 percent of the organic waste from sewage effluent.

Municipal Sewage Pumping Plant on September 7, 2008

Industries were also required to install pollution control equipment. The Oregon Legislature reorganized the State Sanitary Authority in 1969, renaming it the Department of Environmental Quality. By 1972, the Willamette River had become safe enough for water contact activities.

Municipal Sewage Pumping Plant on February 1, 2010

This Municipal Sewage Pumping Station next the the Burnside Bridge was built in 1952 and was part of Portland's effort to clean up the Willamette River.

Municipal Sewage Pumping Plant on February 1, 2010

Journal Building (former Portland Public Market) 1933-1969
Photo courtesy City of Portland

In 1933, a large three-story building with eleven story towers was built on the east side of Front Avenue to house the Portland Public Market, however it was never very successful and the market closed in 1942. The United States Navy leased the building in 1943, until it was sold to the Oregon Journal newspaper in 1948.

Historical Photos:
Floor Plan of Public Market, 1933 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Postcard of Portland Public Market (Multnomah County Genweb)
Postcard of Portland Public Market (Multnomah County Genweb)
Journal Building during 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center)
Journal Building, 1969 (Portland Auditor's Office)

For more information, see the Portland Public Market page at PdxHistory.com.

Old Harbor Drive Expressway, after demolition of Journal Building

Meanwhile, along the seawall built in the 1920s to protect downtown Portland from flooding, a controlled-access expressway called Harbor Drive was completed in 1942. The four-lane divided highway was funded by the Roosevelt Administration to stimulate the economy. Closed to pedestrians and cross traffic, Harbor Drive completely cut off the Willamette River from downtown Portland into the 1970s.

Historical Photos:
Portland Waterfront in 1929 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Seawall under construction, 1929 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Waterfront with seawall, 1929 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Harbor Drive, September 11, 1942 (Salem Public Library)
Harbor Drive in 1942 (Salem Public Library)
Harbor Drive at Hawthorne Bridge, 1974 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Harbor Drive at Hawthorne Bridge, 1974 (Portland Auditor's Office)

Continue to John Yeon Building…

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Portland Places: Tom McCall Waterfront Park

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