Fun Facts and More
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Fun Fact #34 Meteorite Drops By Slabtown
Read more: Fun Fact #34 Meteorite Drops By SlabtownWhen did the largest recorded meteorite drop by Slabtown? The Cosmic Origins of Tomanowos Long before it arrived in Oregon, the Willamette Meteorite had a truly stellar backstory. It is believed to be the iron core of a planet that shattered in a collision billions of years ago. Roughly 12,000 years ago, this massive rock […]
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Fun Fact #33: What’s Home Front Activity might have contributed to the Vanport Flood?
Read more: Fun Fact #33: What’s Home Front Activity might have contributed to the Vanport Flood?In 1948 many victims of the Vanport Flood were relocated to the Slabtown neighborhood. Some white families were placed in existing defense housing in Guild’s Lake Courts and charged $48/month in rent. Other families (disproportionately families of color) were housed in surplus trailers and charged $32/month in rent. These families were assisted by local organizations […]
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Fun Fact #32 What’s the story behind Sherlock Street?
Read more: Fun Fact #32 What’s the story behind Sherlock Street?Today, we wanted to share a wee bit of Irish history hidden right here in Slabtown. Sherlock Street, a short stretch in Northwest Portland, is named after William Sherlock—an early Portland pioneer and Irish immigrant. Born in New Ross, Ireland, in 1817, Sherlock arrived in Portland in March of 1850 and quickly made his mark […]
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Nob Hill Slabtown Fun Fact #31: Why is there such a variety of exotic trees at Couch Park?
Read more: Nob Hill Slabtown Fun Fact #31: Why is there such a variety of exotic trees at Couch Park?Many trees from sanitarium era… Couch Park has amazing trees—40 different species. Our current snowstorm drew my attention back to our local arboretum. According to the Couch Park 2003 Master Plan, “The variety and beauty of the many trees in the park are its most valuable resource.” Tree maven Phyllis Reynolds, an amazing historian, botanist, […]
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Slabtown Fun Fact #30: Is the American Inn a small piece of a historic hotel saved?
Read more: Slabtown Fun Fact #30: Is the American Inn a small piece of a historic hotel saved?Yes the American Inn Condominiums were build out of materials from the American Inn The images I have come across over the years are like the one above. I thought it was possible that the center section was saved and moved to NW Northrup. I only recently found an advertisment below for the hotel and […]
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Slabtown Nob Hill Fun Fact #29: Where was the Pest House?
Read more: Slabtown Nob Hill Fun Fact #29: Where was the Pest House?The History of Portland’s “Pest Houses” (1862–1903) The first official municipal “pest house” opened in Portland in 1862. It was a private home rented to the city for the purpose of quarantining the communicable sick. Not everyone ended up in the pest house; instead, private homes would fly a yellow flag as a warning if […]
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Slabtown Nob Hill Fun Fact #28: The Simpsons in Portland
Read more: Slabtown Nob Hill Fun Fact #28: The Simpsons in PortlandWhile Simpsons creator Matt Groening attended Ainsworth Grade School, the elementary school in The Simpsons is called Springfield Elementary. The schools have matching floor plans and similar facades. Both the fictional school and real school have experienced almost constant reductions in their budgets, with deferred maintenance and overcrowding the norm. Springfield Elementary is filled with […]
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Slabtown Fun Fact #27: Where is Fordham Heights?
Read more: Slabtown Fun Fact #27: Where is Fordham Heights?Answer: “Fordham Heights is situated at the head of Lovejoy and Northrup streets” Having successfully reintegrated the name “Nob Hill” into the urban fabric in the 1970s, a decade ago Mike Ryerson recruited his friends to bring the “Slabtown” name back to the working-class section of NW 23rd. Resurrecting historic place names takes time and […]
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Fun Fact #26 The seedlings of what tree were planted citywide in 1905?
Read more: Fun Fact #26 The seedlings of what tree were planted citywide in 1905?Answer: The Monkey Puzzle Tree. Monkey Puzzle trees look like a Dr. Seuss illustration of a tree come to life. In 1993 there were at least 150 trees of this variety in Portland—at least a third of those had “roots” in Slabtown’s 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Fair. The Monkey Tree (Araucaria araucana) is native […]
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Fun Fact #25 What was once in the vacant storefront on the southwest corner of NW 23rd and Northrup?
Read more: Fun Fact #25 What was once in the vacant storefront on the southwest corner of NW 23rd and Northrup?In this age of rapid development (3-14-16), tour-goers and locals alike are puzzled that this corner storefront—on arguably the hottest tourist drag in Portland—stands neglected. Why has this building in the heart of a high-rent commercial corridor remained vacant for nearly 25 years? According an article by Peter Korn in a November 2007 Portland Tribune, […]
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Historic Curiosity Fun Fact #24 Baby raised by a local store?
Read more: Historic Curiosity Fun Fact #24 Baby raised by a local store?Where are the twins now? 🔍 Can You Help Us Solve a 1930s Portland Mystery? During the height of the Great Depression, a pair of twins was abandoned at the historic downtown Meier & Frank Store (601 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR). I wrote this post in 2016 and I’m hoping we can learn more […]
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Fun Fact #23 Headaches of Overcrowding
Read more: Fun Fact #23 Headaches of OvercrowdingHeadaches of Overcrowding: The WWII Schooling Crisis at Guild’s Lake Courts and Chapman Grade School (Note: Reflecting on modern Portland Public Schools (PPS) enrollment challenges, this history highlights a time in during WWII when local schools faced unprecedented wartime overcrowding. When Dr. March wrote this blog post over a decade ago Chapman School was once […]
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Fun Fact #22: Why are there so many horse rings in our neighborhoods?
Read more: Fun Fact #22: Why are there so many horse rings in our neighborhoods?Why are there so many horse rings in our neighborhoods? Since the 1970s horse rings in Portland must be returned/replace post curb construction and repair. Starting in 2005, The Horse Project has encouraged participants of all ages to attach toy horses to the rings. The effort’s first horse was installed in the Pearl by Scott […]
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Fun Fact #21: Which historic Pacific Northwest house used pieces of the famous Marabba West during its 1970s restoration?
Read more: Fun Fact #21: Which historic Pacific Northwest house used pieces of the famous Marabba West during its 1970s restoration?The Haunting History of Portland’s Nathan Loeb House and the Lost Marabba West The Answer: The Nathan Loeb House (726 NW 22nd Ave) Built in 1893, this striking residence is a highlight of the Nob Hill-Alphabet District Tour. However, its history is deeply tied to one of the darkest economic eras in American history. 1895 […]
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Fun Fact #20: Where was the first headshop on NW 23rd?
Read more: Fun Fact #20: Where was the first headshop on NW 23rd?The first headshop on NW 23rd was at 1007 NW 23rd Avenue. As of Spring 2026, there are 348 active cannabis business licenses in the City of Portland. In the 1970s Portland was a very tolerant city, teeming with hippies, and in 1973 Oregon was the first state in the country to decriminalize marijuana. I […]
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Nob Hill Fun Fact #19: Why is there an elk on the Mackenzie House?
Read more: Nob Hill Fun Fact #19: Why is there an elk on the Mackenzie House?Nob Hill Fun Fact #19: Why is there an elk on the Mackenzie House? Have you ever walked past the historic Mackenzie House in Portland’s Nob Hill and wondered about the majestic bust of a white stag (or elk!) centered below a framing arch of slate shingles? This striking architectural detail is more than just […]
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Slabtown Nob Hill Fun Fact #18: The Great Pretender
Read more: Slabtown Nob Hill Fun Fact #18: The Great PretenderWhat was Eric Ladd’s Real Name? Answer: Eric Ladd was born Leslie Carter Hansen on July 29, 1920. Early Years Leslie Carter Hansen attended Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Eric Ladd was the name he adopted in 1941 when he studied acting presumedly had an acting career in Hollywood until 1943. He returned […]
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Slabtown Fun Fact #17: Petition to Shut Besaw’s Saloon
Read more: Slabtown Fun Fact #17: Petition to Shut Besaw’s SaloonWait who is trying to shut down Besaw’s? Right prior to the opening of the 1905 Fair a petition was circulated and signed by 3% of the City’s population to shut down Besaw’s Saloon! Temperance Movement Yes 3,144 Portlander’s signed a petition to close Besaw’s in May 1905. Voters wanted all bars closed that were […]
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#16: Can you name all five historic names for this former Thurman St. movie theater?
Read more: #16: Can you name all five historic names for this former Thurman St. movie theater?Can you name all five historic names for this former Thurman Street movie theater? Test your skill… The Architect: Emil Schacht Emil Schacht practiced architecture in Oregon for decades and is attributed for introducing the residential English Arts & Crafts style to Portland (Ritz p. 347). His fifteen residential buildings in Willamette Heights neighborhood (1905-1909) […]
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Slabtown Fun Fact #15 Ramp to Nowhere off of Fremont Bridge. Where should it go?
Read more: Slabtown Fun Fact #15 Ramp to Nowhere off of Fremont Bridge. Where should it go?1970s Alarm Bells Neighbors were alarmed when they noticed surveyors planning to clear away homes along the proposed route for I-505. The initial environment impact statement was four pages. In November 13, 1970, the Oregonian reported in “Road Route Plan Aired” that J.H. Versed construction engineer for the State Highway Department’s metropolitan division estimated that the construction would start in 1973 after […]
