Journalist By Nature: Rocky Butte: Famously Overlooked Portland Landmark

Mt. St. Helens from The Crown

Rocky Butte, a Boring Lava geological upheaval in Portland's east side, bears a reputation for its 360 degree views, a lover's nighttime parking stop, a medieval dungeon-like city jail, a rock climbing venue and home to a reclusive collection of park bums. In the chill of a spring morning we set off to discover these notorious claims for ourselves. Our starting point, due to the convenience of a fenced parking lot at The Grotto, was a bit of a distraction as we strolled through the lower grounds of this Catholic memorial to Mary. It is a cluster of angular towers that mirror the rock formation surrounding its Stations of the Cross but stand in contrast to the soft green pillars of Douglas fir trees.

Finding the trailhead required a chat with some groundskeepers, scrutinizing Laura Foster's map in her book Portland Hill Walks, (available for one cent plus shipping) some meandering through a boggy field with "no trespassing" signs nailed to tree trunks and a group decision to press on. Not far along the trail we spied a jumble of plastic tarp tent-like structures scattered in a ravine and garbage strewn throughout the undergrowth. We immediately deduced that the signs were posted by these "residents" as a way of keeping human traffic to a minimum. Quietly ascending the trail we were assaulted by the noise of a busy freeway nearby, the I-205 arterial that gutted this part of a Portland neighborhood to convey traffic through the east side of the city in a north-south direction.

Part of our curiosity on this hike was the desire to see the former location of the Multnomah County Jail. Built in 1941 but torn down in 1983 due to the freeway noise, its reputation remains as part of this area's history. The trail to the jail site was rough, slippery, steep and passed by a cave with a human occupant. Covered head to toe with a dirty quilt, bottles of various liquids strewn about, and apparently still sleeping soundly, this encounter, plus the condition of the trail, gave us pause as to the wisdom of continuing further.

Backtracking, we ascended the steep trail leading to the summit, passing by a crew of road construction workers practicing belaying techniques over a precipitous edge. Once atop the butte, we found a campus of buildings that has served in various capacities over the years as the old Hill Military Academy, Judson Bible College, and currently the City Bible Church. Walking the winding uphill road to the top of the butte gave us grand views through the leafless trees of east Portland and frequently approaching airplanes to the Portland International Airport.

The top of Rocky Butte is Joseph Wood Hill Park with its historic airway beacon tower that once guided airplanes through the Columbia River Gorge prior to radar, radio communication and GPS equipment. Early pilots flew using road maps, visual landmarks and nighttime bonfires. Today the walled park affords an interesting view of planes landing using the east to west approach at the airport. The control tower is easily visible on the flat runway land bordering the Columbia River. Turning to the other side of the park we viewed the downtown skyline and west hills. On the clearest of days it is possible to see the peaks of Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, Hood, Jefferson, the Columbia River and the spread of Portland around the butte.

The rocks hewn from several butte quarries showcase the masterful skills of WPA workmen as they built short and high walls, dry fitting the stones into place. Some of the stones from the former jail were shipped up the Gorge to be reused in building walls there. The entire Rocky Butte project, completed in 1939, cost $500,000, second only to the most expensive WPA project in Oregon at Timberline Lodge, which cost $695,730 in its day. For a much more extensive history of the area, read Foster's book.

Returning to our cars, we decided to meet for lunch at Yen Ha, a Chinese restaurant on N.E. Sandy. Our friendly and helpful waiter made every accommodation to ensure a happy lunch, including advising us on menu items that white girls would prefer (his words) and speeding up the serving of family style dishes with more nimble use of chopsticks than we could manage. The whole fish, deep fat fried and topped with tomato/cilantro sauce, was an exotic and new treat for most of our group. A post-lunch tour of the next door Nam Phuong market rendered an armful of Oriental produce such as lemon grass, Thai basil, fresh ginger and tiny speckled quail eggs.

Keeping a watchful eye on the calendar and forest trails, we know that our city walks will come to a close as we transition to the needle-padded paths of the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood National Forest and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Until then, we encourage you to look for opportunities to get out and about in the lively and interesting city of Portland. Keep learning and growing!