Journalist By Nature: Dairies To Developments

In the wedge of Portland bounded by Highway 217, I-5 and Highway 26 lie a number of named neighborhoods. The Multnomah Village area is situated on the west slope of the hills that parallel the Willamette River. It was originally dairy country, transformed from forest to grazing land by Swiss immigrants in the 1880's. By 1907 the Oregon Electric Railroad had a station on Multnomah Boulevard, thus granting its name to the neighborhood. A train connecting Portland and Salem ran through this area, fueling farm-encroaching suburban developments.

The Multnomah Village to Vermont Hills Loop is a mixture of older farm houses on generous acreage, 1960's low-to-no pitch roofed homes on smaller lots and modern, high-rise infills shoehorned into available spaces between older structures. Due to the hilly topography, many homes have terraced yards and stonework is put to good and creative uses to keep soil in place and provide planting beds without the addition of lawn space. The hills of this area are evidence of ancient volcanic activity. Mount Sylvania is a Boring Lava dome similar to the one we encountered at Rocky Butte. It is a flow field from the original lava vent there.

A little huffing and puffing was heard in our group as we made our way to the 620 foot hilltop tank garden, so named for the numerous water storage tanks that use gravity rather than pumps to deliver water to the neighborhood homes and businesses. The aging tanks provided murals of "art" as tiny cracks in the sides oozed a pale deposit down their walls. Some of the original streets are poorly maintained, given to the lack of paving by early developers. Retrofitting engineered drainage systems is a costly project for current homeowners, ranging from $325 to $1000 per linear foot. Once installed properly and paid for by the homeowners, the city assumes responsibility for maintenance. Most residents seem content to let the potholes and muddy surfaces of the unimproved streets be just that for now.

After viewing the Beaverton valley and coastal range as well as Council Crest and the radio towers, we ventured down along Capitol Highway. It was an early Portland arterial prior to the building of the more major highways and the Interstate. It is lined with small shops and eateries, resale and antique stores, projects yet to be finished and larger facilities such as the Multnomah Art Center, the Southwest Community Center and Meals on Wheels headquarters.

Our lunch stop of the day was at Fat City, a small neighborhood restaurant catering to locals. The menu offered a Geezer breakfast for patrons 65 and over, a Rachel or turkey version of the famed Reuben sandwich, spicy curry soup and the usual selection of burgers and breakfasts. The interesting part of this establishment was the "wallpaper" of license plates, signage and related kitsch. It was better than reading the morning newspaper or at least a lot more positive!

Gabriel Park, known for its allowance of off-leash dog freedom was the beginning and end of our city walk. This 95 acre park is crisscrossed with walking paths, crowned with several tennis courts and a skate board park and bordered on the north side by the Southwest Community Center. The 48,000 square foot public facility contains various swimming and soaking venues, sports areas and a large foyer. Dogs and their humans were enjoying the dry spring weather here. One lady stopped to let us admire her Brindled Cardigan Welsh Corgi named Beemish after the stout of County Cork in Ireland. He was nosing about for snacks so didn't respond much to our attention. Ulrich Gabriel, original Swiss owner of the park land, raised dairy cows here so perhaps Beemish was sensing scents of an earlier time. Sauntering to our cars, we saluted another Dryday between Wednesday and Friday. Laura Foster's Portland books have been a treasure of historical walks this winter and spring. We heartily recommend them to you on any day of the week! Get out and explore your city today.