Exploring Estacada /  by Lee McKnight

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Situated at the base of Mt Hood National Forest about 30 miles southeast of Portland is the city of Estacada. Settlers in the mid-1800s arrived in this area to find Native Clackamas people living along the banks of the Clackamas River. Unfortunately, immigrants brought new diseases with them–namely smallpox and malaria–which all but decimated the native people. In 1855, all remaining Native Clackamas People were relocated to Grand Ronde Agency under the Willamette Valley Treaty. 

The evolution of the city we know as Estacada today centered around the construction of hydroelectric dams along the Clackamas River that were built to supply electricity for residents of Portland. Worker camps were established for the crews that built the Cazadero Dam which went into operation in 1907. Oregon Water Power Railway Company laid tracks and opened up service from Sellwood to Estacada as a means to move freight and workers to the Clackamas River for dam construction. City dwellers interested in visiting the country soon began to ride the train. 

The Estacada Hotel and Portland Restaurant opened in 1904. A post office opened in 1905, the same year the town was incorporated. River Mill Dam came online in 1911, leading to the formation of Estacada Lake which is now part of Milo McIver State Park. Estacada continued to evolve with the creation of a Chamber of Commerce in the early 1930s. 

Train service ended in 1932, a casualty of the rise of the automobile. The construction of roads opened up possibilities for logging and in the 1950s and 60s Estacada became a mill town. Today, the area is best-known for its production of Christmas trees. 

Estacada is also known to some as the site of the first ever government-sponsored rock concert, Vortex, in the summer of 1970. Vortex was the brainchild of governor Tom McCall as a way of distracting potential anti-war protestors from the American Legion Conference scheduled in Portland where Nixon was slated to address attendees. 

In 2015, Estacada invested heavily in its main commercial corridor (South Broadway), planting new street trees, installing public artwork, and constructing gathering spots. While the population within the borders of the incorporated city is still small (less than 3000 residents), over 24,000 residents are living in the areas that comprise the unincorporated town of Estacada.

Amenities

Estacada is about 45 minutes southeast of Portland in Clackamas County, accessed via highways 221 and 224. There are two elementary schools in the area, River Mill Elementary and Clackamas River Elementary. Estacada Middle School is the only middle school, and Estacada High is the sole high school. 

Points of Interest

Milo McIver State Park is right on the scenic Clackamas River. There are ample trails for hiking and exploring, and guests can also swim, canoe, raft and kayak in the river. Estacada Lake is also within the park and is accessible to boats and open for fishing. The Clackamas Fish Hatchery is also part of the park and offers self-guided tours where you can learn about the life cycle of Chinook salmon and Steelhead.

There is a 27-hole disc golf course and plenty of picnic sites, plus a 44-site campground in the event that you can't get all of your exploring done in one day.

Along the opposite side of Estacada Lake is Timber Park with picnic sites and a disc-golf course. Fishing is allowed along the shoreline and there are ball fields available with a reservation.

Estacada has a bounty of murals painted on structures throughout the town thanks to the Artback Artists, a group that banded together in 1992 to paint Estacada's first mural. Stop by the Chamber of Commerce for a brochure outlining a self-guided walking tour of the murals. 

The Chamber of Commerce website is a wonderful source for information on everything to do in Estacada including birdwatching, eating and drinking, mushroom hunting, exploring the outdoors on foot, horseback, or the river, and more!

 

How Can There Be a Housing Crisis When There is Construction on Every Other Block? /  by Lee McKnight

People ask me, “Why is it that I see all this building going on and yet everyone is talking about the Housing Crisis? Aren’t there enough new homes under construction?” Great question. And one that can be answered best by the following fact: the units going up are almost universally high-end apartments and homes that only the most well-paid workers in our City can afford. 

This chart gives you a quick glimpse into what is wrong here. Rents are on the rise and wages, social security and disability payments are not. So full-time workers making minimum wage, seniors and folks on disability are being left in the cold…literally.

Bottom line, Capitalism is not very good at filling the basic needs of housing, food, and healthcare. If we are going to participate in a Capitalistic society, we need to admit that and find a way to socialize the distribution of these basic needs. Otherwise, we will continue to pass hungry and homeless and sick people in our streets and wonder, “What should our government be doing to fix this?” 

This Fall, you will get an opportunity to help address this problem by voting to pass the Metro Housing Bond. By voting yes to this, and the accompanying Constitutional Amendment allowing public money to be combined with Private Money, you will be committing to providing housing for up to 12,000 folks in the Metropolitan Area (Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington Counties). This bond measure and the Portland Housing Bond that just passed are desperately needed to backfill 40 years of disinvestment in affordable housing in this country. And since the Federal Government has stepped back from a commitment to house our most vulnerable, the State and Municipal Governments must step up. That is us.

For more info on the state of housing and the research behind what it will take to get folks off the streets, check out the Welcome Home website>>

Exploring St. Johns Neighborhood /  by Lee McKnight

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James John made his way to Oregon from Missouri in the early 1840s. Initially, John settled in Linnton, but he moved across the river to the area that is named in his honor a few years later. He operated a ferry between St. Johns and Linnton in the 1850s. John platted a portion of his land in 1865 and named it St. Johns on the Willamette; a post office opened in 1873 to serve the small collection of residents in this sleepy town with little industry. When John passed away in 1886, he requested that all his possessions be sold and used to pay for his burial and the construction of a school in the town.

In the 1890s steam-driven passenger trains began serving St. Johns, connecting with the Portland and Vancouver Railway. Gradually industry moves to St. Johns–Portland Woolen Mills, The Jobes Flour Mill, Portland Manufacturing Company's Veneer and Basket Factory, and the Excelsior Mill and Drydock to name a few. Telegraph operator Charles A. Cook became the town's first mayor in 1903. 

Early life in the town of St. Johns was not without tensions; dancehalls and saloons were discouraged from doing business in St. Johns through restrictive tax measures and refusal to approve licenses. Construction of the city hall building in 1907, which is still standing and currently used by the Portland Police Bureau, was rife with contractor and architect drama. Residents of St. Johns and Portland voted in favor of Portland annexing St. Johns in the spring of 1915. 

A bridge across the Willamette between Linnton and St. Johns was proposed to replace the ferry system that was carrying 1,000 vehicles a day at its peak in the mid-1920s. The iconic St. Johns Bridge was designed in 1928 by David Steinman; it was the most significant and most significant suspension bridge in the state when it opened in 1931. Built during the early years of the Great Depression, the project provided many residents with jobs. The bridge was not thoroughly overhauled and renovated to withstand the increase in vehicle weight, and wear and tear from volumes of vehicles until over 70 years after its opening. The rehabilitation took a little over two years to complete, and the bridge was rededicated in 2006. 

Amenities
St. Johns is the northernmost neighborhood in Portland with easy access to west side neighborhoods and downtown via Highway 30 across the St. Johns Bridge. 

There are three pre-schools in the neighborhood: Magnolia Blossom, Montessori House, and Meadow Day. Two elementary schools are within the neighborhood boundaries: Sitton Elementary in the northwestern corner, and James John Elementary in the center. George Middle School is on the northern edge, near Columbia Boulevard, and Roosevelt High School is on the eastern side of the neighborhood. 

Points of Interest
Cathedral Park at the base of the St. Johns Bridge is the pride of the neighborhood. At 23-acres the park boasts a boat launch, off-leash dog areas, large grassy fields for picnics and playing games, picnic tables, a stage, views of the Willamette and a stunning perspective of the Gothic Cathedral-inspired suspension bridge. The city acquired the land for the park in 1968 at the urging of Howard Galbraith, the honorary mayor of St. Johns. Galbraith convinced the city to clean up the junkyard sites at the base of the bridge and create a park for the community on this important historical site known as a fishing location for Indian tribes, a landing site along the itinerary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the settlement of St. Johns founder James John. 

Pier Park is a sprawling 87-acre site in the northwestern corner of St. Johns. Named for Stanhope S. Pier, Portland city commissioner in the 1920s, who proposed the construction of a park, similar to Laurelhurst Park, on the site. Boasting a robust skate park, a disc golf course, soccer, baseball and softball fields, picnic areas, a tennis court, a splash pad, and walking paths meandering through mature trees, the park delivered on its goal to rival one of the city's most prestigious parks. 

Adjacent to Pier Park is a dream of a park for dog owners! Chimney Park was once the location of an incineration facility, hence the name Chimney, and now it is a sprawling 18 acres with fencing so dogs can roam off-leash.

Culture
St. Johns can keep you busy from the moment you wake up until you're ready to lay back down. Start your morning with a freshly boiled bagel from Bernstein's Bagels and dart across the bridge for a quick hike in the less-congested side of Forest Park. If you want to indulge in a cup of locally roasted coffee and peruse the paper, visit St. Johns Coffee Roasters. 

The central business district runs along N Lombard and N Ivanhoe streets between N Richmond and N New York Avenues. This area has the highest concentration of retail shops including second-hand clothes, accessories and home goods, specialty olive oils, new and vintage cameras, comic books, and shoes. If you need sustenance you can stop along this stretch of N Lombard for vegan BBQ at Homegrown Smoker, or vegan Indian Food at The Sudra, old-school tacos at Tienda Santa Cruz, or rustic Italian fare at Wood-Fired Eats. 

There is no shortage of watering holes here either. Start with the oldest dive bar on the strip, 107-year old Slim's Restaurant and Lounge for solid bar food and a cheap drink. Wandering in the center of St. Johns you can also experience a mini-brewery tour by visiting Royale Brewing's taproom, The Garrison, or the newcomer to the neighborhood, Stormbreaker, before walking down the slope towards the river on N Baltimore Ave for a stop at Occidental Brewing. If it's entertainment you're after, catch a show at the Fixin' Too, a honky tonk bar and music venue, or see a movie at one of the neighborhoods two independent theaters, St. Johns Twin Cinemas, or McMenamin's  St. Johns Theater & Pub.

Head east along N Lombard Street to check out the all-in-one stop, St. Johns Marketplace and Food Pod. Here you can buy farm fresh produce and plant starts from nearby Sauvie Island's Kreuger Farms stand, get a bite to eat from one of their eclectic mix of food carts, or grab a beer from The Beer Porches tap stand featuring Northwest brews.  If you get a craving for handmade pasta on your way to the farm stand, stop off at Gabagool, a food cart turned brick and mortar passion project from two east coast guys who fell in love with Portland.

Get your nature fix without leaving the neighborhood by visiting the Smith & Bybee Natural Wetlands Area where you can walk the trail between Smith and Bybee lakes or, take your kayak and paddle around. If you decide to visit, be sure to bring your binoculars for better bird watching!


 

Chamber Music Northwest Summer Music Festival /  by Lee McKnight

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Chamber Music Northwest’s mission is to inspire our community through concerts and events celebrating the richness and diversity of chamber music, performed by artists of the highest caliber, presenting our community with exceptional opportunities for enjoyment, education, and reflection.

Their Summer Festival packs an incredible roster of talent into five weeks at venues all over the city–and some of the events are FREE.

Check out the full schedule for their Summer Festival here>>>