MultCoArchives

Multnomah County has the 9th largest urban Indigenous population in the U.S. Native Americans are and always have been here. From multco47 See full post: Multnomah County Records Management & Archives (@multcoarchives) • Instagram photos and videos #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Election Day is November 5th. For current election information, please see multco.us/elections. For Throwback Thursday, here is a voters’ pamphlet from the January 30, 1996 special election. See full post at: instagram.com/multcoarchives

Multnomah County Records Management & Archives | October is Archives Month! The Multnomah County Archives preserves the history, organization, functions, and activities of the Multnomah… | Instagram #archivesmonth #multco #environmentaldesign

The name Wapato Bridge (formerly Sauvie Island Bridge) honors a First Food for Native American communities in the region like the Multnomah Tribe. multco.us/multnomah-coun… #indigenouspeoplesday

October 10th is Electronic Records Day! Have you considered that the digital records we create today will someday be part of the archives? Here’s a throwback to early 1980s computing and electronic records creation at Multnomah County. #ElectronicRecordsDay

Can't help sharing this image again for #ERecsDay!

It is only by considering all those stories that we can begin to try and understand what happened at Vanport 75 years ago. If you have not already, we encourage you to review the many many other perspectives that can be found through other archives.

This is one story of Vanport. It is only a partial picture, limited by the local government records generated by the County as events were unfolding. Others have different stories and different perspectives. #Vanport

The official death toll was 15 with coroner’s reports listing people as “trapped and drowned in the Vanport City flood area.”

Many of the records contain reports of property theft, larceny, missing/abandoned and recovered vehicles and other property in the Vanport flood zone. Vehicles were still being recovered as late as September, 3-4 months after the flood occurred.

In the immediate aftermath of the flood, the Sheriff’s department coordinated with Red Cross and Portland Police for taking and following up on missing persons reports and deterring looting, illegal salvage, and trespassing. #Vanport multco.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/…

Any related records that are discovered or acquired after this anniversary will also be linked to this location in the future for the benefit of researchers.

If you’re interested in learning more about Vanport and the flood, we have collected all the County’s records we’ve been able to identify and digitize in one place: multco.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/…

The color still is from a film shot in June 1948. You can view it in our Digital Archives: multco.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/…

75 years ago today, the Columbia River, roaring downstream 15 feet above the flood plain in Portland, undermined a railroad embankment that served as a dike, starting a flood that would leave 18,000 people homeless and significantly alter race relations in Portland. #VanportFlood

The County Health Department was also on scene to administer typhoid shots to personnel working in the flood waters.

Multnomah County Sheriff’s officers remained on the scene through the event, setting up temporary precincts, conducting patrols to stop looting and assisting the US Army Corps of Engineer’s patrolling the dikes. Precinct #2 was located at 47th & Columbia.

The work was unsuccessful and another breach occurred around 9pm that evening, splitting Denver Ave in half. This, in turn, caused Union Ave to give way.

As search and rescue efforts continued on May 31st, efforts were also being made at the Denver fill to shore up that dike. #Vanport

Many lost not only their homes, but all of their possessions as well. Boats searched for survivors through the afternoon and evening.

Evacuation commenced on foot and by vehicle by way of North Denver Avenue. The surrounding sloughs filled up and gave evacuees time they would not otherwise have had to escape the water, but only about 30-40 minutes more.