Portland's Lost Waterfront

What I hope my readers will find as fascinating as I did is this, another first hand report of Jim Turk boarding a ship on its arrival in Portland. The incident takes place around 1880 and the teller of the tale is Frank Thomas Bullen, a British sailor who later became a famous writer of sea stories. At the beginning of the 20 th century Frank Bullen was as famous as any other writer of his day. He wrote about the two things that mattered to him most: the sea and God. He went to sea at the age of 12 and over the years he rose to the rank of first mate. His first book, The Cruise of the Cachalot: Around the Word After Sperm Whales , was first published in 1898 by Smith, Elder & Company . In a world where the works of Melville were devoured by an adventure-craving public Frank Bullen’s semi autobiographical works found high favor. In the new world of the American west it was a time when the “sons of perdition” had run their course. The era of unbridled vice h...

The Evil Deeds of Darkness An Evening in Whitechapel and Its Celebrated Resorts of Crime and Dissipation This article was written by an unnamed Oregonian reporter and appeared in the Sunday Oregonian , May 14, 1893. Note: Please try to overlook the racial insensitivity in a few remarks. It is mild compared to many news articles from the period. I added paragraph breaks. The article had none, and was a bit difficult to read. I believe this article is a valuable first hand account of the life in the North End at the beginning of the 1890s.   When darkness has settled down upon the western Heights and blotted from sight the near and distant scenes of which Portlanders love to tell, there is still presented to the eye a beautiful view, for art takes possession of the landscape nature leaves to rest.  Spread out at one’s feet is a vast sea of deep, mysterious darkness, interspersed with glistening points of a radiance—brilliant arcs scattered here and there, long ro...

I would like to draw your attention to the Portland “Museum Lady,” Carye Bye. Carye has become a real Portland treasure, and I am delighted to have made her acquaintance. Her insatiable curiosity has led her to research all of the museums in the area—not just the ones you know about, but strange, out-of-the-way kinds of places, where you need to contact someone before visiting. For several years now she has be developing a wonderful little guide book. Yesterday I received the 2014 version and I recommend it highly. The booklet itself is a work of art, carefully designed and printed. The Museum Lady   This guide lists current information and Museum Lady picks for 56 Museums & Collections in Portland. First Printing July 2014 Don’t be bored, turn off the TV! For a mere. $6 get your copy of Museums and Collections of Portland 2014 and spend that rainy (or not) day exploring. Go here hiddenportland.com/ The guide lists current information and Museum...

I want to thank everyone who came for helping to make last night wonderful thing (to paraphrase a Steely Dan lyric). I would say that it was "awesome," but I am no longer a teenager. From the young man who helped us park to the young woman in charge of the events space the employees were friendly and helpful. The tech person helped work out a difficult problem in getting my presentation onto the large screen, much to my relief. I felt as though I was among friends. Having a great audience made me more animated than usual and I enjoyed rattling off the top of my head for about 40 minutes while showing pictures, maps, and diagrams pertaining to my book, The Oregon Shanghaiers. Following my talk I answered some very good questions and then signed a pile of books. It was, for me, a flawless, wonderful experience. Barney Blalock at Powell's City of Books Warning: Complete Subject Change Someone who works in local TV just told me, with...