This aerial view is of the Goose Hollow area in 1947. The view is to the northeast with SW Jefferson St. leading to and from Canyon Road winding under the Vista Avenue Viaduct and Multnomah Stadium in the upper left.
(City of Portland Archives)
Vintage Portland
Vintage Portland 
The large vacant area to the east of Multnomah Stadium is Kamm Field where ” old ” Lincoln High School played their baseball games. The Kamm Mansion was located just out of the photo further East where the ” new ” Lincoln High School now stands. The Kamm Mansion was later moved South on 19th Street and then West up Jefferson to it’s present location in either 1952 or 1953, where it became a fine dining establishment for several years.
It looks like 18th is still built up on pilings as it passes the east side of the stadium. It would be interesting to see a ground level view at that juncture.
The other large lot is home to the FIrst United Methodist Church which I attended as a child. It was completed in 1957, so that lot looks as though it is being cleared and prepped for construction. You can see the bowling alley on 20th and Jefferson, old MAC club with tennis courts on 18th and Taylor and dozens of grand old homes that are no longer with us. Perfect photo of the ‘before’ Goose Hollow…before the freeway, high-rise apts and so on. Thank you!
Love the photo! Nice to see the “real” MAC from that point of view. Would love to see this photo before it was trimmed…at least the top part. I lived in an apartment house between 17th & 18th on Yamhill back in the ’60’s…it would be fun to see it as it was then…1947, I mean! I forgot about the bowling alley!
I wonder when the traffic circle was constructed at the corner of 18th and Jefferson?
The old dog track infrastructure is evident here as is the old tote board at the stadium. Anyone else remember the football “Jamboree’s ” Just about that time of year again.
TO ROD : ” FOOTBALL JAMBOREES ” WITH THE YELL ” GO, WASHINGTON COLONIALS ” ……… GREAT EVENT & A ” MUST ” FOR ALL HIGH SCHOOLERS IN THE ’50’S !!!!
@BUD. THE #1 social event for 50’s high schoolers is understating the thing. Every kid in Portland, downtown on one Friday night. The bus company had to lay on the entire fleet and it was shoulder to shoulder on Broadway. Hard to believe. Oh and GO Tech. lol
I remember the high school football jamboree well! in the early 50’s there were 8 high schools in Portland (not counting Benson or Central Catholic) that played football. At Jamboree night two teams each played the first quarter of their opening league game (4 quarters in all). They then played the remaining three quarters of their games the following week at the respective high schools. Go Generals!!!
@ Rod …….. I sure hope you had your Portland Traction Co. photo I.D. card to get ” Student Fare” !!! …….. ” Techmen ” with their orange unis & all and a very ” forgettable ” gym for basketball …. the ” old ” PIL was always ” tough ” until the downstate Medford teams showed up at ” State ” ………… Are there NO Democrats , Quakers or Taddies out there ??
@ Don, I always thought that traffic circle had been there forever and was part of the trolley/cable car system as their turn around….guess not! 🙂
@ Don: The circle must have been constructed shortly after the time of this photo. It can be seen in this one, in 1951. Jefferson and Columbia became one-way (at least in the downtown core) in 1946 so I would think it was built to improve the transition from 2-way Jefferson to 1-way Jefferson/Columbia.
@Bud. OK you can make fun of the Benson Gym but you can’t knock that state of the art auto shop. I learned to type above that gym which explains a lot. I thought a student body card got you the low fare but hey it’s only been 60 years and you’re probably right.
rod, i dont see any dog track evidence here, but i only remember murry kemp greyhound park in fairview, what do you see?