Construction site for the drainage tunnels on SW Barbur Boulevard, 1934.
City of Portland (OR) Archives, A2000-025.799.
SW Barbur Boulevard, 1934
Vintage Portland
Construction site for the drainage tunnels on SW Barbur Boulevard, 1934.
City of Portland (OR) Archives, A2000-025.799.
Vintage Portland 
I wonder where on SW Barbur this was? Was this to carry a small creek under SW Barbur? Is it still there?
Mike: I think you can see the guard rail along Terwilliger Blvd in upper left corner of the picture. Maybe this will help you figure out where this photo was taken.
Just a guess, but there appears to possibly be a area uphill of where SW Corbett Ave and SW Pendleton St cross. I could be up in there somewhere.
Tunneling in the West Hills is and was0 a dangerous,and risky business. The soil is not very stable(think all the slides)and tunnels are prone to cave ins. The massive amount shoring timber in the picture for use a small tunnel shows they understood the risks and weren’t taking any chances
In 1996, the year of the floods and landslides there were 2 trees standing upright in the middle of Barbur Blvd. It was near the SW Capital Hwy exit/on ramp. Does anyone have a photograph?
Classic photo…pre OSHA…maybe there was gold in them thar hills!
We enjoy receiving photos, and thank you for emailing the one of 1934 Barber Blvd construction. Our great grandparents, Michael & Esther Finn from Maryboro, Cty Queen, Ireland built 2 adjacent houses on the Interurban Line from Portland to Oaks Park & Oregon City, in the early 1900âs, before it became Barber Blvd. The attached photos are of the Finnâs on their newly constructed porch at 24 SW Hamilton. The other is of great gramma Finn walking with our momâs sister, Gertrude (Gerchid), born in 1909 (she was about 3 or 4 when the photo was taken and lived to reach 101), close to the Interurban tracks near the houses. (She & our mom were born at 32 SW Hamilton).
We lived at 24 SW Hamilton from early 1942 until 1948, when it was a busy 4 lane highway, often watching military convoys pass by. My sister Michaele & I are working on a book: Hamilton Street, growing up during WW II. We have no photos of those convoys, nor of Michaelâs Store on Corbett south of Hamilton. That store was an institution, our Aunt Gerchid telling us of going there for milk & eggs (about 100 years ago), when occasionally one of the Irishmen who played cards in an anteroom would ask her to bring them a bucket oâ suds. Wonder if you folks have photos of Michaelâs, or the convoys?
Sincerely,
Phil Broms (808-397-6279) & Michaele Woodward
I think I found the location. Look at this photo of Barbur construction. See the little shack in the lower left along with the building supplies? Tell me that doesn’t look like the same shack in today’s photo:
