Another image of the May 1948 flood that swamped many low lying areas along Portland’s waterfront. This photo looks north along NW Front from under the Steel Bridge ramp. Union Station is to the left and the Broadway Bridge in the background. The industrial property along the right was decades away from becoming McCormick Pier Condos.
(City of Portland Archives)
Officials of some sort stand on the west end of the Broadway Bridge ramp around 1947. The St. Johns trolley bus is probably continuing south on Broadway; turning right would take it down the Lovejoy ramp.
(City of Portland Archives)
The Broadway Bridge was only two years old when this fine image, with a sternwheeler passing beneath the bridge, was made in 1915. This view looks west and you’ll get much the same view today from N. Interstate Ave.
(City of Portland Archives)
An earlier Vintage Portland posting showed a very similar view to this one, but focused on the northwest industrial area of town. This view shows more of the east side of the river. In this pre-Memorial Coliseum time, N. Interstate Avenue flowed uninterrupted from center-right across to upper-left, skirting some well established residential neighborhoods, all gone now. N. Williams Ave. and N. Vancouver Ave. are visible in the far upper-right corner. Also note Union Station at lower-left.
(City of Portland Archives)
The floodwaters that inundated Vanport in May, 1948 were still affecting the city in the following weeks. This view of Northwest Portland shows flooding in the low lying areas, particularly the rail lines. The Broadway Bridge is in the upper right, the Steel Bridge ramp in lower right.
(City of Portland Archives)
Vintage Portland 