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10-Lane Bridge planned for Columbia Crossing: Pages 3North Portland Fires: Page 5Metro seeks help with Smith & Bybee Lake plans: Page 5

The “Cut!” What a name! It al-most conjures up an evil or damag-ing image and sounds like a gashthat needs to be stitched shut. YetThe Cut is recognized for its geo-graphical significance to NorthPortland and St. Johns because it hasbecome a definitive landmark. When The Cut was created, a psy-chological separation was also cre-ated between residents who lived tothe west of it to those who lived tothe east; it formed a physical divi-sion to our community. People who were not born whenthe dig was completed, (and that’snearly all of us) use the term “Cut”with regularity, and new peoplemoving to the area pick up the namequickly saying things like: it’s abouthalf mile west of the Cut. But, as we drive over The Cut andpeer down at the trains that rumblealong the tracks, how many of usever stop to wonder where thisopening came from, and what se-ries of events brought about a rail-road being placed in our backyard?The story is steeped in political in-trigue, innuendo, big money, mys-tery, bribes, division, and eventualevisceration of St. Johns. All the players in the century-oldaction have passed from the scene,and we are left to reconstruct bitsand pieces of a bygone era. Still, ashistory is a precursor to the future,and The Cut remains a permanentfixture of our lives, it’s a good ideafor the residents of North Portlandto stop and ponder certain idiosyn-

crasies and anomaliesthat have become suchodd parts of our land-scape. The genesis of TheCut may have beenborn during the 1905Lewis and Clark Ex-position. I say maybecause political ac-tivities in 1905 weremuch easier to con-ceal than they are intoday’s world becausescrutiny of activitieswas much less, andrecords often wereconveniently lost. During the hugelysuccessful world-class Lewis and ClarkExpo, all of Portlandbecame a stage thatwas visited by Ameri-cans and royalty fromthe four corners of theglobe. Vast numbers of famous andwealthy dignitaries were housed inthe Portland area. They traveledthroughout the community to enjoythe centennial events, picturesquebeauty of the area, and to explorebusiness opportunities that might beavailable in proximity to the Lewisand Clark celebrations. One of themost fascinating and talked aboutdiscoveries was the enormous vi-brancy and potential of a city nearPortland. Its name was St. Johns. St. Johns in the early 1900’s wasone of the most desirable places aperson could live. The community,which was never clearly definedgeographically, kept expanding andmoving its borders east, as neigh-borhoods like Portsmouth and Ken-ton clamored to be included in theburgeoning economic growth andspirit of St. Johns. Its houses werebeautiful and its streets were lined

in perfect order, and it had a com-merce center that was very provin-cial and self-serving. The city of St.Johns was “the” place to reside. Travelers to the Lewis and ClarkExposition had taken notice of theseattributes, and increasingly so hadthe city of Portland. St. Johns hadits own College, rivers that but-tressed both sides of the peninsulainsuring robust commercial expan-sion, and a local leadership that wasvery protective of the jewel that wastheir prosperous and growing com-munity. The future of St. Johns was clearand with its ever expanding successand growth, the city of Portland be-gan to cast its eyes on the smallerneighbor to the north and by theearly 1900’s the ugly word “annex-ation” had become the sinister si-ren call from Portland to St. Johns. As the city of Portland saw (andenvied) the economic machine that

St. Johns was becoming, there camea cacophony of voices from Port-land that would eventually seal thefate of the proud and independentcity of St. Johns. The larger city wasgreedy and saw some of the mosttalented and entrepreneurial peopleand industries choosing to locate inSt. Johns at the expense of Portland. Political in fighting, backstabbingand closed-door deal making be-came the order of the day. One ofthe enticements for St. Johns was thesuggestion that Portland would useits much larger political clout tobring money to St. Johns for abridge over the Willamette River. At

the time, there was only the ferry tofacilitate business over the river, andthe addition of a bridge would great-ly help St. Johns livability. Many ofthe newspapers of the day werefilled with articles that addressed theannexation issue. An example comes from the St.Johns Review – the newly formednewspaper was “the” paper onNorth Portland and rivaled both theOregonian and the Oregon Journalin influence and power. In a September 4, 1908 REVIEW,the headline read, “ANNEXATION

From the Editor: Since first running The Cut articles approximately four years ago, the Review hasreceived multiple requests to repeat them, so here they are. This will be a series of articles over thenext few issues.......Enjoy!

The St. Johns “Cut”Part I: Creation of a railroad “Cut” also created a division in the community

Continued on Page 4“The Cut”

Audubon Society of Portland andWillamette Riverkeeper are callingon the Port of Portland to immedi-ately cease disposal of contaminat-ed dredge materials from the Port-land Harbor Superfund Site onWest Hayden Island. The Port iscurrently in the process of dispos-ing of 30,000 cubic yards of dredgematerials containing lead, zinc andpesticides from the Willamette Riv-er at Terminal 5 and has requestedpermission from the Oregon De-partment of Environmental Quali-ty to add an additional 75,000 cu-bic yards of dredge material con-taining DDT, PAHs and petroleumhydrocarbons from the WillametteRiver at Post Office Bar (river mile2.2). West Hayden Island has been atthe center of controversy recentlyas the Port has sought to have theCity of Portland annex and rezonethe parcel to allow for marine in-dustrial development over the ob-jections of neighbors, conservationgroups and community groups con-cerned about ecological and com-munity impacts. Last week the Port-land City Council voted to consid-er allowing development on up to300 out of the islands 826 acres butstrongly assured the public that nodecision would be made until fur-ther study of community concernswas completed. Contrary to theseassurances, “beneficial use” lettersfrom Oregon Department of Envi-ronmental Quality authorizing con-taminated dredge material dispos-al actions on West Hayden Islandwere specifically based on the Portsintent to develop this site for ma-rine industrial purposes. “The City and the Port have re-peatedly assured the public that any

Port of Portland disposingof contaminated dredge

materials on West HaydenIsland creates concern

potential development on WestHayden Island would protect thecommunity and the environment”said Audubon Conservation Direc-tor Bob Sallinger. “The deliberatecontamination of this critical wild-life area to further the Port’s de-velopment aspirations completelyvalidates the public’s opposition tothis project.” While placement of the contam-inated materials on this site is con-sistent with commercial or indus-trial use which would cap thedredge materials and preclude theirescape back into the environment,it may preclude restoration oppor-tunities should development not beapproved. Sallinger said, “It iscompletely unacceptable that thePort would justify placing contam-inated fill at this site on the basisof future development which hasnot yet been approved and whichis currently under review by theCity of Portland.” “It is ironic that this amazingnatural area which could have beenused to mitigate for damages to theenvironment caused by contamina-tion at the Willamette River Super-fund Site has now been deliberate-ly contaminated with dredge ma-terial from the Superfund Site” saidWillamette Riverkeeper ExecutiveDirector Travis Williams. “It istime for the City and the Port torecognize that the West HaydenIsland floodplain is the wrongplace for industrial development.” Audubon, Riverkeeper and a co-alition of conservation and com-munity groups support permanent-ly protecting all of West HaydenIsland for wildlife habitat and na-ture-based recreation.

ByJim Speirs

HistoricalEditor

St JohnsReview

Fire crews respondto three fires in N.Portland withindays – One causingthe loss of a belovedlocal market

See story on Page 5

By Jim Speirs

The St. Johns Review, Inc. (515-840)

Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, ORA biweekly community newspaperSubscriptions: $12.00 per yearEditor: Gayla J. PattonPublisher: St. Johns Review, Inc.PO Box 83068, Portland, OR 97283Postmaster: Please send change of address to theSt. Johns ReviewPO Box 83068, Portland, Oregon 97283Phone: 503.283.5086; web site: www.stjohnsreview.comEmail: Reviewnewspaper@comcast.net;Gayla@stjohnsreview.comAdvertising: Gayla Patton 503-283-5086Historical Editor: Jim SpeirsDistribution Manager: Ginger Harris

Distribution ManagerGinger Harris

This newspaper is designed to keep readers informed of news, events, and activities onand around the North Portland Peninsula. It is published solely through advertising andsubscriptions. Unsolicited photographs and manuscripts are welcome, but will only bereturned if accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope. The publisher doesnot assume any responsibility to inaccuracies in articles. Reproduction is not allowedwithout written permission from the publisher and/or editor.

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# Issues: Front Page Article Speirs Historical articles1) Jan 8 Person of Year/Gary Boehm PPS: Chicken or Egg2) Jan 22 UP student dies/Biker rider SJ Parade: 19643) Feb 5 Police presence: Perception vs Reality Meat Eaters: RHS hot dog sellers4) Feb 19 Cathedral Park Jazz Fest. Introduction Take No Prisoners (Wapato Jail)5) Mar 5 Kenton Library to Open Who “Did” Willy Part I6) Mar 19 RHS Princess/SJ Market opening threatened Who “Did “ Willy Part II7) Apr 2 Main St Prog/Farmers Mkt/Ronald McDonald Willy Update/Cattle Rusters8) Apr 16 Urban Renewal/Tree down Fighter Bob Foster9) Apr 30 Parade Issue/Duin Citz of Yr History of SJ Parade10) May 14 RHS stays - Parade followup Flying Dreams Part I11) May 28 SJ Farmers Mkt/Kenton Fair Flying Creams Part II12) June 11 Sunday Parkways event The 8212 Club13) June 25 Fourth of July/Fireworks Ft Vanc Roosevelt/Galati14) July 9 (Cath Pak Jazz Festival) Entertainment InfoRoosevelt/Galati Part II15) July 23 New RHS leadership: Charlene Williams Galati/RHS Afterthoughts16) Aug 6 City Council Port& Hayden Is Develop. Tanks for the memories: N Portland Water Tanks17) Aug 20 Port disposal of contam on HI/Fires Repeat: The Cut Part I

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University plans to bisectthe BluffDear Editor, As part of the North Reach RiverPlan public process, the Universityof Portland has disclosed a campusmaster plan that includes a largeparking structure built into the Wil-lamette Bluff bisecting it from topto bottom. University representa-tives are currently negotiating pri-vately with city leaders about theremoval of protective zoning on theBluff in that location and about thedegree of public inclusion — verystrange, considering the NorthReach Plan is a public process!Meaningful public engagementshould be occurring now since thedecision will affect connectivity ofthe Willamette Bluff systemthroughout north Portland. One of several goals of the NorthReach River Plan is to restore thehealth of the Willamette watershedin the northernmost eleven miles ofriver over the next 30-35 years. Thatstretch goes from Kelley Point Parkto the Broadway Bridge. The NR-Plan concentrates on the area with-in one-quarter mile of the Wil-lamette. Watershed health includesupland connectivity and the Bluffsystem represents the most intactnorth to south corridor in east Port-land according to Bob Sallinger ofAudubon. He states that the largestchallenge to protecting native plantsand animals in the city over the next30 years is lack of connectivity andmigratory corridors. Unfortunately,this appears to be another instancein which city leaders choose to gobehind closed doors to negotiateaway the environmental health of anentire ecosystem without seekinginput from those affected. The Baltimore Woods is, in fact,the northern end of the WillametteBluff corridor and all the work doneto increase connectivity there is un-dermined by a massive block southof it on the University Bluff. TheWillamette Bluff system is justthat—a system. What affects con-nectivity in one area affects it inanother. Blockage is not the direc-tion we should be going to create ahealthy watershed and functionalwildlife corridor for the comingyears especially when we are al-ready seeing a sudden decline inspecies. Even more inexplicable is the factthat the city and the University areboth leaders in sustainability. Theuniversity website touts its commit-ment to “living and acting sustain-ably,” while encouraging students tocheck out a link entitled “Restora-tion of the Bluff”! Though the linkdiscusses the University’s positiveefforts to plant natives, it fails tomention the plan to bisect the Bluff

with a massive structure that woulddestroy it as a wildlife corridor. Whyare the city and the university ad-ministrators working at cross-pur-poses with their own staff’s effortsto make the Bluff a healthy, func-tional ecosystem? Ironically, U ofP professors, who are leaders in thefield of eco-theology and environ-mental sciences, consulted on thegroundbreaking Pastoral Letter ofthe Western Catholic Bishop’s enti-tled, The Columbia River Water-shed: Caring for Creation and theCommon Good. Yet the adminis-tration and scholarly staff, so far,appear to be blind when it comes tothe Willamette watershed literally inour own shared backyards. Is it nota part of creation and the commongood as well? With all the universi-ty’s spoken, written and academicinterest in the environment, it wouldbe wonderful if the students couldalso witness a value system thatplaces a desperately needed Bluffwildlife corridor ahead of a parkingstructure. If that part of the hillsidehas been degraded by past humanactivity and is unstable, there areways to stabilize and restore it thatdo not involve an enormous struc-ture. There are also more sustain-able ways to create a human con-nection between the upper and low-er campus. That section, thoughdegraded, is still a key piece of theconnectivity puzzle. Protecting theconnectivity of the Willamette Bluffsystem protects the health of thewatershed and affects all north Port-land neighborhoods that share it. Soon the North Reach recom-mended regional Willamette Green-way Trail would allow all Portland-ers to experience the unique ecosys-tem of the Willamette Bluff. Trailusers will witness one of the lastmature native oak and madronewoodlands in the metro area. Na-tive oak, which can live 600 or moreyears, are one of the highest valuetrees to wildlife and are quickly dis-appearing in the Willamette Valley.These trees thrive where otherswould fail on dry, south facing,steep slopes. The native trees’ touch-ing canopy provides shelter to a sur-prising variety of wildlife, whichrequires a large area to find enoughfood. Perhaps the university doesn’tunderstand the importance of con-nectivity. Perhaps the city represen-tatives don’t either. Or perhaps theythink whatever goal they are nego-tiating is more important than Wil-lamette Bluff health — all the more

LETTERSto theEDITOR

A San Francisco responseto articlesDear Editor, A friend of mine who visitedPortland recently knew I was anative of St. Johns and broughta copy of the current issue of theReview to me here where I livenow in San Francisco. I must tell you how much Ienjoyed reading through the pa-per. However, I think your His-torical Editor, Jim Speirs, needsto be edited more carefully. Ifound his article on the watertowers rather silly in the open-ing paragraphs. Your editorialabout development at HaydenIsland was, on the other hand,quite clearly written and brieflymakes its points. When I was achild in Portland, Hayden Islandwas the site of Jantzen Beach. Ofcourse, the old park has longsince been gone, but the devel-opment there since then seemsto be reasonable. From this dis-tance, I’d be inclined to agreewith you: the Port of Portlandneeds to locate its facility else-where. I found the article on Lewisand Clark very interesting in-deed. I have known since my stu-dent days at James John thatLewis and Clark camped withinthe area known today as St.Johns. Our school was honoredwith a marker identifying it as asite on the Lewis and Clark Trail.Because World War II had end-ed so recently, the marker wasnot made of scarce bronze or oth-er metal. It was a temporarymarker. I wonder now whetherthat plaque has been replacedwith a permanent one. Finally, I’d like to tell you thatI myself wrote a history of St.Johns when I was in the eighthgrade. My teacher was RuthSimmons. She thought the essaywas publishable and together wesubmitted it to the Review. It waspublished there in, I believe,1948. It was my second pub-lished work. I had written apoem the year before which hadbeen published in the schoolnewspaper. I have, since then,published several books of po-etry. The St. Johns bridge is one ofthe most beautiful structures Iknow. I was lucky to grow up insight of that bridge. And I havenow many photos of it here inmy apartment. It always willremind me of home.Yours,Beverly Dahlen

Water Tower correctionDear Editor, In regards to your article titled“Tanks for the Memories,” Ithought it to be a great read. Asthe author, Jim Speirs seems tobe a well-educated man, Ithought it would be appropriateto point out a little error and hewould take it as constructive op-portunity to learn somethingnew.

Continued on Page 3“Letters”

Continued on Page 8“U of P” plans

EditorGayla Patton

reviewnewspaper@comcast.net * www.stjohnsreview.com * 503-283-5086 August 20, 2010 - St. Johns Review - Page 3

Radke Auto Partsis having their 11thannual car show inthe store parking lotat 6666 N. Colum-bia Way on SaturdayAugust 21, 2010from 10:00 am to3:00 pm. “Bring a car toshow or just comeand look at all thecars” said organizer and Radke rep-resentative Pamela White. There areno entry fees, just a day of fun andfreebies. White said there will besale prices only available on the dayof Car Show as well as a specialprize drawing for those who bringa car to show. Everyone who comeswill be entered to win prizes in adrawing.

Shine it up and show it off at Radke’syearly car show

This is in reference to the linestating “The heaviness of the wa-ter located above the surround-ing neighborhood works to assistin the constant water pressure forusers below the tank”. This state-ment is incorrect due to a theoryknown as “The Hydrostatic Par-adox.” This theory states that itis not the shape of the containeror the quantity it contains, butonly the height of the fluid whichdictates the pressure of the fluid. This is the reason that thenewer water towers have all ofthe water at the very top. Itmaintains a fairly constant waterpressure at the bottom because ittakes many gallons to reduce theheight of the column.My best regards to all,

Scott Duthie

LettersContinued from Page 2

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Food this year will be available

for purchase from Savvy J’s. Theywill be selling burgers, hotdogs,ribs and much more.For more information go to theRadke website and print out a dis-count coupon for $10.00 off a pur-chase of $25.00. www.radkeautoparts.biz For more information call 503-286-4444 Monday through Satur-day, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.

The Columbia River CrossingProject Sponsors Council has unan-imously agreed on a set of recom-mendations to the governors ofWashington and Oregon for mov-ing ahead with development andconstruction of the I-5 bridgeproject. The recommendations includedesigning a permanent 10-lane re-placement bridge over the Colum-bia River and changing the HaydenIsland interchange design to ad-dress several community concerns.The co-chairs for the PSC will nowdevelop a report to the governorsbased on today’s agreement. The Project Sponsors Council iscomposed of representatives fromthe Oregon and Washington depart-ments of transportation, cities ofPortland and Vancouver, Metro,Southwest Washington RegionalTransportation Council, TriMet,and C-TRAN, as well as two citi-zens who serve as co-chairs for thegroup.The agreed upon recommendationsinclude:* Further refine project designs forthe Hayden Island interchange todecrease the number of plannedlanes over Tomahawk Island Driveand enhance local connections withMarine Drive.* Further refine the I-5 bridge de-sign to include a 10-lane permanentbridge with full safety shoulders.* Use performance indicators to in-form traffic management recom-mendations made by a mobilitycouncil. Indicators for commuter,freight, and transit mobility; safe-ty; greenhouse gas emissions; andoverall benefit/cost ratio supportedtoday’s recommendations.* Implement expanded and in-creased “traffic demand manage-ment” measures after constructionis complete.* Newly completed transportationand land-use model results shouldbe included in project analysis.Recent results from Metro’s modelsupport today’s recommendations.The PSC discussed each element ofthe draft recommendations devel-oped by an integrated group of staffmembers from all the agencies rep-resented on the council, as well asthe ports of Portland and Vancou-ver. The Integrated Project Spon-sors Council staff (IPS) was con-vened in April by PSC co-chairHenry Hewitt to collaboratively ad-dress several questions posed by

P S Cmembersrelated tothe de-sign ofthe Hay-den Is-land inter-c h a n g e ,n u m b e rof laneson the I-5B r i d g e ,p r o j e c tperformance measures, techniquesto manage traffic after construction,and transportation and land-usemodeling.In addition to therecommendations,PSC members agreed that contin-ued meetings of their advisorygroup are necessary to ensureproject success. Future meetingswill be planned to discuss projectdelivery issues related to gover-nance, community outreach, bridgetype and design, and the toll settingprocess. Some of the issues still tobe resolved were identified in a July30 report to Washington GovernorChris Gregoire and Oregon Gover-nor Ted Kulongoski by the CRCIndependent Review Panel. Thechair of the panel, Tom Warne, dis-cussed the results of that report withPSC members today at the meeting.In 2008, the governors of Oregonand Washington charged the PSCwith advising the project on com-pletion of the final environmentalimpact statement, project design,project timeline, sustainable con-

struction methods, consistency withgreenhouse gas emission reductiongoals and the financial plan.More about the project:CRC is a long-term, comprehensiveproject to reduce congestion, en-hance mobility and improve safetyon I-5 between SR 500 in Vancou-ver and Columbia Boulevard inPortland. The project will replacethe I-5 Bridge, extend light rail toVancouver, improve closely-spacedinterchanges, and enhance the pe-destrian and bicycle path betweenthe two cities. The project would befunded by federal and state sourc-es, as well as tolls. Written com-ments may be submitted on theCRC project at any time atfeedback@columbiarivercrossing.org.More information may be found onthe CRC project Web site: http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org.

CRC panel unanimously recommends a 10-lane bridge andchanges to Hayden Island interchange design

After years of waiting, residentsof North Portland drew closer to theachievement of two long-standingtransportation infrastructure goalsthis week with the announcementof 60% design completion of the St.Johns MTIP project by city trans-portation project manager RichNewlands. When fully completed, the St.Johns MTIP project promises toprovide full four-way traffic signalsat N. Ivanhoe and N. Richmond,add pedestrian-friendly curb exten-sions at six locations on N. Ivan-hoe and N. Lombard, add two pe-destrian islands on N. Lombard,and install truck corners on N. Ivan-hoe and N. Lombard. According tothe report provided by Newlands,the city will also deploy “No ThruTrucks” signage on N. Fessendenthis summer. The traffic signal at Ivanhoe/Richmond and the mitigation of theeffects of heavy truck traffic on res-

St. Johns transportation projectmakes progress

idences on Fessenden have eachbeen sought by neighbors in St.Johns for many years. All elementsof the project could go to construc-tion in 2011, according to the re-port. The proposed truck corners areintended make the flow of heavytruck traffic between the St. JohnsBridge and the industrial areas fur-ther north on the peninsula easier,and have been a source of greatcontroversy and resistance amongneighbors in St. Johns. However,the city has proposed installingraised shoulders on the corners, in-tended to create easier turns for thetrucks, but also restricting vehiclespeeds through the indicated inter-sections. According to Newlands,a similar design has recently beenconstructed at the Southeast cornerof SE 11th & Clay. This project is primarily fundedby a federal grant of more than 2.1million dollars. MTIP stands forMetropolitan Transportation Im-provement Program, a mechanismby which federal transportationfunding is distributed to local mu-nicipalities via METRO.For more details, please see both thesummary report prepared by New-lands, and the full design engineer-ing report.

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About the Author: Jim Speirs is a lifelong residentof North Portland, 4th generation.He is a published author and en-joys writing about North Portland’shistory. He was a teacher of Polit-ical Science at Portland Commu-nity College and Chemeketa Com-munity College and taught the pol-itics of World War II, Viet Nam, andKorea at both colleges. Jim served as a Marine Corpsinfantryman and spent 17 monthsin Viet Nam. He still lives andworks in North Portland and re-cently published his first book“Death In Spades” and is currentlyworking on his second and thirdnovels. This article may not berepublished without the permis-sion of the author. Send info/com-ments to: PO Box 83068, Portland,Oregon 97283Buy 1 entree

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FOLLY AGAIN.” The subtitle say-ing, “Nothing to be gained andMuch to be lost by Such a Move atthis Stage of the Game.” The arti-cle concluded with “St. Johns is themost desirable suburb about Port-land, will be one of the biggest rev-enue getters to the big city when shebecomes a part of the big corpora-tion, as she will someday perhaps.But we do not want to go into thebig city now, when there is not a sin-gle good thing to be gained and abig lot of things that are very unde-sirable that be fastened upon us.”(The style of writing in those dayscertainly was baroque.) St. Johns feared annexation andhad a dire, yet clear idea of whatincorporation with Portland wouldmean for the stubbornly indepen-dent and successful St. Johns. An-other statement from the St. JohnsReview; “To go into Portland....willset St. Johns back ten or fifteenyears, and the very ones who areagitating the change will curse bit-terly the hour they ever put their fin-gers into the matter. This is partic-ularly true of those who have prop-erty interests.” So, the stage was set, the cauldronwas agitated . . . St. Johns and Port-land continued on a collision course,and the wheelsof intrigue andmanipulationspun at a franticpace. For Port-land, one of theways to lessenthe growing re-sistance to an-nexation was tocreate divisionswithin the city

The fierce opposition to annex-ation forced the city of Portland toseek out partners that might be ableto assist in the dissection of the pros-perous, proud and independent cityof St. Johns. That “aiding and abetting” camefrom a very powerful source . . . theU.S. Railroad industry.

Two railroad giantscompete for tracksthrough St. Johns Both The Cut and thetunnel (between Colum-bia Blvd. and Swan Is-land) were projects thatwere needed to facilitaterailroad traffic. There existed two rail-road giants of that time,and both were deter-mined to see their com-pany getting direct ac-cess to Portland. Theproblem was rail trans-port had no direct con-nection to Portland’s in-creasingly busy rail ter-minals – the one on thesouth side of the Wil-lamette river connectingto what is now Union

Station, and the other be-ing the Albina Yard – the

Lumber Company, and a growingentrepreneurial class that set it apartfrom its neighbors. It was routinelycalled the Second Manhattan or theManhattan of the West because ofthe similarities between New York’sManhattan Island and the two riv-ers that made St. Johns the envy ofPortland - its much larger and moreinfluential neighbor. The proposal to dig a connecting“Cut” through St. Johns was metwith fierce resistance. Residents ofSt. Johns had long heard of the clan-destine efforts of Portland to annextheir city. However, a homogeneousand united St. Johns would hearnone of it, and the papers of the dayechoed the understanding of thecity. “That old sore, annexation isbreaking out again. Of course, wesuppose nothing will cure it but toget into Portland, and then thosewho have had the heaviest hand inbringing it about will be the loud-est howlers against the treatmentaccorded them by the big city.” (St.Johns Review, 9/1908). The city of Portland wanted toannex St. Johns. The city of St.Johns wanted no part of Portland,and was prepared to fight annex-ation by all legal means possible.The railroads, represented by Hilland Harriman found the St. Johnsproperty crucial, because direct ac-cess to the main rail hubs of Port-land insured profit and expandedcommerce. At first, the in-fightingwas between the two men and therailroads they owned. Land wasstaked out, private security guardsposted, and several incidents thatresulted in exchanges of gunfiretook place. Both men, who wereimmensely rich and powerful, want-ed to gather property rights and con-struct The Cut (and soon the tun-nel) and then be able to charge theother railroad tycoon a toll for useof the tracks. Simultaneously, rep-resentatives of St. Johns were peti-tioning the mayor and Portland CityCouncil to abstain from any dig-ging, for the division of St. Johnswould forever compromise the in-tegrity of the independent and in-creasingly prosperous St. Johns. Itappears the City Council of Portland

were well aware of the disruptionthat a enormous cut would cause toSt. Johns, and saw collusion withHill and Harriman as a convenientmeans to an end. A gash through theheart of St. Johns might be the strawthat would break the camels back,however, if the project could be de-scribed as good for everyone thenit might be approved. A quote from the Spokane, Port-land & Seattle Railway GrandePress says: “Controversy arose be-cause the cut would separate com-munities on the St. Johns peninsulaand according to opponents woulddo irreparable damage to theirproperty values.” Did Harriman and Hill go directlyto the City of Portland with theirneed to have a franchise and to pro-ceed with their plans to dig a cut?Was a deal cut? One that would al-low the railroads to dig a one milelong, 91 foot deep gash in the earthand at the same time, however de-ceptively, sever the will of St. Johnsto resist further attempts by Portlandto annex St. Johns? The answerseems to be “yes,” but proving adirect cause and effect link betweenthe railroads and the City of Port-land was lost in the murky dealingsof power brokers of the day as thereexisted no real scrutiny over clan-destine political actions of the time. A flurry of activity began be-tween Representatives of St. Johnsand the city of Portland. This pos-turing was complicated by the con-stant interference from the two rail-road giants, who continued to fightover the property involved. Fight-ing along the area of the proposedCut included sabotage of buildingmaterials, the torching of trestlesthat Hill had hastily (and illegally)stockpiled near the Cut, and occa-sional gunfire.

of St. Johns – di-vide and con-quer, as the say-ing goes.

area that’s now regarded as theUnion Pacific terminal at the baseof Russell and Interstate street. The men involved were James J.Hill, owner of Great Northern,Northern Pacific, and Spokane,Portland, and Seattle. The other wasE. H. Harriman. He owned UnionPacific and Southern Pacific. Bothmen wanted independent and directaccess to Portland because at thetime, the rail lines moved south outof Seattle and Spokane and had tobe diverted (mostly) to Troutdalebefore being rerouted to Portland. Hill and Harriman had severalprevious right-of-way conflicts, andthe bridges, cuts, and tunnels in St.Johns were to become a result of thecompetition between the principalsof the two major railroads. At the time, the area of The Cut inthe city of St. Johns was not the res-idential or industrial area that it istoday. However, it was crucial prop-erty in the path of both Hill andHarriman’s right-of-ways. St. Johns was becoming the mostlivable suburb in the Portland area.It had its own schools, libraries,newspaper, the Portland WoolenMills (the largest business of its typewest of Cleveland,) the St. Johns

The Cut Part IContinued from Page 1

The end of the railroad tunnel on Swan Islandshows the date when it was constructed

Entrance of the railroad tunnel whichexits at Swan Island. It passes under

Columbia Park.

reviewnewspaper@comcast.net * www.stjohnsreview.com * 503-283-5086 August 20, 2010 - St. Johns Review - Page 5

AUGUST:20 Sneakin Out 9pm21 Air Show 9pm22 7PM FREE Texas Hold'Em Poker23 7PM FREE Texas Hold'Em Poker26 DC Malone Open Mic & Jammin 8:30pm

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LIVE MUSICFIVE NIGHTS A WEEK!!Just Say NO to Karaoke

On Thursday, August 5 PortlandFire and Rescue responded to thePort of Portland’s Terminal 6, 7201N. Marine Drive, on a report of a40-foot cargo container on fire. Sta-tions 8, 17, and 26 were dispatchedto the scene. Upon arrival, they found smokeand flames coming from a 40-footlong storage container full of tires.The container was located approx-imately 100 feet away from ahazmat area, making conditions po-tentially hazardous for firefightersbut they were able to bring the fireunder control quickly. The cause ofthe blaze was determined to be awelder’s torch, which caught thecontainer on fire during cutting andwelding operations. Portland Fire & Rescue providesfire suppression for the Port of Port-land’s marine terminals. They re-port that incidents of terminal firesare relatively low considering thatin 2009 over 174,000 containerunits were loaded onto or dis-charged from ocean going vesselsand 2.8 million tons of containercargo was handled. On Friday, August 6, 2010 Port-land Fire responded on what turnedinto a two-alarm fire at the Sham-rock Mini Mart at 8101 N. Fes-senden. They arrived at 6:22 p.m.and by 6:39 a second alarm wascalled because the fire rapidly ex-tended into the building’s cockloftand façade. A few minutes later, theincident commander ordered allfirefighters out of the building af-ter crews reported that heat was

building up inside and the fire hadgone through the roof. Nine engines, two trucks, and arescue unit responded to the fire.An air unit and rehab unit support-ed the firefighters. About 60 per-sonnel responded, including safetyofficers and investigators. Because of the intensity of the fire,investigators were unable to enterthe building until the next morning. Additionally, smoke from the firecontinued to seep close to theground within a two block area andpeople with breathing problemswere advised to stay indoors. By the next day, and after con-ducting interviews and an examina-tion of the fire scene, investigatorsdetermined that the fire originatedin an office area behind a row ofbeverage coolers. Investigators

i d e n t i -fied sev-eral po-t e n t i a lelectr icignitionsourcesw i t h i nthe officea r e a ,w h i c hwas lo-cated int h en o r t h -west cor-ner of thebuilding.Fur therindepen-

Fires in North Portland keep fire crews busy

dent testing of electrical sources forfailure analysis will be necessary todetermine a cause. The building,

valued at $462,000, and the con-tents, valued at $250,000, were de-clared a total loss. On August 10, 2010 at 11:49 a.m.firefighters from Station 8 arrivedfirst on the scene at 5813 N OmahaAvenue to find a detached garagewith dark smoke coming out fromunder the eaves. The garage waslocated approximately 15 feet froma home. Firefighters were advised of haz-ardous conditions because the ga-rage contained gunpowder, paints,and gasoline. In addition, the con-tents stored in the garage presentedaccess issues for firefighters as theyfought the fire. They were able to bring the fire un-der control at 10:38 a.m. and pre-vented it from spreading to thenearby home. The cause of the fireis currently under investigation.

Fire at the Shamrock Mini Mart on N. Fessendendestroyed the neighborhood store.

This garage fire created danger because of hazardousmaterials stored inside.

By Metro Councilor Rex Burkhold-er One of North Portland’s treasuresis getting a closer look. The Smithand Bybee Wetlands Natural Area,surrounded by port terminals,warehouses and other commercialdevelopments, is the largest pro-tected wetlands within an Ameri-can city. Most visitors to the natu-ral area are surprised to find bea-ver, river otter, black-tailed deer,osprey, bald eagles and Westernpainted turtles living only minutesfrom downtown Portland. In order to ensure that a thrivingSmith and Bybee Wetlands existfor future generations to enjoy,Metro needs your help. Metro is embarking on an updateto the Smith and Bybee WetlandsNatural Resource ManagementPlan. The plan will develop specificrestoration objectives that willguide the enhancement and protec-tion of the natural area for the next20 years. Metro and project part-ners will develop an up-to-dateunderstanding of the current con-ditions of the Wetlands. The projectwill look to ensure that access tothe natural area is handled in amanner that is compatible with thehealth of the wetlands. The projectwill also explore ways to improvethe quality of current recreationalopportunities and identify new ed-ucational opportunities that couldbe accommodated. Whether you are a paddler, a bik-er, a hiker or just live or work closeby the Smith and Bybee Wetlands,you have a stake in the updated nat-ural resources management plan.The plan will guide Metro’s stew-

ardship of the natural area and cur-rent and future public access. Metrowants to know what is important toyou about the wetlands. We will behaving an open house on Thursday,Sept. 9. Details on this open house

are still being finalized so watch theproject web page for more informa-tion at www.oregonmetro.gov/smithbybeeproject such as time andplace. We are also looking for you toshare your memories. Do you havea special place you like to visit atSmith and Bybee Wetlands and lis-ten to the unique bird songs fill thepark? Or fond memories of paddlingon a sunny afternoon and comingupon a Western painted turtle bask-ing on a rock? We want to featureyour story and help inspire othersto visit the wetlands and take an in-terest in its future. To share your sto-ry and help inspire others to get in-volved, send an e-mail to: heather.coston@oregonmetro.gov. I have often taken my kayak outthere and spent time exploring thearea and I look forward to learning

Metro seeks public help with Smith & Bybee Lake restoration

about what the future holdsfor Smith and Bybee NaturalArea. If you have never ex-plored the natural area, I urgeto get out while summer is stillhere!

CLASSIFIEDS

www.lungfungrestaurant.com

Page 6 - St Johns Review - August 20, 2010 reviewnewspaper@comcast.net * www.stjohnsreview.com * 503-283-5086

We’re

Moving!!to St. Johns at

Behind Patti’s Home Plate Deli7437 N. Leavitt

ZIMMER’SDog Grooming Salon

We hope to be up andgrooming just after

Labor Day!Give us a call for an appointment

Thanks, Kelly & Staff

503-285-4264Same Phone:

Obituary

ACROSS1. Likelihood5. Cassettes10. Goals14. 13 in Roman numerals15. Perpendicular to the keel16. Agitated state17. In all places19. Fodder holder20. Mesh21. Graven image22. Shrewdness24. German for “Mister”25. Oath26. Plain and unpretentious29. 3-legged metal stand30. African antelope31. Call32. A hand35. Anagram of “Sail”36. Cast out37. A river in Spain38. Fish eggs39. Dried plum40. Beauty parlor41. A small overnight bag43. Peaceful

44. Belly46. Transgressions47. Ability48. Adjusts49. Mother52. Not closed53. Unable to read56. Repair57. Sheeplike58. Leave out59. Products of human creativity60. Gunpowder ingredient61. Small European freshwaterfishDOWN 1. Beasts of burden2. Plunge3. Meal plan for weight loss4. What a knight is called5. Gaudy6. Find repugnant7. Rind8. Hearing organ9. Slandering10. Take for granted11. Matchless12. Units of distance13. Rock 18. Cede23. Sheltered nook

24. Female chickens25. Lying facedown26. Listen27. Hodgepodge28. Evil29. Yours (archaic)31. Luxurious33. Press laundry34. Completed36. Resistance37. Hearing organs 39. Scheme40. Detect42. Recompense43. Temporary caregiver44. Pore45. Become narrower46. Parisian river48. Narrow opening49. Not Papa50. Auditory51. Distribute54. Fifty-six in Roman numerals55. 16 1/2 feet

Answers on Page 7

In Memory of Family & Friends

Bradley Alan Schneider

Bradley Schneider was born inHillsboro, Oregon March 1, 1961to Vern and Carol Schneider. Hepassed away in June 2010. Bradley went to PortsmouthGrade School, Roosevelt HighSchool and graduated from OpenMeadow. He is survived by hisson Christopher Alan Schneider;daughter Kayla Scoggins;hismother Carol Goff; brothers: JeffSchneider and Gary Schneider;three sisters: Lisa Schneider, LaraSchneider and Natalie Goff; Hisgrandmother Cleo Schneider andmany aunts, uncles, neices, neph-ews and cousins.

There will be a benefit book saleon behalf of Baltimore Woods onSaturday, August 21st, from 1-4pm at the BES Water Lab at6543 N. Burlington St., next tothe river. Used book donations and dropoffs accepted starting at 11amthat morning!

Open House and Book Sale tobenefit Baltimore Woods

Get a receipt for taxes! Come learn more about Balti-more Woods, a little known30+acre wooded & open spaceon the proposed WillametteGreenway Trail. Everyone is welcome! This is afamily-friendly event.

Obituaries are $25 each.They can be written by thefamily or sent in by the fu-neral home.

Letters are welcome andencouraged. See page 3 fordetails.

Classifieds are $15 each,prepaid. See Page 7 for info.

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Call for an appointment: (503) 286-1168

Classifieds are $15 each. Send ad with payment to:The Review, PO Box 83068, Portland, Oregon 97283

WORSHIPDIRECTORY

Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church“Where All Are Welcome”Worship & Sunday School:

10:00am each Sunday

7119 N. Portsmouth(503) 289-6878

5227 N Bowdoin (503) 289-2834

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Sun: 8:00am & 10amSat Mass: 4:00pmSpanish Mass: Sunday NoonDaily Mass: Mon-Fri, 8:30am

“In the Spirit of Unity, Welcome!”

reviewnewspaper@comcast.net - www.stjohnsreview.com - 503-283-5086 August 20, 2010 - St. Johns Review - Page 7

REVIEW

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VOICE & PIANO LESSONSJensen’s Voice & Piano Studio offers lessons with college creditsavailable. For an appointment or more information call Pauline at503-286-1168.

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Page 8 - St Johns Review - August 20, 2010 reviewnewspaper@comcast.net * www.stjohnsreview.com * 503-283-5086

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reason to involve the community and envi-ronmental experts such as Audubon in thediscussion. The decision-making process istoo important to the future Willamette water-shed health of north Portland to be kept be-hind closed doors.Barbara Quinn,Chair, Friends of Cathedral Park Neighbor-hood Association

Continued from Page 2U of P plansEditorial by Barbara QuinnCathedral Park Neighborhood Assoc Chair

Jared Short, president ofRegence BlueCross BlueShieldcuts the ribbon for the second

annual Regence SummerCarnival at the Regence Boys

& Girls Club in Portland’sPortsmouth neighborhood.The Carnival took place on

July 21, and was created andhosted by the Regence sales

team. Approximately 150 kidsattended the carnival alongwith 40 Regence volunteers.

Boys & Girls Club event inPortsmouth

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