Thank You Jim Tompkins

The research for this project has been incredibly productive. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I have had great success finding images. As I sorted through the pictures all kinds of questions arose. Where was this taken? Was this building located on Main Street? Is there a map that shows this part of Downtown? What is the story behind all of these images?


Fortunately for me all of these questions could be answered by one person. That person is Jim Tompkins. Nobody knows Oregon City history like Jim! Over the years he has done a massive amount of research and pieced together a comprehensive history for the region. He is thorough and thoughtful. He has written several books including Oregon City from the Images of America series published by Arcadia. He also wrote City at Willamette Falls, which is the most complete and comprehensive account of Oregon City that I have had the pleasure to read. This wonderful book is available in the library at the Museum of the Oregon Territory.



I want to say a special thank you to Jim. He has made himself available and has been entirely selfless about sharing all of his work. I am very grateful.

Post Office Construction

The following sequence shows stages in the construction of the Oregon City Post Office that was located on the Southwest corner of 5th & Main. The camera was facing southward looking toward the mills. The Electric Hotel was on the same side of Main Street and is visible in the background.

June 1, 1933

November 1, 1933

February 1, 1934

Then and Now

The research phase of this project has yielded a ton of wonderful and interesting photographs. So many, in fact, that it is hard to know what I should post first. There are wonderful sequences showing the construction of different Oregon City landmarks in stages, through time. There are beautiful 19th century prints made from big glass negatives with spectacular resolution. There are pictures depicting floods and fires. There are people at work in the mills. There is even a whole set of images showing the different downtown locations of a second hand store that moved at least five times.

I promise a sampling of all these wonderful pictures in future posts, but let me start with a couple of images that show familiar Oregon City buildings as they appeared in the past. I will also include a companion photo of the same site as it exists today. This type of photo comparison is at the heart of Elevations in Transition. The lenticular prints being made for the public artwork will change from views of the past to views of the present and back again. The photographs here will probably be included in the final work.


This is a photograph taken of the Barclay Building in 1924. This building sits on the SW corner of 7th and Main. In the lower left part of the frame you can see people walking onto the arch bridge. The bridge opened just one year before this photo was taken.


Here is the same view in 2008 - 84 years later. Quite a lot has changed! The brick and detail work have been covered in stucco. I was eager to get this shot in January. If I had waited until the Spring the little tree in the foreground would have leafed-out and blocked part of the view.


This wonderful exposure was made in 1896. The new bank vault was being delivered and quite a few people came out to have a look. You can clearly see the Bank of Oregon City, McKittrick Shoe Store, and the Oregon City Enterprise Building (OC's newspaper). These businesses were located on the SW corner of 6th and Main.


...and this is the same spot in 2008. Once again, many changes, but the buildings are intact and still in use.

Article in the Clackamas County Weekly

"City elevator getting a makeover" was the title of a short article that appeared in the January 31st edition of the Clackamas County Weekly insert from The Oregonian. Click on the link below to read the article.

"City elevator getting a makeover"

The New Municipal Elevator

A special election in May, 1952 authorized bonds for $175,000 to build a new elevator. Bids were received in November 1953; however, the low bid was over $200,000 so all bids were rejected.

In January, 1954, the firm of Stevens and Thompson submitted a new design proposal that could be built within the bond amount. The new design produced a low bid of $116,000 and a contract was awarded to James and Yost, Inc.

The new elevator was dedicated on May 5, 1955, and the City Commission accepted it on July 13, 1955.

The existing elevator took over 751 tons of concrete and steel to construct, is 130 feet high, and passengers can zip to the top in 15 seconds. Additionally, passengers now walk through a 35 foot long tunnel under the railroad tracks rather than over the tracks.

The Oregon City Municipal Elevator continues to operate as one of only four municipal elevators in the world and "Elevator Street" remains the only "vertical street" in North America.

The First Oregon City Elevator

The following text has excerpted from a brochure called "History of the Oregon City Municipal Elevator," available at the Elevator.

In Oregon City's early years, most of the city was located on the "first level" along the Willamette River. As the city grew, it became apparent that an easier way needed to be found to travel to the upper levels of the town. By 1867, steps were built up the bluff to supplement early Native American trails used by city residents. More steps were constructed over the years, but the climb was still difficult because because the preferred route had 722 steps from the base of the cliff to the top of the bluff.

On May 10, 1912, the City Commission decided to place before the voters a ballot measure asking if the City should be authorized to issue bonds for "A Public Elevator at the Bluff." The first vote on funding a public elevator was defeated on July 8, 1912. Considered again on December 2, 1912 the voters authorized $12,000 in bonds "to construct and operate an elevator from the lower to the upper town at some point to be selected."

By March, 1913, negotiations had started to acquire access between 6th and 7th Streets for the upper portion of the elevator. The City surveyed and platted the vertical "Elevator Street" and entered into a contract with Oregon Bridge and Construction Company to construct the elevator. The elevator could be operated by either electricity or water power.

The elevator, constructed of steel and wood, was placed into service on December 3, 1915, a day on which nearly the entire population of Oregon City rode the elevator. The 89-foot ride to the top involved a wheezing, jerking three to five minutes. Once at the top, it was necessary to cross a 35-foot catwalk that bridged the two sides of the city high above the chasm. When the elevator worked, it generally lowered the water pressure in the surrounding area. When it didn't work, passengers had to wiggle out of a trap door and down a narrow ladder.

By 1924, the hydraulic power was replaced by electricity and the ride was reduced to 30 seconds. Dependability increased with the switchover and the elevator became the preferred method of pedestrian travel. By the 1950's, breakdowns became much more frequent and it was determined that a new elevator was needed to replace the wooden structure.

Getting Started

The first phase of this public artwork is the research phase. The plan is to spend the entire month of January doing historical research and preparing to create the artwork.

I arrived in Oregon City on the first day of the year. Settling-in was the first order of business. I also had to gather supplies in preparation for my first day of research at the Museum of the Oregon Territory.


I made arrangements with museum curator Charlene Buckley (below) to start work on January 3rd. Charlene was and continues to be extremely welcoming and accommodating.



The archives and library at the Museum of the Oregon Territory are fantastic! The photo archive , which I am most concerned with, is well organized and maintained. So far, I have spent probably 70-80 hours pouring over the photographs and scanning those that seem well suited to the project. The work has gone smoothly due to the generosity of the staff at the Museum (more on that later), my handy little laptop, and a beautiful new Epson V700 scanner.