MY INSTAGRAM (pdxfilmexplorer): instagram.com/pdxfilmexplorer/MY PATREON PAGE: www.patreon.com/exploreoregon MY FACEBOOK: facebook.com/exploringportland
My name is Steve and I love history… that’s the long and the short of it. On this channel I produce a variety of different historical documentaries and on site videos covering a multitude of different subjects from true crime/mystery to natural disasters to architecture to abandoned places and so on. There’s something for just about anyone on here.
Fascinating video. Having lived in north Clackamas county my entire life, it was strange seeing so many familiar places to me being documented. Some of these I'd never seen or heard of at all, while some I've gone by and acknowledged for nearly 30 years. Thanks for showing me another part of my hood!
I'm the same way, learned to walk fast in school, so I could cut through the crowd quickly. Now that I'm 46 , and a former heavy smoker, i wind myself easier than ever but i still keep going!
Steve very nice job! I was born and raised in Portland and I can relate so much to everything you are doing. Really awesome job thank you very much! I used to watch double features at the Hollywood theater for a buck fifty! We would also frequent the Hollywood bowl! I lived All over Portland but had a stint just off 42nd and Fremont.
This is fascinating. You've really done some digging and gone deep! Really good research, you paint a vivid picture and bring us back to old Portland...and not recycling the same shanghai tunnel stories we all know. You found fresh information, and came with the receipts! Well done sir. 🌹
Every major American city suffered a devastating conflagration at around the same time. Not a coincidence, they had to destroy evidence...of free electricity. Antiquetech that provded free electricity had to be destroyed so that tptb could make money from charging us for something that is free and abundant in nature. They are that evil...
Super rad dude! It's super cool to see the remains of yesteryear. I moved down here because I couldn't afford the Seattle area anymore, and it's amazing how many cool little spots are tucked away in this city.
When I was a homeless kid in the 70s, I would sneak in through the back door where the card room was, bumming cigarettes and food. It got me out of the rain til the bartender would find me and throw me out. Unless my godfather was there. He wouldn't say shit, not to that man. No one did. Also, there was an old boarded up hotel not far from there, the old Taylor Hotel. Us kids would kick in a boarded window and if you had three or four girls you could take turns sleeping...it was sketch af but out of the rain.
I have just discovered your channel and I'm really happy about it. I live in Portland and am fascinated with history. Thank you, for the work you put in. New sub! 🌹👍🏽
The Sellwood always gave me major anxiety. My husband knew, whenever possible to avoid it when I was in the car. Likewise, when he wanted to be passive aggressive he would deliberately head over it...😒 yeah, ex-husband now.
I live in Portland, and when our children were small, we lived in an old house, built in 1906 and was the home of a ship captain. Portland history is so rich, and I miss that we're no longer a bustling port.
Many countries don't have addresses. Panama is such a country. Because they don't have property taxes, and no postal service (you go to post office for ur mail). Everyone seems to find each other just fine, without addresses. Philippines does same.
I used to door dash full time in portland. The number of completely overgrown abandoned side streets and alley ways in the north and northeast suburbs is astounding
Great story about the Landmark. Did not know or remember any of this.Spent many nights there as a kid as young as 10. They had a killer Chinese restaurant at the top. I loved the place. I remember its hard times, just didn't know why
Napoleon is quoted saying "History is a set of lies agreed upon". Portland used to be an architectural jewel 100 + years ago. Monumental stone and brick and cast iron buildings. East European looking bridges and towers. Guilds lake and the Lewis and Clark expo buildings. Our current owners have been removing everything good and beautiful in our cities and lives for generations now. It makes me sad to realize our national history is a fraud. Our grandparents generation going back a few more were incubator and orphan train babies. Being railroaded across the country to fill our empty and already fully built out old world amazing cities. The generations since have been used to create wars to destroy the memories of the people and the architecture that proves the history taught in school to be fake. If not war then with the wrecking ball. 100+ years ago there was several daily electric train street cars that ran from Portland to Salem with East West branches along the way at the smaller towns. I can only imagine the glorious whatever used to be there that was on Swan island. No coincidence that it became a ready mix concrete and cement plant. Funny how nearly every city has some huge quarry right near its historic downtown. And Rocky Butte. Sure, inmates would need a massive rock work castle base with the best view in town for a day yard. I bet there's tunnels from the top to where the old jail was. Maybe all the way to downtown and to the airport.
Anytime there's some place or thing we're not supposed to find it's police, military or the power company. Maybe a golf course and airport or a racetrack. They've removed all our racetracks around here. I miss Portland Speedway.
I appreciate so much what you've created over the years. I love local history and the way you present it, Steve. You are such an important Portland part of the Portland scene. Thank you for your efforts and your investigative mind. I look forward to everything you put out. I'm a life-long singer-songwriter and performer. I know about the emotional ups and downs and the energy it takes to create.
my house in (now) SE built in 1915 has permits under the old address; a few of my neighbors have the original numbering in their concrete stairs. the tiles did such a good job in normalizing the presentation of addresses so you don't have to look for a different font or color depending on the house, I didn't notice the old numbers for years after I moved in.
This is great! I live in Portsmouth and got a copy of the original deed when I bought my house that had all the same roads but with different names, and I'd always wondered just how that happened. I'd assumed it was part of Portsmouth's annexation, but it makes sense that there was a single big renaming after the various annexations that made modern Portland left the grid in chaos.
That house with the large panpass grass was on JQAdams i think you referred to it as being on madison thats right next to the hutchinson house oregon cities first hospital called doctors hospital
Steve, I have been following you for almost 2 years now, and now that I think about it I’m not sure how I discovered you Regardless I love the content you produce, your tid bits on Portlands history are just brilliant man and these walks and talks I thoroughly enjoy as well, I feel that the uniqueness of your content you produce is what draws people to your channel. I am also one of your subs that lived in Portland for 30 + years and then in 2023 retired from my carrier @ Benson Industries in Portland and decided to move to Atlanta Georgia where I now reside. I feel blessed to be one of your subs cause I certainly do miss Portland and your stories, and even these walks allow me to still have a semblance of connection to that City that was my home for so long Big props for, or should I say thanks man for doing what you do…….
Thanks so much for your kind words and your financial contribution as well! This is the kind of thing that helps keep me wanting to do this. My best friend also recently moved to Atlanta as well but I think he forgets about the time difference cause I’m always getting 4:30 am texts from him. 😄
Good luck with your PT. I have sciatica issues and had two PT appointments a couple of years ago. They also recommended a book for me to read along with suggested exercises from that book. I still do those exercises every morning and my sciatica is tolerable. Previously I had a hard time walking my dog without having to sit every 5 minutes to relax my back. I can now take my dog to the park every day and sometimes have to stop to do my exercises and all is good. With respect to your videos, I find it hard to find time to watch the hour long ones due to time constraints. The shorter ones are easier to view. I do like the long ones, just hard to click on them sometimes.
Have you ever considered doing a series on Portland hauntings? With so many old apartment buildings, especially in NW/SW Portland, there must be some good ones. I would love to hear about the hauntings along with the haunted buildings history.
I lived in Oak Grove in the late 70’s, behind Fred Meyer on I think Maple? Street. That apartment complex is now gone. I went to 2nd grade at the old North Oak Grove Elementary School. I didn’t realize the current Oak Grove elementary was in the North Oak Grove building. Thanks for that! I recognized the view from the playground immediately! My 2nd grade teacher ended up teaching at a different elementary in the 90’s, Mr. Miller. I ran into him when I was a substitute teacher in 1999. Funny enough, I commented on another of your videos, I think, about having run the Oak Grove Burger King 1995-1997. But I also lived not far from Fairview in 1986-1989, attending the old Reynolds High School (last graduating class before they moved to what was the Columbia High School campus). I’m so glad I checked out this video and got the glimpse of my old elementary school. They had the best last-day-of-school Field Day ever!
Yeah I remember that comment. I went to the old Oak Grove and left only like 2 years before it changed but I’d walk and bike around North Oak Grove all the time. It’s wild I live about half my life in Oak Grove and aside from this video I’ve barely been there the past 5 years and when I go down my old street it definitely feels a bit strange.
For some reason I thought this happened when I was still in high school, but I graduated in 2000. I agree with you, this case had such an effect on me also. It hit so close to home. It was horrific and senseless.
Great video , love to learn about the city I love, I have a request, could you do a video on the history of the one way grid downtown, I'm curious on how the idea became and why.
That would actually be an interesting idea to cover. I remember reading a little about it a few years ago and how often Car crashes Happened around town before that system. I might look into that.
