Portland

Finalist, Oregon Book Award

This is the definitive book on Portland's political history, beginning in 1845 when a 16-lot townsite was laid out on the bank of the Willamette River and continuing through the sesquicentennial of Portland city government.

Jewel Lansing has amassed a treasure trove of information on Portland's civic and political life, which she presents in a lively volume, organized around accounts of the successive reigns of Portland's mayors. The story is rich in anecdotes that bring to life the unique individuals and controversial issues of Portland's distant and more recent past.

Lansing shows that Portland's path to its present place as the 28th largest city in the United States, with a deserved reputation as one of the nation's most livable cities, has not always been smooth. Corruption, profiteering, and wide-open vice characterized the City of Roses at the turn of the 20th century, and every era has had its own controversies and rivalries: disputes over railroad franchises and rights-of-way, women's suffrage, public versus private power, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Prohibition, and the siting of freeways, to name just a few.

Anyone with an interest in Portland, and in learning more about the individuals, events, and issues that have shaped it, will find this comprehensive history fascinating and informative.

Preface
Introduction
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1.   A Clearing in the Woods
Chapter 2.   Treason and Spoils
Chapter 3.   A Four-Vote Victory
Chapter 4.   The Supporting Cast
Chapter 5.   The Missing Fire Engine
Chapter 6.   By Trial and Error
Chapter 7.   Falling Apart, and Getting It Back Together, More or Less
Chapter 8.   A Mayor Ousted, a Councilman Expelled, Portland's First Hanging, and a Near-Riot on the Levee
Chapter 9.   Gold, the Levee, and Two Eccentric Mayors
Chapter 10.   Sacred Money, Apoplexy, and Spiritous Liquor
Chapter 11.   Parks, Police, and Unscrupulous Ben Hollady
Chapter 12.   The Big Fire, a Ladies' War, and a Grand Celebration
Chapter 13.   The Scandalous Eighties
Chapter 14.   Riots, Oligarchy, and a Presidential Visit
Chapter 15.   Consolidation, Financial Panic, and a City Hall At Last
Chapter 16.   Outrageous Conduct, Shanghaiing, and Vice
Chapter 17.   More Vice, the "Oregon System," and a Dazzling World's Fair
Chapter 18.   Greedy Give-away Time or a Golden Age?
Chapter 19.   The "Tin Plate Law," a New beginning, and an Unsuccessful Recall
Chapter 20.   World War I, Politics as Theater, and the Great Depression
Chapter 21.   World War II, More Vice, and No Lin Lee
Chapter 22.   An Exposé, Sixties Turmoil, and a Visionary Plan
Chapter 23.   A Renaissance: The River, Downtown, and Neighborhoods
Chapter 24.   From Suit and Tie to Casual Dress Day
Chapter 25.   Today's Decisions, Tomorrow's History

Appendix A:   Portland 1851 Charter
Appendix B:   Portland's First Public Library, 1850
Appendix C:   Portland Mayors
Appendix D:   Elected Officials 1948-2001
Appendix E:   Chronological List of Portland Elected Officials
Appendix F:   Locations of Portland City Hall

Notes
Bibliography
Index

"A fascinating history of Portland. This book is a vast source of information, yet is rich with amusing anecdotes and sparkling stories that bring Portland's past, from its beginnings to the events and issues of today, to vivid life. Every Portlander — every Oregonian — should read this wonderful book."

"Lansing's research is exhaustive, her use of detail impressive, her ability to keep us focused on the central thread outstanding… [it is] the best book about the history of Portland."