Start: 7:00 pm
End: 8:30 pm
Covering people and events from 1854 to the present day, this
definitive reference on the history, politics, and policy of Multnomah
County provides compelling details about public works undertakings and
political scandals.
Oregon’s tiniest county geographically quickly
grew to be the state’s most populous. Through nearly sixteen decades,
Multnomah County’s history seldom has been calm and peaceful. From
hangings that turned into grim public spectacles in the nineteenth
century to a glaring failure to deal with urban growth in the middle of
the twentieth, the county has survived frequent home rule charter
changes and several attempts to revamp its structure or merge with
Portland’s better-known municipal government.
Highlighted episodes
include the construction of the iconic Columbia River Highway between
1914 and 1918, the tragic flooding of Vanport City in 1948, the employee
strike of 1980, the library scandal of 1989- 1990, and the same-sex
marriage license debacle of 2004.
Historian Jewel Lansing and
journalist Fred Leeson make effective use of archival sources, oral
histories, newspaper articles, and personal interviews. History buffs
and informed Portland citizens will be particularly engaged by the
regional trivia and narrative details.
