Keep Portland Weird

4. View of Bridgetown

Portland, OR

Book Now

It is time to cross from the Northeast section of Portland and into the Old Town and Downtown areas of the city. As you are driving or biking over the Burnside bridge, gaze to the West for the historical Welcome to Portland sign, also called The White Stag sign which was designated an official historical landmark of Portland in 1977. It is currently owned by the city after being controlled by various commercial businesses -- some threatening to tear it down - since it's installation in 1940. Ever since Christmas of 1959 the nose on the white stag located at the top of the sign has been turned red for the season just like Rudolph -- perhaps a symbol of the youth, ingenuity and acceptance of those that are different that mark Portlanders . . . perhaps not, but either way it is a great photo opp and landmark for your tour! Look to your right and to your left as you cross over the Willamette River flowing below you and you will see some of the 14 bridges in Portland that provide a crossing over the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. You can see why the town is sometimes called Bridgetown with just this view! Portland is split up into four quadrants and crossing the Burnside Bridge puts you right into the center of the split between North, South, East and West. While you are here, there are few bridges that stand out for being extra interesting: The Hawthorne and Steel Bridges are the first and second oldest operating vertical lift bridges in the U.S. From where you are, the Steel Bridge is to the North and the Hawthorne a couple of bridges down to the South. The Hawthorne Bridge was completed in 1910 after the bridge that existed previous to it -- the Madison -- was destroyed in a fire. It was named after the Hawthorne Boulevard, where it connects the eastern and western parts of the city which was named after the cofounder of Portland's first mental hospital. The Steel Bridge was completed in 1912 is the only existing double-deck bridge with independent lifts. You can see the roadway as well as the pedestrian walkway to get across the river. Another notable bridge is the Freemont Bridge, which is the longest tied arch bridge in the U.S. and the second longest in the world. The only longer tied arch bridge is the Caiyuanba Bridge across the Yangtze River in China. In 1973 the 6,000 ton steel arch span of the bridge was lifted and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the heaviest hydraulic lift ever completed, taking 32 hydraulic lifts and $82 million to complete the work. From our view of bridges we head downtown into more of the interesting and historic places of Portland. If you park downtown note the parking meters. Despite the rain and clouds that exist most of the year, they are solar powered! Yet another reason Portland is considered eco-friendly.