Hello Friends, we hope you are all well, safe, and finding moments of pleasure in each day. As you have probably noticed, we are trying out a new format for our Email Updates. We hope you like it.

We’d love to include your memoirs and photos of your time in Garden Home, even a single memoir about the school, games you played, your family, etc. Send your comments and memoirs to GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com. Please let us know the names any of the Garden Home people shown in the Whitney snapshots (see story below).

As a history organization, we recognize the COVID-19 pandemic is history in the making. The recent protests against police brutality and systemic racism involve thousands of demonstrators here in Portland, and millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. We value, support, and celebrate the diversity in our culture, and particularly in Garden Home.

Thanks to Andy and Shelly Bigley, owners of the Old Market Pub and Brewery, the vintage Garden Home postal safe and the large collection of photos we recently acquired from the former Lamb’s Thriftway (courtesy of Colin Lamb) will soon be on display in the pub.

Visit us at GardenHomeHistory.com.

Tenth Anniversary of the Garden Home History Project

Thank you for your interest, participation, and support over the past ten years. We are looking back at some of our favorite stories and photos during this anniversary year. Please send your stories, photos and memories of Garden Home to GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com!

For some great stories about early Garden Home, we recommend you enjoy:

1905, Von Bergens: Magdelana, Andreas holding Frieda, Ida and Elsie standing and Andreas parents.
Courtesy Richard Roth and Madeline Benner.

Andreas and Magdelana Von Bergen Dairy – Recollections of Madeline Benner of the Von Bergen Dairy:

The Von Bergen farm home in the 1920s and 30s was a big two-story house. I slept in a little room on the main floor when I visited. When I would stay overnight with Grandma, I would hear scary noises at night. Finally I learned that walnuts were put upstairs on the floor to dry and I was hearing mice chase the walnuts around. The family received the farm through a donation land claim.

Late 1920s Garden Home baseball team. #1 Duke Scherner in back.
Courtesy Don Smith.

Don Smith – Don was in second grade when he and his mother, Postmistress Margaret Scherner Smith and his grandmother, Maria Scherner moved back to Garden Home in 1935. Margaret had grown up in Garden Home and is pictured in the 1911 first school class who met overhead in the Nichol’s store. Don caddied at Portland Golf Club as a young man. As caddies, they got to play for free on Monday mornings and on slow days could sneak onto the back nine for a little more time. Don retired as a golf pro.

Fanno Creek Dairy business card

Bob Feldman – Bob grew up on the Fanno Creek Dairy, which was located on the north side of Garden Home Road new SW 92nd Ave. Back in the 1940s, you might have seen young Bob Feldman riding his bike home from Garden Home School precariously toting a pail of slop from the cafeteria to feed his new baby pigs. He sold his first set of 10 weiner pigs and hoped for a new business. “Weiner pigs” are sold young for pork.

Fogelbo, home of Ross Fogelquist

Ross Fogelquist – Ross Fogelquist’s lovely home, called Fogelbo, is next door to Nordia House, the Nordic cultural center on SW Oleson Road. Ross served in different positions at the Swedish Consulate between 1992 and 2007, and retired as the Honorary Swedish Consul for Oregon in 20007.

New Stories

New vintage photos of Whitney’s Cannery

Shelly Bigley of the Old Market Pub and Brewery provided us with a large gallery of vintage photos of Whitney’s Cannery. To view the full gallery, see our story on Mark and Leona Whitney and the Whitney Cannery, 1950-1976. Thank you, Shelly!

Whitney’s Cannery – Leona Whitney and CHEER UP IT MUST BE COLDER IN ALASKA sign 1969

Whitney’s Cannery – Mark and Leona Whitney with fresh flowers 1972

Whitney’s Cannery – Canning tomatoes 1967

Whitney’s Cannery – Office – front desk

Whitney’s Cannery – Mark and Leona Whitney receiving new canning equipment 1959

Whitney’s Cannery – customers preparing ingredients, CH Sugar boxes on table – 1958

Whitney’s Cannery – Building the 2nd floor apt

Garden Home Road Safety Path

Garden Home Road safety path – 3

Garden Home Road safety path – near SW 77th

The bike and pedestrian path that runs along the north side SW Garden Home Road was built in approximately 1965. Prior to development of the walking path along Garden Home Road, children and others had to walk on the road, dodging cars and endangering their lives. It is remembered that one child was killed on SW Oleson Road. It took several years to fight for and win the approval to build the path. Read the story about the development of the safety path in our story on the Garden Home Road Safety Path.

Construction history of Garden Home School

Don Dunbar, former principal of Garden Home School (1968-1974), provided us with this very interesting diagram explaining the sequence and dates of the various additions to Garden Home School (now the Garden Home Recreation Center). Note the area outlined in black dotted lines is the location of the original school building that was built in 1912 and taken down in 1967. View photos of the school over the years in our work-in-progress story on the history of Garden Home School, 1912 to 1982.

Garden Home School – construction history diagram from Don Dunbar

1912 Newly constructed Garden Home School

Memorial benches on the Fanno Creek Trail

Read about the three memorial benches placed along the Fanno Creek Trail honoring Steve Mapes, Peter Herman, and Jeanette and Vernon Fredrickson. There’s a fourth bench located in the memorial garden at SW Oleson Rd and SW 80th Ave memorializing Terry Moore, who led the Garden Home Gardeners and their involvement in the remodeling of SW Oleson Road following the infamous 2007 chainsaw massacre (widening of SW Oleson Road).

Steve Mapes memorial bench from rear – near the baseball diamond at the Garden Home Recreation Center

Peter Herman memorial bench – on Fanno Creek Trail

Fredrickson memorial bench – at SW 78th and the Fanno Creek Trail, near the Fredrickson Wormwood Manor

Terry Moore memorial bench at SW 80th Ave and SW Garden Home Rd

Harold Gjerman

Read our story about Harold Gjerman, who has lived in Garden Home since 1970. Harold spent 45 years working for the railroads, and retired in 2004 as a conductor. He is a member of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Historical Society, and has provided us with important print information about the Oregon Electric and the Garden Home Railroad station and rail lines. These were most helpful in writing captions for the colorized train photos given to Garden Home History by Colin Lamb. We are pleased to have Harold added to our Advisory Board, Garden Home History Project.

Harold Gjerman, 2020

Early numbered locomotive, article on log freight through Garden Home

Oregon Electric Railway at Shahapta near Garden Home – Northwests Own Railway

The Garden Home junction of the Oregon Electric Railway

Read our story on the history of the Garden Home station of the Oregon Electric Railway to view our gallery of vintage photos of the station, including 1936 aerial photos that finally put to rest the exact location of the station. On the photo below, you can clearly see the station building on a raised platform (note the shadows).

1936 Army Corps of Engineers aerial photo – Garden Home Railroad Station detail

Garden Home train station – rear

Garden Home train station

1936 aerial photos of Garden Home area by Army Corps of Engineers – Update

We’ve updated our collection of six 1936 aerial photographs of the Garden Home area taken by the US Army Corps of Engineers to include detailed annotations of landmarks and road names. The annotated versions of the photos make it easier to get your bearings when viewing the 1936 photos.

SW Garden Home intersection and train station – 1936 Army Corps of Engineers aerial photo (annotated)
View the collection of 1936 aerial photographs

Colin Lamb and the history of Lamb’s Garden Home Thriftway – Update

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – Oregon Electric, probably midway from Multnomah to Garden Home, hill to the south

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – Oregon Electric locomotive, began in Garden Home in 1908

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – Oregon Electric in central Multnomah on what became Multnomah Blvd

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – Garden Home store, P.O. 1890, Lumen Nichols

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – Garden Home Oregon Electric Train Station, c. 1910

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – Airship, Lewis and Clark Centennial

Lambs Thriftway colorized photos 2020 – World’s largest log cabin, 1905, Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition

Lambs Thriftway 2020 train relief – Diesel locomotive, streamliner class

Lambs Thriftway 2020 train relief – c. 1855 locomotive, American Type 4-4-0

Lambs Thriftway 2020 train relief – c1941 locomotive, Class GS-4 4-8-4

Lambs Thriftway 1995, original strip mall – intersection of SW Garden Home Rd and SW Oleson Rd, Scottys bar with mural, Big Tomato Pizza sign

Lambs Thriftway 1995, original strip mall – Crazy About Sports, Uetz’s Cleaners, Book Re-View

Lambs Thriftway 1995, original strip mall – Uetz’s Cleaners, Book Re-View, Garden Home Pharmacy

Lambs Thriftway 1995, original strip mall – tear down of Big Tomato Pizza, book store, beauty salon

We’ve added some additional vintage photographs and news updates to Colin Lamb’s history of Lamb’s Garden Home Thriftway.

Upcoming Events

Due to the current public health recommendations in response to the COVID-19 virus, we will not have slide programs until the Garden Home Recreation Center re-opens. We have interesting programs planned for the future. Take good care of yourselves.