Portland's Lost Waterfront

Tall Ships, Steam Mills, and Sailor's Boardinghouses

The story starts with the discovery of the Columbia River by Robert Gray—a river so shallow he was only able to navigate 12 to 15 miles upstream before coming to a 10-mile long sandbar blocking his way forward. Gray’s ship, the Columbia Rediviva, had a draft of 11 feet; now the river is navigated by huge vessels with drafts of over 45 feet. This book tells the story of how the “Port City of Oregon” crown was stolen from the natural port of Astoria by the merchants and bankers of Portland. It tells the story of the port from the early years, through the shanghaiing years, up to World War I, the Panama Canal, and Portland’s arrival as a world port.

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The Oregon Shanghaiers:

Columbia River Crimping from Astoria to Portland

In the hardscrabble early days of Portland's seaport, "shanghaiing" or "crimping" ran rampant. The proprietors of crooked saloons and sailors' boardinghouses coerced unwitting patrons to work on commercial ships. Shanghaiers like James Turk, Bunko Kelley and Billy Smith unashamedly forced men into service and stole the wages of their victims. By the 1890s, these shanghaiers had become powerful enough to influence the politics of Astoria and Portland, charging sea captains outrageous fees for unskilled laborers and shaping maritime trade around a merciless black market. For nearly a century, the exploits of these notorious crimpers have existed mainly in lore. Now historian Barney Blalock offers a lively and meticulously researched account of these colorful and corrupt men, revealing an authentic account of Oregon's malicious maritime legends.

• Contents
• Introduction: The Gentle Art of Shipping Sailors
• 1. Can Anything Good Come from San Francisco?
• 2. The Grant Family of Astoria
• 3. Mr. Lawrence Malachi Sullivan Comes to Town
• 4. The Palmy Days of Jim Turk
• 5. Pirates of the Port
• 6. The Shanghaiing of Darius Norris
• 7. Citizen Turk
• 8. The Unfortunate Mr. Beeby
• 9. The Arrival of Joe “Bunco” Kelley
• 10. Before the Blind Goddess
• 11. Events Leading Up to the Funeral of James Turk
• 12. A Confederacy of Crimps
• 13. Red Lights Burn Out in the North End
• 14. The Unquiet Graves
• Afterword: A Tall Tale of Tunnels
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author

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Oregon Prizefighters:

Forgotten Bare-Knuckle Champions of Portland & Astoria

In 1884, London's prizefighting craze spread to Portland. Since the fights were illegal throughout the States, matches were fought in inconspicuous venues away from unwanted spectators. A winner could be hanged if the loser died. Champions like Dave Campbell, Jack "Nonpareil" Dempsey and "Mysterious" Billy Smith were just a few contenders for the brutal, nearly forgotten sport. Join author Barney Blalock as he reveals the remarkable stories of Oregon's bare-knuckle champions.

• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction. From the London Fancy to the Oregon Frontier
• 1. The Moonlight Excursion, Being a Narrative Based on Several Reports
• 2. The Fistic Fever Sets In
• 3. A Dogfight with Frenchmen
• 4. The “Nonpareil”
• 5. Near the Mouth of the Lewis River
• 6. 1886: A Year with No Equal
• 7. The Wild Boys of Astoria
• 8. The Unfamiliar Taste of Defeat
• 9. The Pastime at the Cyclorama
• 10. Portland’s Mysterioso
• Afterword. Three Portland Champions for the Ages
• Appendix. Jack Dempsey’s Grave
• About the Author

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Nomad Motors

Riding this has changed my physique.

I have used a bicycle as my main means of transport in Portland since I was a teenager with a 3 speed Robin Hood way back in the 1960s. Over the decades I have owned every kind of bike, from coaster brake clunkers to European racing bikes so light you can lift them with your little finger. I have owned some sweet recumbents and some not-so-sweet electric bikes.

I bought one of the first electric bikes sold in Portland, a lead acid battery setup made by Curry. It was in the early 2000s and it was sold at a Ron Tonkin auto dealership on NE 122nd. I rode this bike from Irvington to Terminal 5 (about 15 miles) for about a year. I would always start to run out of battery power well before reaching my place of work, it was still worth it. but just barely.

About 5 years back I bought an electric bike on the Internet for something under $800.00. I wasn’t expecting much, and ended up giving it to a friend. I decided to leave the electric bike world to those who were able to spend $3,000.00 or more for a bicycle. I may have been able to justify spending that much, or more for a good electric bike, but I did not like any of the styles I saw locally.

Meanwhile I decided to go non-electric and bought a nice Dutch-style Breezer from Clever Cycles. The bike is perfect for the person who loves comfort. Then my arthritis developed to the point to where it became obvious that, to use my bike as real transportation, I needed some help from a motor. I researched Youtube, Duck Duck Goose, Bing, and even Google to find a comfortable solution to my problem. The locally available electric bikes all seemed variations of the same bike and I was addicted to the great comfort of my Breezer.

A self-contained electric motor in the front wheel (like the Orbital) seemed easy, but there was no way to test one prior to purchase. It seemed also that it would be unbalanced—like having a shopping basket on the handle bars.

Finally I had the good sense to look for a local expert in putting motors on bikes. It was my good fortune to discover Nomad Bicycles. They are too busy putting motors on bikes to do much advertising. Once I found their Youtube channel I became convinced that the were the answer to my transportation problem. So I rode over to NE Sandy to see if it was possible to make the Breezer into something Nikola Tessla would be proud of.

I have now been riding around with my motor for a little over one year. I’ve been up and down Rocky Butte and Mount Tabor dozens of times. At one point I started to wonder if the battery would ever go down. I rarely use the throttle because the wheel sensor seems to be connected to my brain. It starts with a firm, but gentle push, and eases off sweetly into a freewheel. I honestly cannot keep off of it—even on a rainy day. I haven’t had this much fun since the summers of my childhood.

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