A survivor is carried to safety during the Vanport Food of 1948. The destruction happened on Memorial Day when the Columbia River broke through levies and washed out the former town which housed a large African-American community.
Memorial Day event to tour site of Vanport
Local organizations will hold an event to remember the Vanport Flood, when the Columbia River spilled onto what was then Oregon’s second largest city on Memorial Day 1948, killing at least 15 people and leaving 18,000 people homeless. Many of the victims were black residents who came to Portland to work in the shipyards of World War II.
Made possible by the Columbia Slough Watershed Council and the Black United Fund, everyone is invited to the one hour anniversary event, which will lead residents on a tour of the flood site, now part of north Portland.
Participants will meet at Delta Park / Vanport Park & Ride at 1940 N. Victory Blvd. on Wednesday, May 30 at 4 p.m. For more information, contact Melissa Sandoz at 503-281-1132 or visit columbiaslough.org/calendar.
