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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2015)
Farm to fork movement embraced at Hillsdale’s Verde Cocina Medical marijuana dispensaries open in Crestwood and Multnomah Village – Page 4 – Page 3 Houaphon silk textiles to be shown at tribal art exhibit – Page 8 The Southwest Portland Post Volume No. 23 Issue No. 6 www.swportlandpost.com Portland, Oregon Complimentary April 2015 Southern Pacific’s “Red Electric” railroad may become regional trail By Lee Braymen-Cleary and Don Snedecor The Southwest Portland Post Congressman Earl Blumenauer and retired civil engineer Don Baack will both tell you that before Northwest Oregon had cars, trucks, and buses to carry passengers, it had trains. Near the turn of the 20th century, under pressure to come up with a cleaner and quieter form of transportation than the traditional locomotives, railroads came up with the electric interurbans. The interurbans were unique in that instead of steam engines they used electric power run along overhead wires for locomotion. The modern equivalent would be the Portland MAX light rail trains. The two competing lines that traveled through Southwest Portland were the Oregon Electric Railway and the Southern Pacific’s “Red Electric” Railway. (Continued on Page 6) On Feb. 14, some 40 SouthwestTrailsPDX members and volunteers met at a proposed Red Electric Trail site for a six-mile walk. (Photo by Peter deCrescendo) 35th Annual Trillium Festival coming April 11-12 to Tryon Creek State Park By Lee Braymen-Cleary The Southwest Portland Post If you and your garden have or crave a love affair with Oregon’s hardy natural flowers and wildflowers, celebrate spring! Mark your calendars for April 11 and 12. F r i e n d s o f Tr y o n C r e e k development director Stephanie Puhl has announced that its 35th Annual The annual Trillium Festival is coming to Tryon Creek State Park on April 11 and 12. (Artwork courtesy of Jennifer Primm) Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. The Southwest Portland Post 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 Portland, OR 97206 Trillium Lily Festival and Native and Hardy Plant Sale will occur between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on those days at Tryon Creek State Park, 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd. Actually, this family-friendly event held at the lush park’s nature center is a combined effort between Friends of Tryon Creek and Oregon Parks and Recreation. It is one of “Friend’s” largest yearly fundraisers. Ethical native plant growers from around Oregon a n d Wa s h i n g t o n w i l l m o t o r i n hosts of native plants including red flowering currant, Oregon grape, bleeding hearts, assorted ferns and a wide array of wildflowers for your selection. Let us not forget that delicate white trillium, trillium ovatum, is a member of the lily family. It is the Friends of Tryon Creek floral mascot. Some of its shyer and rarer native cousins that spring from rich soil beneath our Northwest wilderness of red alders, big leaf maples, western hemlock, western cedar, and our ubiquitous Douglas fir will also make an appearance. If you haven’t experienced it, a jaunt to Tryon Creek State Park, in all its verdant splendor with wooded walking and equestrian trails – even paved trails for those in wheelchairs, is a must. To breathe it in is to cherish it with that appreciation even heightened by the knowledge that it didn’t magically burst forth. Locals began conservationist lobbying for the 670 acres to achieve state park status in the 1950s. Canyon terrain, the space was originally encapsulated as a land grant in the mid-nineteenth century and settled by Socrates Hitchins Tryon, Sr. Since early settlers’ days, Tryon Creek, that four-mile tributary of the Willamette River and its surrounded wooded wonderland, have seen harsh development days, even logging. Established in 1970, Friends of Tryon Creek helped achieve park status for that area stretching from Multnomah Village to Lake Oswego. That milestone was reached in 1975. Today the park protects 90 native plant species including fringe cup, skunk cabbage, and trilliums. Sixty varieties of small animal, birds, and fish call it home. Otters, coyotes, newts, squirrels, Cooper’s hawks, great blue herons, k i n g f i s h e r s , a n d t o w h e e s ro a m among them. Small enclaves of Coho salmon, steelhead trout, and cutthroat trout glide the waters. This marriage of government and the private sector has salvaged the delicate balance of nature abutting a big city. The Nature Center contains not only an appropriate gift shop, but also a classroom and space for educational exhibits. A small children’s play area is nearby. T h e F r i e n d s o f Tr y o n C r e e k website burgeons with potential for interesting educational and volunteer opportunities. It’s a veritable breath of fresh air and a vital instrument for creating a land conservation legacy. Start with your trip to the hardy plant sale! For more information a b o u t F r i e n d s o f Tr y o n C r e e k and their activities, visit www. tryonfriends.org.
