May 25, 2016
HEALTHCAREERS
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
The History of Vanport
New book published on
anniversary of lood
Zita Podany is a longtime resident of Portland
and has for many years been fascinated with the
story of Vanport, a city that once thrived in an area
full of marshes and sloughs between Portland and
Vancouver.
Podany’s new book “Vanport,” released this
month as part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of
American series, comes out on the 68th anniversa-
ry of the lood that destroyed the city.
Nestled on a loodplain, Vanport was a hous-
ing project to help house World War II shipyard
workers. When the United States entered the war,
the demand for ships and for workers to build
those ships became a huge priority. Workers were
recruited from all corners of the United States. A
large population of African Americans answered
the call for work and many residents of Portland
and Vancouver today trace their geographical
roots to Vanport.
Podany shares a wealth of photos before and af-
ter the lood in his book. He tells how Portland had
a serious lodging shortage, so much so that these
workers lived in cars, tents, parks, and whatever
shelter could be found. Vanport, built in a little over
a year to house them, was a city that did not sleep.
In its heyday, Vanport was the second-largest
city in Oregon with a population of over 40,000
residents. It was a city with many irsts. It was a
city that touched many lives in a very short period
of time. And on May 30, 1948, it was a city that
disappeared just as quickly as it came into exis-
tence, leaving a legacy that will not soon be for-
gotten.
SCHOLARSHIP
APPLICATION
PACKETS
Are Available to:
High School Grads, College Students,
and Adults Cont. Educ.
PACKETS CAN BE
REQUESTED ON-LINEAT
Patricaanntrice@gmail.com
or by phone ~ 503 283-6312
(Mrs. Patricia Trice)
THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS
MIDNIGHT, JUNE 11TH, 2015
The Della Mae Johnson
Scholarship Foundation
2216 NE Killingsworth
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 284-0535
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