Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851-2001

by Jewel Lansing

This is the definitive book on Portland's political, social, and cultural history, beginning in 1845 when a 16-lot townsite was laid out on the bank of the Willamette River and continuing through April 2001, the 150th anniversary of Portland city government. Jewel Lansing has amassed a treasure trove of information on Portland's civic and political life, which she presents in a readable style, organized around an account of the successive reigns of Portland's 44 mayors. The story is enlivened by anecdotes that bring to life the unique individuals and controversial issues of Portland's distant and more recent past. Lansing shows that Portland's path to its present place as the 28th largest city in the United States, with a deserved reputation as one of the nation's most livable cities, has not always been smooth, and its story is far from dull. Corruption, profiteering, and wide-open vice characterized Portland at the turn of the century, and every era has had its controversies and rivalries: disputes over railroad franchises and rights-of-way, women's suffrage, public versus private power, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Prohibition, and the siting of freeways, to name just a few. Colorful personalities, from Populist governor-turned-mayor Sylvester Pennoyer to tavern-owner-turned-mayor Bud Clark, have emerged in every period, as the city has grown and its government has evolved from a small group of volunteers to a complex bureaucracy with 8,000 employees and a $1.1 billion budget. Anyone with an interest in Portland, and in learning more about the individuals, events, and issues that have shaped it, will find this exhaustive history fascinating and extremely informative.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

592 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Dominique Lamssies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great deal of information in it and you will learn a lot from reading it.

The problem is that it is mostly facts and reads like a school report. It is basically a 500 page list of facts. Don't get me wrong, the research is meticulous. There are detailed proceedings from just about every city council meeting since the city was founded. If you want to know a fact about the city's history, it is in this book. No question. I will point out that the author was involved in city government for a long time, so she takes it for granted that the audience knows a lot of terms and ideas that the reader may or may not know.

For me, the biggest problem is the lack of context. I feel like I didn't get as much as I should have out of this book because I don't already know Portland history. Facts are necessary to a history, but they don't make a whole history. We need to know how those facts fit into the greater scheme of city life and culture and this book does not do that. Often times, while reading this book, I felt like I was missing something (for the record, I was born and raised in Portland so it's not a distance issue) that was necessary to my understanding of the history here.

In short, the book needs an angle. History books invariably have a slant of some kind. At worst they muddy history to prove a controversial viewpoint (writing a history that focuses on every bad thing that capitalism does to prove that your socialism is correct), at best they can illuminate an under served area of history (focusing on marginalized communities and their contributions to a time/place). I'm not entirely sure why Lansing wrote this book, what she was hoping to illuminate. She doesn't even really interpret her own facts. She generously quotes other historians and how they interpret, but there's nothing original as far as I can see.

An excellent example is the issue of shanghai-ing. Lansing mentions it, and the tone she uses suggests she may not believe it actually happened in Portland and that the jury is out on evidence for it. But she doesn't say what she believes and she moves on quickly. One would think a legend that looms so large in a place would be worth actually addressing and forming and articulating an opinion on.

If you need to know a particular about Portland's history, this is your book. If you want to know the story of Portland, look elsewhere.

[Ana]

A political history, no joke. I love a good history book, but this book became really dry after the first few chapters - essentially after the chapters in which the state was founded. It reads like a laundry list of mayors and city council meetings. I tried to mine it for interesting historical nuggets, but at a certain point even that became tedious.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one and the history of Portland. It went into more detail than some of the others I have read, which I enjoyed. But 2/3 of the book was more modern history, which is fine... it just wasn't what I was looking for. So I didn't finish it. Really enjoyed the first 1/3.

[Kathleen (itpdx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the political history of Portland's first 150 years.

I was amused to find that we are still dealing with some of the same problems--prostitutes, bridges, roads and "idle men blocking the sidewalks".

And it seems that some problems have been solved without government intervention--pigs roaming the streets, cows with loud bells and a sunken ship in the river.

And some problems have been solved by having been taken over by the government--those "gambling machines" that so concerned the vice squads are now a state run monopoly funding education and development.

For Portlanders this is a treasure because it is hard to make decisions about the future without knowing how we got where we are.

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried reading this quickly (deadline) and while I was enjoying it I was frustrated - seemed too much to absorb. Now that the deadline is over I am really enjoying it - (that and I met the author who is a wonderful, bright almost 80 year young woman!) Great stories about early Portland and the people who settled here. Thanks Jewel!
12/27/10 - was sitting on my bed side table going no where..I'm keeping it on my shelves in case anyone is interested but not on my bedside stand.

[Alan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book on the history of Portland, Oregon that I have attempted to read. This one reads much better and makes connections between various events. This is written by a former city of Portland auditor who's point of view is presented as history for the time of her service. It left me hungry for more; which is the point of a survey.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good history of Portland. Not an easy read, but very interesting.

[Deb]

Seen at Oregon Historical Society bookstore. I want to learn about my home town.