Proclaim May 30, 2023 to be Vanport Day of Remembrance
Whereas, our understanding of history shapes our view of the present, and to understand where we are going, we must understand where we are from; and
Whereas, 2023 is the 75th anniversary of the flood that erased Vanport in a matter of hours; and
Whereas, Vanport was once the country’s largest public housing project and Oregon’s second-largest city, with a peak population of 42,500; and
Whereas, Vanport was intended as temporary housing for the war workers pouring into Portland from all over the country, supplying labor to three major shipbuilding yards; and
Whereas, Vanport was demographically diverse, with African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and white populations who all came from elsewhere to work in the shipyards; and
Whereas, a postwar housing shortage affected all incoming laborers but due to Portland’s discriminatory housing policies of the time, such as redlining, many of the African American workers could find no place to live because they were restricted to a small area of Portland that was already at capacity; and
Whereas, Vanport was a city of many firsts in Oregon, including being the first to hire African American police officers and teachers; and
Whereas, after the war, the city was also home to many Japanese Americans who had few living options when released from American concentration camps during WWII; and
Whereas, these groups of people found themselves all strangers together and forged new connections that endured even after Vanport was gone; and
Whereas, Vanport was constructed in the Columbia River floodplain and was protected from the river by a series of levees; and
Whereas, exceptionally heavy snows in the winter of 1947-48 and the cold spring that followed, combined with the sudden warm-up and rains of May to decimate the snowpack and swell the Columbia River; and
Whereas, although the river levels rose to alarming heights over weeks, the Housing Authority of Portland assured by the Army Corps of Engineers that the dikes were both strong and high enough to protect Vanport from the expected peak water levels, did not order the residents to evacuate; and
Whereas, the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) did, however, after an emergency meeting on the evening of May 29, 1948, provide a notice on some of the residents’ doorstep telling them that they were safe at the present time, that they would have plenty of time to evacuate if there were flooding and that they should not “get excited”; and
Whereas, at 4:17 p.m. the next day, Sunday, May 30, the HAP and the Army Corps of Engineers were proven wrong when a 600-foot section of the railroad berm to the west of the city failed and water began to pour into Vanport; and
Whereas, the flood wiped out the city in a matter of hours; and
Whereas, at least 15 people died in the Vanport flood; and 18,700 residents, about 6,300 of them African American, lost their homes and most of their belongings; and
Whereas, Vanport Mosaic will hold the 8th Vanport Mosaic Festival from May 18 to May 29 to honor and celebrate Vanport as an essential and often forgotten chapter in Portland’s history - a story that provides a template for how we all can live together and create a society that honors history, cultural contributions, and paves the way for our humanity and our city to thrive.
Now, therefore, I, Ted Wheeler, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of
Roses,” do hereby proclaim May 30, 2023, to be
Vanport Day of Remembrance
In Portland and encourage all residents to observe this day. Let us remember and honor the lives
affected by the Vanport flood, learn from their experiences, and strive to create a more inclusive and resilient city for all.