Maplewood Neighborhood Association

Maplewood Neighborhood Association

History of Maplewood

The area now known as Maplewood was once a dense forest of native, fir, cedar and maple. Indians lived along the banks of what is now known as Fanno Creek, taking plentiful trout from its waters. Grouse, quail, ducks, geese and other non-game wild birds were also plentiful. This peace was disturbed in 1873 when the first white settlers arrived in Maplewood. The Indians were friendly and Maplewood grew and prospered. Dairy farms became a big business. The first was built in the area around SW 54th and Vermont Street. The Hoffman Dairy soon became one of the largest in Multnomah County.

The road to Maplewood, as yet unnamed, ended at Hillsdale. This was also the location of the nearest post office and store. In the late 1880's, Chinese laborers were imported to help with the construction of a corduroy road reaching from Hillsdale to Maplewood. Corduroy roads were common, and built of half logs laid end to end. After the road was built, the Chinese were kept on to cut fir trees and convert the wood to charcoal for sale to Portland restaurants for use as cooking and heating fuel. This, and the land clearing for dairy farming, accounts for much of the loss of the heavy forest which once stood here.

In 1892 a native plant nursery was started in Maplewood by a German immigrant, William Borsch. Borsch gained world renown for the plants collected and propagated in his Maplewood nursery. He sent many of the plants to Europe for planting in some of the famous gardens there.

Development progressed slowly until 1908 with the arrival of the Oregon Electric Railroad. Subdivisions followed the railroad from Portland. In 1911, a post office and grocery store were built at the Maplewood depot. They remained open and busy until their demise in the 1970's.

A group of local residents formed a booster club in 1911 and began to lobby for civic improvements for the growing area, such as water, gas, graded roads, and sidewalks. It was at this time, in the spring of 1912, that many of the Norway Maples still standing today were planted. The Boosters then successful petitioned the Oregon Electric Railway to change the station's name from Kusa to Maplewood.

Train service improved and the fares were reduced, encouraging even greater development. Street lights and a school soon followed. The Maplewood Water Company was formed by a real estate developer in 1911. This served the area until 1919, when continued growth led to the formation of the Maplewood Water District and connection to the Portland water lines. Maplewood is the oldest water district in Oregon.

The years have past and Maplewood is hard to identify from the original descriptions and old photographs taken in the early days of development. The large trees and some of the birds have returned. Alpenrose Dairy is the only dairy farm that remains. However, the sense of history is still strong. There are still some of the original buildings left and remnants of the Oregon Electric Railway's right-of-way remains. Many descendants of those first families still reside in Maplewood. And there is a sense of tranquillity, of leaving the city behind when you duck under the welcoming limbs of the old Norway Maples.

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eric@pykonen.com

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