Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association

A look at Mt. Tabor Park’s history

Mar 03, 2004

By Cascade Anderson Geller

Our generation is reaping the benefits of the Progressive Era that birthed our historical reservoirs and most of our city?’s parks, including Mt. Tabor Park. The Portland water board first purchased land on Mt. Tabor for Reservoirs 1 and 2 in 1888; the city continued condemning and purchasing lands, formally creating the park in 1909. Mt. Tabor Park was first known as Williams Park, after a senator and mayor, but public pressure caused the city to abandon the name.

Mt. Tabor and many of Portland?’s older parks bear the mark of a master landscape designer, Emanuel Tillman Mische. Mische came to Portland parks on the recommen-dation of nationally recognized park planner John Charles Olmsted. Mische sought to retain the butte?’s forest and the rural feel, with a main interest in creating pleasant access. The park?’s drives and pathways were built primarily using Mische?’s original design of 1911.

Mische set a high standard for the construction of the paths and drives, which has paid off with overall low maintenance costs. Later constructions were inferior and have required much more maintenance. In 1929 bridle paths were built (some of the wider paths), and many young people received riding lessons from a stable on Glisan Street that used the park for trail riding. The SE Harrison entrance was constructed in the 1930s with Depression-era work crews.

In 1933 the Scott family presented Mt. Tabor with a statue of Harvey W. Scott, first editor of the Oregonian (see the last Mt. Tabor newsletter for an article on its history). The Scott family also gave the city $5,000 in an interest-bearing account to maintain the statue.

In the 1970s archeological resources were discovered in the vicinity of the park, including an object known as ?“the Mount Tabor bowl?” made of rock and embellished with a design on the outer edge. Projectile points have also been found. Mt. Tabor is a volcano, and it is the only one of the Boring Lava Buttes that has a visible core and throat (now called the crater).

There is much more to share about the park and the reservoirs. I will be happy to give a talk or tour to groups. For more information on Mt. Tabor Park history, call me at 503/232-0474, or email cag@easystreet.com.