Presidential Visits to the Gorge

This is a forum for trip reports that pre-date the Portland Hikers forum, trail photos from pre-digital era, or any other discussions that focus on trail history.
Post Reply
User avatar
Chase
Posts: 1265
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Presidential Visits to the Gorge

Post by Chase » January 13th, 2013, 2:10 pm

Martell and others may not like this being posted in the Travels in Time, but I'll try it anyway...

Anyone know which of our presidents have visited the Gorge during their term(s)?

Benjamin Harrison took the train through the Gorge on May 7, 1891 (a coincidence that he established the Bull Run Reserve a year later?)

F.D.R. visited the Bonneville Dam on September 28, 1937 to promote the jobs he created.

But that's all I know about...Taft came close as well as Harding (just days before he died in San Francisco) by traveling through Portland on the train. Many others flew over it.

I'd like to know about any visits I'm missing. Thank you.

User avatar
Chase
Posts: 1265
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Presidential Visits to the Gorge

Post by Chase » January 26th, 2013, 5:46 pm

OK, an anonymous source that rhymes with "mayslee" has tipped me off to Harry Truman's visit to the Gorge on June 11, 1948 to view the Vanport flood damage. The president's plane flew over the flood-stricken areas (I'm assuming it went over at least part of the Gorge), but "he had not been able to see the flood damage from the air because of low clouds..." (Hauser, Paul; The Oregonian, June 12, 1948). Not much of a visit and not good circumstances.
The Man from Independence ended up viewing Vanport from the ground and giving a speech and, more importantly, Federal aid money.

Post Reply