Portland's Goose Hollow

Images of America: Oregon

by Tracy J. Prince, Tracy J. Prince

One of Portland’s oldest neighborhoods, Goose Hollow is steps from downtown and beloved for its quirky character, historic homes, spectacular views, and walkability. Over a century ago, the actual “hollow” was dramatically altered when the meandering Tanner Creek, in a deep gulch with several trestle bridge crossings, was diverted underground and infilled. The creek’s presence is still felt in the ravine carved through the Tualatin Mountains (spanned by the Vista Bridge) and in the neighborhood’s identity. This book provides definitive answers to how Goose Hollow got its name and how Tanner Creek Gulch was filled. Stories are also told of the Great Plank Road, City Park’s slow-moving landslide, and famous residents such as Daniel Lownsdale, C. E. S. Wood, Dr. Marie Equi, John Reed, and Bud Clark. Historic institutions such as Civic Stadium, Multnomah Athletic Club, Lincoln High School, and Washington Park are also featured.

Reviews:
"Prince has been dedicated and meticulous in her research."

--Matthew Korfhage, Willamette Week --wweek.com/portland/article-17360-port...


Charming, spellbinding and intriguing, this brilliant work is a must-have for any true Portlander!
--M. Chris Johnson, Portland Book Review --portlandbookreview.com/history/portla...


"an exceptionally comprehensive and enlightening history...The book has added substantially to the public record, exploring the neighborhood's evolution on social, architectural, and economic levels."
--Northwest Examiner

Genres: History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2011

About the author

Tracy J. Prince, Ph.D. is a Research Professor at Portland State University's American Indian Teacher Program, an historian, and a Fulbright (Malta). Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, she has spent her career teaching and writing about overlooked and forgotten parts of history that she finds by digging through archives and interviewing folks who like to talk about the olden days.

Dr. Tracy Prince has taught in or spent extensive research time in Turkey, Australia, England, Canada, France, and throughout the US (Oregon, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas) in Humanities, English, Curriculum & Instruction, and Urban Studies and Planning departments. https://www.pdx.edu/profile/tracy-j-p...

Reviews

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating reading this book on the early days of Portland history, Native Americans, Chinese, pioneers, bridges, and old gulches.

[Rhome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blaise Pascal, the French Mathematician from the 1600s, is famously quoted as apologizing in a letter for its length because he did not have the time to make it shorter. Such sentiments were also shared by Mark Twain, T.S. Eliot, Cicero, Thomas Jefferson, Einstein, and others.

It is obvious that Tracy Prince spent an enormous amount of time putting this book together. The sheer amount of information crammed into the deep subtitles for each marvelous picture, and her Introduction, is astounding. This book could indeed have been much longer; but it would not have contained any more information. And the author's work in synthesizing the information in easy-to-digest chunks is much more instructive than any large tomb could be. It was obviously meticulously researched, and you truly get a feel for the real history of a very interesting and eclectic Portland neighborhood. Hats off to Dr. Prince for a job well done on a story that needed telling.

[Angelwingsmp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing history of how Portland grew from a small frontier outpost to become a major west coast city! I visited Portland and bought this book as a souvenir. Wonderful to read about the Native American, Chinese, Irish, German, and Jewish history of one of Portland's oldest and quirkiest neighborhoods.

[Tempest2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool photos of the earliest days of Portland! Indians, pioneers, Chinese residents, and even some fighting Irish ladies whose squabbles lead to the neighborhood's name. Good stuff.

[Zadie_Schaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lovely frolic through historical photos of Portland. cool info about Indians and Chinese in the 1800s that I've never read in other Portland history books.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool pics. A little heavy on the MAC. Wish it had more history.