North Portland in Multnomah County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Vanport
Oregon History
Photographed by Paul Crumlish, August 2, 2010
1. Vanport Marker
Captions: (top center) Henry Kaiser highlighted above.; (upper right) A groundbreaking 24-hour daycare program, the largest in the world, cared for preschoolers and older children and cooked hot take-home meals for parents returning from the shipyard. School classes and faculty for Vanports's 9,000 children were racially integrated. Schools ran seven days a week.; (lower right) Dikes surrounding Vanport presumably would protect it from flooding, but an old railroad cut that had been filled in as part of the dike on the western edge of Vanport unexpectedly gave way. (bottom strip) After the war, pioneering aspects of Vanports child and health care programs remained popular examples of what a private enterprise and the government could achieve when united in a common purpose -- “an experiment in the full socialization of life.”
Within a year of the US entering World War II, more than 160,000 people moved to Portland a city of only 360,000 to work in Home Front industries. Industrialist Henry Kaiser's three shipyards employed the most workers. To house his employees and their families, Kaiser persuaded the US Maritime Commission in 1942 to fund the nation's largest public housing project. Within 10 months, Kaiser had built an entire community on 640 acres of low-lying farmland Vanport.
The Very First of its Kind
Vanport soon became Oregon's second largest city. Nicknamed Kaiserville, most Vanporters lived in one-bedroom apartments. There was a library, post-office, police station, infirmary, public cafeteria, stores, and a 750-seat movie theater. While most Americans had no medical insurance, Kaiser's workers enjoyed a prepaid health plan. After the war, the plan and its doctors became the Kaiser Permanente medical and dental care program.
Swept Away
In 1948 at 4:17pm on Memorial Day, a portion of the dike surrounding Vanport was broken. The Columbia River swollen with early spring snowmelt flowed quickly into Vanport. Floodwaters
this page online
Residents had been assured by authorities that the dikes were holding and that they would be warned in ample time to evacuate. The break caught everyone, including the authorities, by surprise. Thankfully, sloughs within Vanport absorbed the initial surge, allowing approximately 40 minutes for most people to flee Vanport to higher ground along Denver Avenue. Still, 18 people lost their lives in the flood.
With an overwhelming number of displaced people, private citizens took many Vanporters into their homes. Bitterness over the lack of proper warning by the authorities resulted in court cases. Ultimately, the courts decided the Federal government could not be held responsible for a natural disaster.
Erected 2009 by Oregon Travel Information Council.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Oregon Beaver Boards series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.
Location. 45° 35.881′ N, 122° 41.182′ W. Marker is in Portland, Oregon, in
Photographed by Paul Crumlish, August 2, 2010
2. Wide view of the Vanport Marker
Located at the West Delta Park, which is part of the reclaimed land of Vanport.
Regionally, this marker is in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge and in the Willamette Valley. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Heart of a Trading Empire (approx. 1.7 miles away in Washington); A Busy Place Is This (approx. 1.7 miles away in Washington); United States Army Arrives (approx. 1.7 miles away in Washington); Captain George Vancouver Monument Plaza (approx. 1.8 miles away in Washington); Captain George Vancouver Monument
via Oregon Historical Society, 1947
3. Vanport after the flood
Also see . . .
1. The Untold Story Of This Oregon City That Vanished Overnight. "Only in Your State" entry (Submitted on January 25, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Vanport. "Oregon Travel Experience" entry (Submitted on January 12, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)
3. Vanport. "Oregon Travel Experience" Audio Tour (Submitted on November 25, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Photo courtesy of the National Archives, Seattle), June 3, 1948
4. African American Soldiers Filling Sandbags During the Vanport Flood, Columbia River, 6/3/1948
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 25, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 6,249 times since then and 124 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 25, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. 3. submitted on January 25, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4. submitted on February 11, 2018.
