Gladstone, Oregon

Gladstone, Oregon
City
Fire and police station in downtown
Nickname(s): Home of the Pow Wow Tree, Happy Rock
Location in Oregon
Coordinates: 45°22′52″N 122°35′35″W / 45.38111°N 122.59306°W / 45.38111; -122.59306Coordinates: 45°22′52″N 122°35′35″W / 45.38111°N 122.59306°W / 45.38111; -122.59306
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Clackamas
Incorporated	1911
Government
• Mayor	Wade Byers
Area[1]
• Total	2.48 sq mi (6.42 km2)
• Land	2.40 sq mi (6.22 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation	57 ft (17.37 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	11,497
• Estimate (2012[3])	11,654
• Density	4,790.4/sq mi (1,849.6/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific (UTC-7)
ZIP code	97027
Area code(s)	503
FIPS code	41-29000[4]
GNIS feature ID	1136316[5]
Website	www.ci.gladstone.or.us

Gladstone is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 11,497 at the 2010 census. Gladstone is a four-square-mile (10 km²) suburban community twelve miles (19 km) south of Portland at the confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette rivers. To the south, across the Clackamas River, is Oregon City, across the Willamette is West Linn, to the north is Milwaukie.

History

Clackamas Indians

There were several Indian groups living in the area that was to become Gladstone. Lewis and Clark did not visit the Gladstone-Oregon City region, but did have it described to them by the native people. Later explorers and traders brought diseases and epidemics that took a very heavy toll on the native population and the tribes dwindled to near extinction.

When Oregon City was founded and people began moving to the area, they petitioned their governments to remove the local aboriginals from the land, so that European settlers could have land to farm and live on. The government responded by rounding up the Indians and forcing them to leave their lands for a reservation. With the natives removed from the scene, the Gladstone area was ripe for settling. Today the only visible remains of the native presence is a large maple tree called "The Pow Wow Tree," which is listed as an Oregon Heritage Tree.^[6]

Early homesteaders

The earliest homesteads in the area were donation land claims. The Casons and the Rinearsons were the first settlers to receive their donation land claims in Gladstone. Peter M. Rinearson and his family owned the land between Jennings Lodge and the Clackamas River, and between the Willamette River and Portland Avenue.^[7] Fendal Cason, who came to Oregon in 1843, owned an area equal in size east of Portland Avenue. Cason went on to serve in the Oregon Territorial Legislature.^[8]

The Pow-Wow Tree marked the place where the different Indian tribes, mainly Clackamas and Multnomahs, met to make trading agreements, settle community affairs, and conduct wedding ceremonies.^[7] The tree still stands on Clackamas Boulevard. Adjacent to the Pow-Wow Tree was an Indian racetrack that Peter Rinearson later used as an exercise and training ground for the racehorses he bred.^[7] In 1861, it was used as a parade ring for the first State Fair held on the Rinearson property, with the Pow-Wow Tree marking the entrance.^[7]

Failed starts

City Hall and municipal court

Several small towns were established in this period, but only a few remained to become the cities of today, because of floods and fires.

Linn City was settled in the 1840s by Robert Moore who built four flour and lumber mills along the banks of the Willamette. Warehouses, homes, and mills were steadily added until 1857, when a fire destroyed several of the buildings. Efforts at rebuilding the small town ceased when a flood came later that year and wiped out the rest of the buildings.^[9]

Founding of the city

Cross Park, named for Gladstone founder Harvey Cross

Gladstone was founded by Judge Harvey Cross in the late 19th century, and formally incorporated on January 10, 1911. He laid out the city's first streets. Cross' home was built in the late 1840s by Fendal Cason, and Cross purchased it in 1862.^[10] The Cason-Cross House later became Cochran Mortuary, and as of 2008, Mr. Rooter, a plumbing service, occupies the space.^[10]

There is also a small park named after Cross, located at the same place one of the Indian tribes made its camp.^[7]

Cross chose the name "Gladstone" because he admired Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone of England.^[11]

The first church

The Gladstone Church of Christ was established and organized in 1908 by Aaron Hayes Mulkey, with 55 members. Initially, it was of rough lumber construction with no floor or windows, with backless benches. The following year saw the erection of a new church on land donated by Harvey Cross.^[11]

Chautauqua

In 1894, Oregon City author Eva Emery Dye persuaded Judge Cross that bringing the Chautauqua movement to the area would be of great benefit to the community and surrounding area.^[12] So Judge Cross granted a fifty-year lease of his land, named Gladstone Park, to the newly formed Willamette Valley Chautauqua Association for an annual summer assembly that offered lectures, concerts and theatrical performances.^[12] Gladstone's first outdoor Chautauqua was held on July 24–26, 1894.^[12] Gladstone's Chautauqua Park grew to be the third-largest permanent Chautauqua assembly park in the United States.^[12]

As time passed, however, better transportation, traveling vaudeville acts appearing in Portland, and the advent of radio meant that the Chautauqua's attendance began to dwindle.^[12] In 1927, the Willamette Valley Chautauqua Association was bankrupt.^[12] Judge Cross died on August 7, 1927, and shortly thereafter, Gladstone Park, including its buildings and Chautauqua Lake, were sold to the Western Oregon Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists.^[12] Since that time, the Seventh-day Adventists have held an annual camp-meeting on the site in July, with up to 20,000 attending on weekends. The Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists headquarters was moved to the site in 2008.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.48 square miles (6.42 km²), of which, 2.40 square miles (6.22 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km²) is water.^[1]

Being bordered by rivers on two sides, there are only two primary thoroughfares to and from the city. Interstate 205 runs north-south along the eastern edge of the city. McLoughlin Boulevard (Oregon Route 99E) runs north-south through the western side of the city.^[13]

Old Gladstone

Older section of city on Portland Avenue

The old section of Gladstone is laid out on a grid of streets running north/south and east/west. North-South streets are named for colleges,^[14] while East-West streets are arranged in alphabetical order and have the same names as the north-south streets in Boston's Back Bay: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford. The alphabetical progression continues with Ipswich, Jersey and Kenmore, continuing the allusion to Boston's street names from its Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood adjacent to Back Bay. (See Kenmore Square.)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 11,497 people, 4,540 households, and 3,009 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,790.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,849.6 /km²). There were 4,779 housing units at an average density of 1,991.3 per square mile (768.8 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.2% White, 0.9% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 3.4% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.7% of the population.

There were 4,540 households of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.7% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the city was 39.2 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 11,438 people, 4,246 households, and 3,014 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,619.0 people per square mile (1,780.7/km²). There were 4,419 housing units at an average density of 1,784.5 per square mile (688.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.42% White, 0.72% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 2.11% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 3.04% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. 6.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,246 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,368, and the median income for a family was $52,500. Males had a median income of $38,619 versus $28,300 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,388. About 6.6% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Gladstone Public Library

The annual Chautauqua Festival in August commemorates Gladstone's former status as a popular Chautauqua destination. The festival is held in Max Patterson Memorial City Park.^[20] KRYP is a Spanish language FM radio station that broadcasts from the city.^[21]

Education

Gladstone is served by the Gladstone School District, which includes John Wetten Elementary School, Kraxberger Middle School, and Gladstone High School. In 2006, a bond was passed to allow approximately $40,000,000 worth of construction on the three schools.^[22] The majority (approx. 26 million) of the money will be going towards the high school.^[22]

The city operates a library that is part of the Library Information Network of Clackamas County. The city council has approved plans for a new $10 million library; but ballot measures backed by the group Save Gladstone have blocked financing and construction without specific voter approval. The necessary ballot measure will appear on the November 2012 ballot.^[23]

Notable people

• Liz Shuler, labor union leader^[24]

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gladstone has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.^[25]

References

External links

• Media related to Gladstone, Oregon at Wikimedia Commons
• Gladstone Historical Society
• Entry for Gladstone in the Oregon Blue Book

v t e Municipalities and communities of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States County seat: Oregon City Cities Barlow Canby Damascus Estacada Gladstone Happy Valley Johnson City Lake Oswego‡ Milwaukie‡ Molalla Oregon City Portland‡ Rivergrove‡ Sandy Tualatin‡ West Linn Wilsonville‡ CDPs Beavercreek Clackamas Government Camp Jennings Lodge Mount Hood Village Mulino Oak Grove Oatfield Stafford Sunnyside Non-CDP hamlet Molalla Prairie Other unincorporated communities Barton Boring Brightwood Bull Run Carus Carver Cazadero Cherryville Colton Cottrell Eagle Creek Jean Kelso Ladd Hill Lakewood Liberal Logan Lone Elder Macksburg Marmot Marquam Marylhurst Milwaukie Heights Mountain Air Park Needy New Era Redland Rhododendron Ripplebrook Riverside Shadowood Springwater Wankers Corner Welches Wemme Yoder Zigzag Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties