Anarchy

Local Portland History: Rossmere

This is a scan of a map that is in a book of title transfers.  The book was in our house when we bought it in 1992.

The book includes the original 1907 title transfer from when the house was built, which is the same year they changed the names of the N-S streets to numbered avenues.  We live on 37th, which was called Vinewood Avenue before that.  Going down the list, 38th used to be Hydah, 39th used to be Thaxter, etc.

I'm pretty sure up around 44th and Thompson you can still see "Beverly Avenue" stamped into the old concrete curb.

The book of title transfers includes a history of the property from 1850 to 1910.  The original chunk of land was originally a claim by John Quinn, but eventually became the property of Philip A. Marquam.

Marquam was a big shot at the end of the 19th century and first part of the 20th century, at least in Portland.  The I-5 bridge over the Willamette River is named for him (and let's not forget Marquam Hill, the Marquam Trail, Marquam Gulch, etc.).

By the time the house was built, this part of that land (we're on the western edge of it, near the northern edge) had been cut to 80 acres and split into lots.  And named Rossmere.