St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1922-09-15
Philadelphia Head

II
Of st. Johns. All roads lead to
Philadelphia Head. This place
can be aptly described by its out
standing features. When the
saint James John endowed educa-
ton with his United States dona.
ton claim, he laid out a street
one hundred feet wide, from the
shore of the Willamette, easterly
to the center of the village, and
named it Broadway. Broadway
was changed to Philadelphia
street, but its broad features still
bear witness to the broad soul Of
the generous Oregon pioneer.
The easterly two blocks of this
broad street are level and paved
with Bitulithic and the cement
sidewalks are twenty feet wide.
Before annexation Of st. Johns
to Portland, in recent years, G..
r. Andrew was st. Johns city
engineer. and he wisely surveyed
an easy grade from Philadelphia
Head to the city dock on the Viii
lamette, and planned bridge
over Crawford street to allow the
factories along the river TO have
a level street behind their places.
This afforded great dumping
ground in the broad street for
st. Johns basement excavations,
and the dumping still goes merri.
ly on; and one can stand on Phil
adelphia Head and look westerly
down this easy grade TO the dock
and view billows Of earth dumps.
Some time these hollows will get
filed and the saint James John s
broad plans will be reality.
From Philadelphia Head Bur
lington street branches of west.
erly toward the st. Johns ferry,
and creates n Hat-iron block on
the west base Of this natiron
block stands the city hall, now
Portland's police headquarters
and fire station for the district of
st. Johns, and on the point of
this flat.irOn block is the elevated
cement band stand, and between
is a plat Of grass and flowers,
which are the pride of the Off
GERS. Then a little further east
near the center Of Philadelphia
Head. the jctting fountain pat.
ters rain in the bountiful water
bowl, where horse, dog, eat and
pigeon can get drink This
fountain in both u JOY 10 the pill
grim and water hole of the
jungle. Plenty of room in Philn-
delphia Head and the local bust
ness folk encourage ears Ia park
there under the watchful eyes Of
the nearby police station.
When 81. Johns high school dis
misses, youth pours forth in vol
ume and marches up these broad
sidewalks with all the buoyancy
and hope which is thcirs,nnd they |
are really large, healthy, good
looking boys and girls, ~ Johns
affords that stock numbering |
and mechanics, YOU know, is sc
lective Of that type. Then after
8 o'clock. when the river side
mills change shifts, masses Of |
men march into Philadelphia
Head and take the waiting street /
ear trains for their homes amy
where in Portland, where they |
chance 10 live.
AZ times when Portland city
officials feel like giving the pco-
pie a social time they place the
brass band in the stand on the
point of this fat-irOn block mnd
call out the people 10 dance on
this broad level place. Az times
soldier squads are drilled here
Whenever there is a public dem
onstratiOn, the people come to
Philadelphia Head from all di-
rections; il il the logical and |
convenient meeting center, aud
san be aptly described to stran
gers.
From Philadelphia Head N.
Johns heart beats Throughout the
city, and We are fortunate in hay-
ing such a natural. well marked,
roomy and convenient place in
which TO meet.-CharlcS C.Wood
house. Jr.