Vanport: A Portland Disaster That Changed Brownsville Lives

On May 30, 1948, an unexpected flood from the Columbia River swept through the wartime housing project of Vanport on the northwest side of Portland, a disaster that changed the lives of thousands of families, including those of Brownsville residents Carolyn Pearce and Sonja Compton. On Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 at the Brownsville Library, you will hear how their families, which lived in Vanport, escaped with only minutes to gather children and belongings before the flood waters destroyed their homes.

Two years old in 1948, Carolyn remembers panic and fear as her family tried to move faster than the rising water; Sonja’s mother was about 10 when the disaster struck, but the stories Sonja heard from her mother were vivid and frightening. Both families saved newspaper articles, photos, and memorabilia documenting the flood, some of which they will share during their presentation.

Helping us understand the causes and impacts of the Vanport flood will be a free travelling exhibit, displayed in the Library’s Kirk Room from September 24-October 12, provided by the Oregon Historical Society. With four oversized pop-up banners loaded with photographs and a fascinating narrative, the OHS travelling exhibit illustrates the magnitude of the disaster with its social, economic, and personal impacts for thousands of people.

Brownsville Community Library hours are

Tuesday 10 – 5

Wednesday 10 – 5

Thursday 1- 7

Friday 10 – 5

Saturday 10 - 2