The Portland Red Guide: Sites and Stories of Our Radical Past

history/historical
radical
Communist
Anarchist
Socialist

Portland has long been coined as radical in terms of thought and lifestyle, without ever really being credited for inciting any historically-radical-movement. So, it was with great interest and curiosity that I perused The Portland Red Guide: Sites and Stories of Our Radical Past. We may not be San Francisco, and we may not be Washington D.C., but we do have a red and radical past..flavored with socialists, communists and gasp anarchists..and..and Allen Ginsberg visited for a bit and got NAKED at PSU! Scandal.

In all seriousness, Portland has a socialist, communist and anarchist history. Color us red. Some of these organizations still meet, specifically the socialists at the Central library downtown. I especially enjoyed reading the radical history behind places that act as backdrop for my world today such as Unthank Park or The White Eagle Saloon--where radical meetings were going down, and of course the appearances made by radical celebs such as Emma Goldman and Woody Guthrie. Radical Woody even lived here for a bit, while writing songs inspired by Bonneville Dam. Previous to this book I would have never pegged Bonneville Dam as a radical site, historical perhaps, but radical no. For most of the famous radicals who stayed in our city, Portland was merely a footnote. To Portland these footnotes were hallmarks and a great source of pride in our history, radical or otherwise.

Perhaps, some of these details don’t really seem so radical. What interests me is the historical aspect of it, or the reminder that the buildings we see and streets we tread all have a history behind them. When put into a historical context it becomes clear that each of these events were indeed a big deal. It’s nice to be reminded of the people who made history here, history that for the time period was radical. Maps and photos provide a window into the world of the radical--the locations and their faces.