Through the main gates, the sergeant advances from atop his plinth, encircled by 165 pristine-white marble tombstones. This is the
Spanish American War memorial. Each headstone represents an individual Oregonian who died during that conflict.
River View Cemetery, the oldest non-profit in the Portland area, has been the final resting place for much of local history since 1882.
So many names, so little… information. Except for a few names you ‘might’ recognize from some other source…
-Virgil Earp. Yes, one of the O.K. Corral Earps.
-Lyle Alzado. NFL. Super Bowl. Steroids. Lyle died of brain cancer he believed was steroid-induced.
-Henry Weinhard’s various brews have been a Northwest staple since 1856.
…or from Portland landmarks…
-Henry and Georgina Pittock of Pittock Mansion fame.
-It’s lumber magnate, Simon Benson, we thank for the park at Multnomah Falls and those public drinking fountains called Benson Bubblers dotting downtown.
-Lola’s Room at the Crystal Ballroom commemorates Lola Baldwin. Lola, before she even had the right to vote, became the nation’s first sworn policewoman.
-On your approach did you come down Terwilliger Boulevard? Did you get caught in traffic at the Terwilliger curves on I-5? (Reduction of both curve and speed limit here halved the old average of 28 accidents per month, so maybe you didn’t). James Terwilliger’s blacksmith shop was one of the first businesses (1846) in what was to become Portland.
…in fact, there are names you’ll recognize from an area map scattered all over here: Autzen, Banfield, Couch (pronounced cooch), and Marquam. It’s nice to put a face to a name, so to speak.
But there are many names that will be meaningless. And where exactly is Virgil buried? The cemetery has compiled several self-guided walking tours (each should take about 20 to 30 minutes) that will help and are provided free of charge. Each tour contains brief biographical notes, some historical background, and grave locations for about 15 notables. Virgil is separate, so be sure to ask for him by name. Apparently people come from all over the world just to see him.
Other sources for determining who’s who in River View:
-The Political Graveyard has listings of the politicians buried here.
-Find A Grave has listings of 252 individuals buried here. Don’t be fooled by the lack of a yellow-star ‘famous’ tag next to names. Autzen has a stadium named after him, yet lacked a star at the time of this writing. It’s a bit more than subjectivity, the site is community built, and therefore, incomplete.
Designed by Edward O. Schwagerl, who went on to become Seattle’s Superintendent of Parks, the topography of the cemetery’s 322 acres is uneven and hilly. There are roads looping throughout but no pathways; appropriate footwear is recommended. It is, however, pleasant walking. Since the construction of Paris’ Père-Lachaise in 1804, cemeteries have been designed so as to also be used as gardens or parks. The absence of paths here is only a minor drawback in this regard. The landscaping is lovely.
Tree coverage is fairly thick in sections of the cemetery. Some of it was planted to enhance the landscape, but some obviously preceded the inhumations. This is evident wherever a line of stones conforms to the contour of a large tree. And there is quite a variety of trees here as well, many ornamental, some flowering. Virgil has a Holly beside him. You should be getting a good view across Portland from this prominence, but you can’t really see the city for the trees. Views are filtered and glimpsed through a welter of branches unless you wander down through the tree line.
The knolls and bumps and valleys, also prohibiting long straight lines of tombstones, can make locating specific headstones a challenge. In places, stones are plunked down in seemingly haphazard fashion. I don’t see the logic in it and am thankful for the maps. I’m looking for teacher, author, and Oregon’s foremost suffragette Abigail Scott Duniway. I find other Duniways, so I know she’s close. She’s below the dip of the hill, facing away, her small and unassuming stone low to the ground.
And that illustrates both the challenge and the appeal, each name you seek is a journey of discovery.
[The secret to navigation: This online map (a printed copy will be included with the material you receive) shows the section numbers. On the ground, the section numbers are displayed atop small square plinths at irregular (as the sections are uneven in size) points along the roads and can be easily missed if terrain or foliage intervenes. Make special note of the roads and how they relate to the contours of each section to orient yourself. Rely upon the names on other stones of the section (they’re in the materials, too) to close in on the ones you seek. Then persevere.]
The stones range in size and shape dramatically. Some of the oldest are flat and have become sunken over the years, infringed upon by the thick sod. Not all the flat stones are amongst the eldest, but all of them are vulnerable to seasonal change -- a light litter of leaves and they are truly camouflaged. Carl William Mays is one of these. Ray Chapman, major league baseball’s only game related death, was struck by a Mays pitch August 16, 1920 and died the next day. Carl’s stone, which I cleared of leaves, unsurprisingly makes no mention of this incident. In fact, it fails to mention his baseball career in any way.
Some (like Abigail’s) are really simple unadorned rectangles protruding above ground, mere inches high. Others are vault-size (there are private mausoleums as well), the names chiseled in large lettering. Harvey W. Scott, longtime conservative editor of The Oregonian, Abigail’s brother, and her vocal opponent, is one of those. His might actually be the largest of all, although it is quite plain. (His is the freaking huge statue topping Mt Tabor.)
There are scatterings of more sculptured funereal architecture in varied shapes, fairly common for the time period. There’s a plethora of large jutting obelisks clustered in several sections. Elsewhere one truly outstanding carved Celtic cross (Conner-Failing) towers over its diminutive flattish neighbors. Urns top both rectangular and circular columns. Chest-like casket shapes top plinths. A group of flat stones embellished with curlicues informs you the family came to Oregon by "rounding Cape Horn," an incredibly long difficult journey and not an uncommon story for this part of the world. A carved "Lamb of God" indicates the grave of a child. In fact, most of these shapes and embellishments symbolize something. What I don’t see here is that stereotypical gravestone shape, upright rectangle with a curved top edge.
One of the cemetery’s more unusual features is far from obvious. Four years after former mayor, banker, and one of River View’s founders William Sargent Ladd died, his body was snatched to be held for ransom. The plot fell apart and the body-nappers were detained at the State’s expense. When Ladd was re-interred, his grave was filled with concrete, the casket encased, to prevent a recurrence of this event.
There is one thing I didn’t find in this cemetery, although I don’t know how usual this is. Virgil’s bolster-shaped stone, perhaps 8 by 24 inches, has a small American flag thrust in next to it and a shiny blue Christmas bow has been placed on the stone itself. This is the only grave "decoration" I see.
I also see cyclists and joggers all using the park-like atmosphere. I see snow, momentarily. Later, it begins to rain fairly hard, and I decide to postpone the rest of my investigations for another day. It doesn’t have the large splendor of Père-Lachaise or the romantic abandon of London’s Highgate, but the way I see it is that this cemetery has its own attractions. And it’s filled with interesting people. (Bet you thought I was going to write something about seeing dead people, but you‘re wrong.)
When:
Grounds: 8am to dusk
Main Mausoleum: 8:30am to 5pm weekdays, Saturday 9am to 5pm, and Sunday and holidays 11am to 5pm
Office: 8:30am to 5pm weekdays, Saturday 9am to 5pm, and Sunday and holidays 11am to 5pm. The office only is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
Where:
Administration: 8421 SW Macadam Ave.
Office & Chapel: 0300 SW Taylors Ferry Rd.
Portland, Oregon 97219
503/246-4251, (fax) 503/246-9653, info@riverviewcemetery.org
How:
Located near the west end of the Sellwood Bridge, with the entrance on Taylors Ferry, the cemetery has provided detailed directions. Alternative to a car, you may access the cemetery via Tri-Met #43.
Having read all this, you know the why.