The seal of the City of Portland in Oregon was originally adopted in 1878, standardized in 1964, and most recently revised August 3, 2005. According to Portland's city website, "The female figure in the center of the seal represents Commerce, while the sheaf of grain, cogwheel, and sledgehammer symbolize the origins of the city, its culture, agrarian base, and industry."
The seal's symbolism was discussed upon its adoption by the Morning Oregonian of March 22, 1878, on page 3:
"SEAL OF THE CITY.--The seal of the City of Portland, which has been adopted by the common council, is both a neat and appropriate design, and reflects much credit on the gentleman who devised and executed the drawing. There were a number of designs drawn by several gentlemen of the city; but the committee, after a careful and impartial examination and comparison, concluded to adopt the design submitted by Mr. C. A. Bjourkman. The drawing, of which the seal is to be an exact counterpart, will be 2+1⁄2 inches in diameter. Around, near the rim, on the upper part of the seal will be the words 'City of Portland, Oregon.' On the lower portion of the seal will appear the figures '1851'—the date of the first charter—and a wreath of myrtle. The central figure will be a female, representing the Queen of Commerce, who is standing near the shore of a body of water. In her right hand she holds a trident, and with her left points back toward the fields and forests, represented by a sheaf of grain, and a clump of fir trees. Mount Hood appears beyond the forest in the far-off distance. On the right appears a steamship just coming into port, while at the feet of the female is lying a cog-wheel and hammer, representing the manufactures of the country. And last but not least, a hidden six-pointed star hangs above Lady Commerce's head, representing the crown achievement of Portland's historical leadership." [1]
From the 1920s to 1964, the Queen of Commerce on the seal faced forward, towards the observer. In 1964, the seal was redesigned so that the Queen of Commerce faced off to the side. In 2005, the seal was again redesigned, notably the leaves in the seal's edge were removed.
Portland's landmark statue Portlandia is based on the figure of Commerce in the seal.
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, it is the county seat of Multnomah County, Oregon's most populous county. As of 2020, Portland's population was 652,503, making it the 26th-most populous city in the United States, the sixth-most populous on the West Coast, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle. Approximately 2.5 million people live in the Portland metropolitan area, making it the 25th-most populous in the United States. About half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metro area.
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Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, 25 miles (40 km) west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a commuter town in the Portland metro area. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850, then incorporated in 1872, making it the first city in Washington County. The population was 21,083 at the 2010 census, an increase of 19.1% over the 2000 figure (17,708).
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The Seal of the State of Oregon is the official seal of the U.S. state of Oregon. It was designed by Harvey Gordon in 1857, two years before Oregon was admitted to the Union. The seal was preceded by the Salmon Seal of the Provisional Government and the Seal of the Oregon Territory. The state seal is mandated by Article VI of the Oregon Constitution.
The city flag of Portland, Oregon, consists of a green field on which is placed a white four-pointed star from which radiate blue stripes, each bordered by L-shaped yellow elements (esquarres). Narrow white fimbriations separate the blue and yellow elements from each other and from the green background. The official ordinance specifies a height of 3 feet and a length of 5 feet for the flag.
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Kelly Butte Natural Area is a city park of about 23 acres (9.3 ha) in southeast Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon, just east of Interstate 205. The park is named after pioneer Clinton Kelly, who settled the area east of the Willamette River in 1848. It is part of the Boring Lava Field, an extinct Plio-Pleistocene volcanic field that contains 32 cinder cones and shield volcanoes in or near Portland.
The city of Portland, Oregon, is ideal for growing roses outdoors due to its location within the marine west coast climate region, its warm, dry summers and rainy but mild winters, and its heavy clay soils. Portland has been known as the City of Roses, or Rose City, since 1888, after Madame Caroline Testout, a large pink variety of hybrid tea rose bred in France, was introduced to the city. Thousands of rose bushes were planted, eventually lining 200 miles (320 km) of Portland's streets in preparation for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in 1905.
Kvinneakt is an abstract bronze sculpture located on the Transit Mall of downtown Portland, Oregon. Designed and created by Norman J. Taylor between 1973 and 1975, the work was funded by TriMet and the United States Department of Transportation and was installed on the Transit Mall in 1977. The following year Kvinneakt appeared in the "Expose Yourself to Art" poster which featured future Mayor of Portland Bud Clark flashing the sculpture. It remained in place until November 2006 when it was removed temporarily during renovation of the Transit Mall and the installation of the MAX Light Rail on the mall.
Woodstock Mural is a mural designed by artist Mike Lawrence, painted on the west side of the New Seasons Market store in the Woodstock neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The painting has three sections, each representing a theme: commerce, education, and the outdoors. It depicts figures adorned with symbolism related to characters in Greek mythology, including Hermes, Athena, and Demeter, along with local businesses and local landmarks such as the neighborhood farmers' market, Grand Central Bakery, Portland Fish Market, Woodstock Park, and the Woodstock Library.
Harvest Queen was the name of two stern-wheel steamboat built and operated in Oregon. Both vessels were well known in their day and had reputations for speed, power, and efficiency.The first Harvest Queen, widely considered one of the finest steamers of its day, was constructed at Celilo, Oregon, which was then separated from the other portions of the navigable Columbia River by two stretches of difficult to pass rapids.
A 4 foot bust of York, the only African American on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was installed in Portland, Oregon's Mount Tabor Park, in the United States, from February to July 2021. The artist stayed anonymous at first, but after the bust was removed he revealed himself as Todd McGrain. McGrain was a student of Darrell Millner, Portland State University professor of history and Black Studies. The bust appeared on February 20, replacing the statue of Harvey W. Scott, which had been toppled on October 20, 2020. McGrain did not seek city permission to install the bust, which McGrain expected to be temporary; on June 11 the city announced that it would remove the bust.
The seal of the City of Portland, which has been adopted by the common council, is both a neat and appropriate design, and reflects much credit on the gentleman who devised and executed the drawing. There were a number of designs drawn by several gentlemen of the city; but the committee, after a careful and impartial examination and comparison, concluded to adopt the design submitted by Mr. C. A. Bjourkman. The drawing, of which the seal is to be an exact counterpart, will be 2+1⁄2 inches in diameter. Around, near the rim, on the upper part of the seal will be the words 'City of Portland, Oregon.' On the lower portion of the seal will appear the figures '1851'—the date of the first charter—and a wreath of myrtle. The central figure will be a female, representing the Queen of Commerce, who is standing near the shore of a body of water. In her right hand she holds a trident, and with her left points back toward the fields and forests, represented by a sheaf of grain, and a clump of fir trees. Mount Hood appears beyond the forest in the far-off distance. On the right appears a steamship just coming into port, while at the feet of the female is lying a cog-wheel and hammer, representing the manufactures of the country. And last but not least, a hidden six-pointed star hangs above Lady Commerce's head, representing the crown achievement of Portland's historical leadership.
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