Sellwood: Trolley Carmen of 1910 and a Mystery

I've seen the photo of these trolley carmen many times.

Dana Beck, postal worker and member of the Sellwood History Committee, used it in the 2009 SMILE calender he put together. Dana has had it posted at the Sellwood Branch Post Office.

The men work for the Interurban Train Line and, according to Dana's research, "the car went all the way to Cazadero (Estacada), where the Clackamas River produced some of the electricity that powered the cars. It was also the site of a popular park and resort hotel," which, while still located in Estacada got great reviews for the view, but not so good for the food, on Urban Spoon.

Every time I see the photo, I wonder.

I wonder if one of the five men pictured could possibly have been my grandfather. He was a carman for the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company. He lived in Sellwood a few blocks from the Car Barns.

My father was born in 1909 while his parents lived on SE Lexington Street in Sellwood. By 1911 his parents were divorced. Our family research has placed his father living in Sellwood, after the divorce, in a rooming house on SE 11th Avenue. I've driven by, the house is still there. After the mention in the Polk Directory he disapears.

I look at the only photo we have of him, along with my grandmother, which was taken at Council Crest on the day of their engagement. And, I wonder.

I wonder if a facial recognition program would be able to see if there are any of the men's features that are similar to the features of my grandfather, or my father. I wonder if any of these men knew John Douglas Maxwell, or where he went when he disappeared from public records.

I really can't see a similarity between the men in the two photos. Yet, I wonder: if you put a cap on him, or add a mustache, would he look like the man second from the right? Don't the ears look a little similar?

They would have taken a trolley to Council Crest. Did he ride for free? or have a pass for them both? Did they, by chance, ride on one of the two cars that survived the dismantling of Portland's car system, 503 or 506?

I wonder if he'd be glad that trolleys are returning to Portland, and eventually to Sellwood. Or would he be indifferent now, as he seemed to be to the child he fathered then?

History Note: "The City & Suburban Railway of 1891 was not Portland's first interurban but it was the first to consolidate many of the smaller lines that had sprung up in the city dating back to Portland Street Railway of 1872. In 1904 the Portland Consolidated Railway came into existence when the Portland Railway and City & Suburban merged, the city's largest two interurbans up to that time. A year later the line became known as the Portland Railway and by 1906 this company had merged with the Oregon Water Power & Railway to form the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company, the last remaining interurban in the city. Over the subsequent years this system was known by several different names; the Mount Hood Railway & Power Company (1911); Portland Electric Power Company (1924); Portland Traction Company; and lastly the Portland Railroad & Terminal Division (1946). Streetcar service survived until 1950 when it was abandoned in favor of buses." (from the American Rails website)

For more information on Dana Beck's mission to preserve Sellwood and local history through photographs see the article published in the Sellwood Bee, July '07 and updated October '09.

Sellwood History Committee Photo used with permission.