Goose Hollow was established six years before Portland was incorporated. The first resident was not a man with many geese, it was Daniel Lownsdale, a man with a plan for a tannery who staked a claim near what was later named Tanner Creek in 1845. The tannery put Portland on the map because it was the only one north of Mexico and west of the Rocky Mountains.
Lownsdale was also the person who persuaded Portland to build the Great Plank Road–now known to us as Jefferson Street–which created a viable route for farmers in Tualatin through Tanner Creek to the port along the Willamette River. The landscape of west Portland looked quite different then. Couch Lake covered parts of the land we now call the Pearl District and Old Town/Chinatown. Tanner Creek flowed through a gulch and ran through the neighborhood into the lake until the city redirected to the Willamette via pipes.
The gulch became infill and was referred to as a hollow. Chinese farmers rented land in this area to grow vegetables that they would carry through the neighborhoods, selling door to door. In the 1870s, a number of residents kept geese but allowed them to roam freely. When the geese became intermingled there were intense disputes over ownership, the police were summoned, and when word got out about the ruckus, the neighborhood became known as Goose Hollow. A decade later there was a failed campaign to rename the area Paradise Valley.
In the 1890s, the Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) bought land in the Tanner Gulch area and created a sports facility and club. The club hosted college football games for OSU and University of Washington. The large-scale facilities were also used for civic gatherings like President Harding’s visit in the early 1920s that drew a crowd of 30,000. Providence Park, then called Multnomah Stadium, also used to be part of the MAC facility.
Cable cars and streetcars supported the expansion of residential areas in the heights but were eventually replaced by roads with the rise of the automobile’s popularity. Decades later, the construction of the I-405 freeway, a part of Robert Moses’ urban renewal plan, cut through part of the neighborhood.
As a result of its long history as a residential area in Portland, Goose Hollow has still has many historical structures. The neighborhood also has a mix of condominiums, apartment buildings, and single family homes, likely because of it’s enduring appeal as a centrally located area with great access to transportation, goods and services.
Amenities
With Interstate 405 as its eastern boundary and West Burnside forming the northern edge, Goose Hollow is surrounded by some of Portland’s most popular destinations including the Pearl District, Downtown, and Washington Park–home to the Japanese Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, and Oregon Zoo. The neighborhood is home to two major MAX transit hubs and is serviced by numerous bus routes. It also has great proximity to three of Portland’s four major freeways (Highway 26, I-405, and I-5).
There aren’t any elementary or middle schools in the neighborhood, the closest are Chapman Elementary, and West Sylvan Middle School. Lincoln High, a public high school, is located inside the neighborhood boundary.
Culture
Providence Park and Multnomah Athletic Club are major centers of activity within the neighborhood. MAC with its 22,000 members and 600 staff, is an expansive sports facility. Providence Park stadium is home to the Timbers and Thorns football clubs. For those interested in being active outdoors, the majority of the neighborhood’s western edge runs along Washington Park with hiking trails leading into the park’s major attractions like the Japanese Gardens.
Popular destinations like the Portland Art Museum, the weekly farmers’ market in Shemanski Park, and Pioneer Square are all a short walk outside of the neighborhood. Although there aren’t a lot of restaurants and bars within the neighborhood boundary, adjacent areas like NW 23rd, NW 21st, Slabtown, and downtown are home of some of Portland’s most beloved bars, cafes and eateries. Goose Hollow residents can enjoy the tranquility of a largely residential experience knowing that they can access great food and drink within a short walk or transit ride.
