1940 Map of Boring

About this map

The Clackamas River and Sandy River carve through this landscape as it appeared just before 1940, defining the industrial and transportation corridors of eastern Multnomah and Clackamas Counties. The Portland Electric Power Company and its Cazadero Line trace a path through the timber and farm country, connecting early settlements like Boring and Damascus to the regional power and rail network. This survey, revised as a Federal W.P.A. project, captures the transition of the valley from a frontier logging economy to an electrified agricultural and suburban belt. Near the southern edge, the River Mill and Fish Hatchery sit along the river bends below Estacada, while rural life is anchored by family-named landmarks and institutions like the Powell Valley School, Mt Zion Cem, and Fisherm Mill. The map documents a complex web of schools and small crossroads, including Orient, Pleasant Home, and Kelso, many of which served as the social centers for early twentieth-century homesteaders.