Secret woodland important to St. Johns heritage, Trail and Baltimore Woods Corridor

When I first moved to the St. Johns neighborhood nearly 30 years ago, it was like a territory that time forgot. Not only in the sense that there was a vintage Sprouse Reitz, 88-cent store, drug stores, even one with a working soda fountain, all of which were deja vu, but also because there were hidden pockets of wilderness scattered in unexpected places. For instance, there was a field full of wild lupine on Columbia Boulevard not far from Pier Park blanketing acres between warehouses. Tall spires of purple, blue and occasional salmon stretched endlessly, almost unreal in beauty, now gone to another warehouse. Among residences and industrial edifices there were groups of big leaf maple creating umbrella-like woodlands. There was a treed and shrubed waterfront delightfully abandoned by human enterprise and allowed to heal, to some degree at least and welcome wildlife again. The juxtaposition of small wildernesses with all the trappings of the then-village of St. Johns was entrancing, and endearingly weird. Some of these pockets still exist. I’m guessing many residents of north Portland have found their own forgotten pockets.

One such magical place is a nearly 10-acre woodland located just past a forgotten dead end at N. Edison Street’s most northern point. 40 and 50 foot tall trees, mostly native maple and black cottonwood, form a forest behind a chainlink fence at the back of a private industrial property at 10200 N. Lombard, once Crown Cork and Seal. The woods is so remote that a nearby neighbor claimed years ago there was a band of hippies living in its center and no one suspected they were there for a months if not longer. At other times locals have noted the howling a young coyotes accompanying the train whistles. Interesting bird sounds can often be heard. Raptors perch in the tallest trees. The woodland is located on a ridge above the industrial area and Willamette River and offers a stunning view on its river side of Forest Park and the Willamette. The site cannot be accessed because its privately owned, but it can be located by a silverish vintage water tower positioned on its forest edge and visible for blocks around, even from the opposite side of the river. The woodland arguably forms the end of the Willamette Bluff, a steep ridge that runs for many miles only on the east side of the river.

The forest is also the northernmost point of Baltimore Woods, a pocket wilderness corridor that follows the bluff, and sports St. John’s only remaining native oaks assembled into clusters of woodland. The Friends of Baltimore Woods have worked to preserve and include the secret 10-acre forest since 2000, recognizing its importance to the green corridor. It would be its largest parcel and has potentially its apex. Once acquired, the Friends would like to remove encroaching ivy to free the trees. There are said to be seasonal streams on the site though it is unconfirmed. If true, the industrial zoned forest would be even more problematic to develop due to stream constraints. Add to that the cost of cutting down all those trees with the city’s tree code, the inaccessible location, and the natural slope of the property, all of which would make the location non ideal for industry.

The entire Crown, Cork site, 22 acres in all including the woodland, will someday contain the npGREENWAY​ Trail as well as the regional 40-Mile Loop Trail that encircles the city. The trail could provide access to the woodland as well as pleasant respite for trail users, not to mention exceptional views of the river, Forest Park and the woods itself. St. Johns residents as well as the entire city could discover this small pocket gem.

Additionally there is history in those woods, both local and national. The 10-acres overlooks the 1806 campsite of William Clark who with a native guide and some members of the Corps of Discovery, explored the Willamette River on behalf of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. From their journals, the story goes that they missed the mouth of the Willamette in 1805 on their paddle down the Columbia River due to islands that blocked its view. On the explorer’s trip back up the Columbia, natives illustrated where the river was by drawing a map and one agreed to take Clark to see it while Lewis stayed behind to hunt. Clark paddled about three miles up the river the natives called the Multnomah and camped near a slough that is now T4 in Rivergate just beneath the 10-acre woodland and clearly visible from it. Clark intended to explore the river the next day but was hampered by heavy fog south of what is now the St. Johns Bridge, where he had to turn around. The simple map drawings Clark made of the campsite and nearby environs show land features that are still present including the ridge he camped near. He even described the trees he saw on the ridge. The wooded site offers the only viewpoint over the historic campsite.

The local history is good too. The site is part of the first Oregon land claim in St. Johns registered to the Loomis family. Vintage photos show the site more or less open and grassy with just the beginnings of shrubs. It was no doubt cleared by the family for farming when they took ownership in the mid 1800’s. Adjacent to the woodland and only accessible by the future trail is the site of the Loomis family’s pioneer cemetery from 1852. Though now devoid of grave sites long since removed to another location, the cemetery site is still significant for its historic value and what it can tell us about our earliest settlers. Family descendants have photos of the cemetery as it once was. The pioneer cemetery and the woodland form a valuable part of the St. Johns heritage and help tell our story.

For all these reasons, the 10-acre woods, as it’s affectionately called by Friends of Baltimore Woods, is too important to be destroyed and given over to industrial development. It should be preserved not just for St. Johns but for the wider community who can access it by the future trail. It is special as a local and regional gem and should not be lost. If you would like to see the site or lean more, you are invited to join a walking tour to view the secret forest on Sunday, July 1, starting at 10am. The tour will meet at N. Baltimore at N. Decatur near Cathedral Park Place and is led by Friends of Baltimore Woods members. You can support the Friend’s efforts by contacting us for more information or to sign up for email updates.

Stop by the FoBW table at the St. Johns Farmers Market​ on Saturday, June 30 from 9am to 2pm. Volunteers are also invited to join in regular Thursday evening work parties from 7-8pm to help restore a multi-acre meadow, a part of the corridor with breathtaking views. Meet in the Bushwacker parking lot accessed from the intersection of N. Caitlin at N. Decatur. Call Barbara at 503-954-3142 for more details. Help the Friends in their work to save this St. Johns gem!