We tend to whitewash history, viewing the past as an era of innocence. Portland was no different from many places, formed by people eager to better their lives, often at the expense of others. The first Chinese in the U.S. were brought to build the railroads in the 1850’s, and intended to return home with their earnings to the families they had left behind. Many died first, but managed to find their way home, anyway. The railroad company purchased a section at Lone Fir Cemetery, Block 14, which became The Old Chinese Burial Ground.
According to Chinese custom, immigrants were buried here for a short time, with their bones later disinterred and returned to China, to be reunited with their ancestors. This went on for a time, until Multnomah County wanted the land for use as a maintenance yard for the highway department. In 1948, this block was excavated with a bulldozer. All remains found were packed off to China and the building was built shortly thereafter.
In January of 2004, Multnomah County held a hearing, planning to sell the property as surplus, to the highest bidder, presumably for a high-rise condo/business establishment. Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery was able to notify community members and packed the hearing room with 150 people. Over the course of the next six months, information was gathered which indicated that intact burials might well exist beneath the asphalt there. Also, we knew the area still had legal status as a cemetery.
Records at the Oregon Historical Society and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) showed that not all of the Chinese buried here were meant to be returned to China, and had probably been left when the excavation occurred in 1948. County Commissioner Maria Rojo de Steffey commissioned an archaeological investigation. Using ground-penetrating radar for a preliminary test, several anomalies were identified. In January 2005, a team of archaeologists found two intact burials. At this point, it became clear that this land, still classified as a cemetery and a historical landmark, could not be sold for commercial development. The County recognized its civic duty to remove the building and repatriate it with the rest of Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery.
In 2007, the building was removed and the ground was leveled. Multnomah County and the City of Portland of Portland collaborated to complete the project and then deeded Block 14 over to Metro, which manages the rest of Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery. The cemetery won national recognition, being placed on the National Register of Historic Places, due to the efforts of Friends of Lone Fir’s Mary Glenn, who wrote the application.
In 2008, Metro formed the Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery work group to help shape the future of the cemetery and a site plan for Block 14. The group worked with Metro staff and a consultant team led by Lango Hansen Landscape Architects to create a design that highlighted the cemetery’s presence in the city as a historic, cultural and natural park. A preferred design was selected by the work group in October 2008.
The design includes separate memorials for the early Chinese immigrants and the patients of Dr. Hawthorne’s mental hospital, a community gathering space, a memorial garden and an interpretive kiosk. These enhancements to the cemetery will elevate its significance to the Portland community. Like many great cities around the world which encourage the community and visitors from around the world to learn about its oldest cemeteries, Portland will do the same with Lone Fir.
The drawings can be seen at www.oregonmetro.gov/cemeteries.
Donations designated for the Block 14 Memorial Fund are being held by Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery until the further plans are established.
