Bridlemile Elementary School Oral History Project

Video clips by Melinda McCrossen
Photographs by Victor von Salza

During the 2005 - 2006 school year, the Fourth and Fifth Grade students at Bridlemile Elementary School(BES) investigated the history of Bridlemile and surrounding neighborhoods. The students interviewed longtime Bridlemile residents about the history of the neighborhood and what it was like to live and grow up here back then.

Melinda McCrossen with five of the interviewees after the event.

On April 12, 2006 the students presented some of their findings at a joint Brildlemile Elementary School / BNA event.

Setting up for the event.

Video Clips from the interviews

Below are links* to the wonderful and informative Bridlemile Elementary School Oral History Project video clip selections shown at the April 12th, 2006 presentation:

Click on this link to watch video of Owen Cramer talking about living on upper Dosch Rd from 1920's, schools he attended, family farm where school is today, proposed tunnel from Portland, local saw mill during WWII, winter sleding from Dosch Rd to Hamilton St, after school sports, and the Columbus Day Storm. December 14, 2005

Click on this link to watch video of Jim Driscoll talking about Albert Kelly, first orchards, The 1859 Prarie Traveler Guide Book (shown above), and what was grown on the Albert Kelly farm. December 15, 2005

Click on this link to watch video of Ken Leatherman talking about living during 1950's, lower Brookford, water and sewer, building the school, bow and arrow business, ring neck pheasants, notable residents, longtime Brookford residents, snakes, fish in Fanno Creek, and building homes in the 1940's. December 12, 2005

Click on this link to watch video of Bill Schumacher talking about Hillsdale Piggley Wiggley Market, Glen Cullen railroad, Heritage Trees, water well, local taxidermists quail and wood duck, local fauna and Doschdale. January 2006

Click on this link to watch video of Bev Shaw talking about location of Bridlemile School, pheasants, school plaque, Fiona fountain, and a car accident. December 15, 2005

Click on this link to watch video of Annette (Long) Stone talking about living on a chicken ranch, chores, local store, and the Great Depression. December 13, 2005

*The above video clips are located on the
Portland Public Schools Media Library, History of Bridlemile page. NOTE: If your browser, e.g. Internet Explorer, does not play the above clips, right click on the image and choose "Download Link to Disk", then after the file has downloaded play it using QuickTime Player.

In between each of the video clips students read brief reports (shown as Powerpoint slides) on related history topics that the students had researched.

Students reading from the Powerpoint Reports.

Students who gave the presentation.

To contact BES Media Specialist Melinda McCrossen, mmccrossen@pps.k12.or.us, 503-916-6292.

Students and interviewees after the event.

What a wonderful way for our children to learn to interview and document past events! Thanks to all those who participated.

Helen Trayle

Helen Trayle is an artist whose aquatint etchings were on display at the Broderick Gallery in August 2006. Helen has lived in Bridlemile for much of her life and besides being a wonderful artist she can tell good stories about growing up among the lovely orchards of our neighborhood. If you missed the article in the August 2006 SW Connection contact Bridlemile History Chair Ginger Danzer, 503-292-9460 to borrow a copy.

John and Nancy Haleston

talk about living in Bridlemile during the second half of the 1950's

John and Nancy Haleston. Photo by Ginger Danzer

As young twenty-five year olds, John and Nancy Haleston bought their Bridlemile lot and began building their home in 1954. They bought the property on 3805 SW Jerald Way from the realtor, Lyle Nosler who was developing the property with Dr. John H. Powell, the owner, and John J. Whelan, architect. John has an original of the brochure promoting the area that had been recently named Bridlemile. Their home and several others in the area were built by Louie Cotsifas and his son George. The land was in Multnomah County and they bought their water from Portland. John does not think the area was well plotted. Some of the lots are very deep and because of the grade, frequently resulted in huge front yards with no privacy at the expense of disproportionately small back yards.

The flow of the water down the hill and onto the streets was not considered carefully enough and there was very little attempt to control the water except for the deep ditches beside the road. Many of these have been filled over time forcing the water back onto the streets and onto someone else's property. Neighbors who wonder why the streets are so poorly maintained do not realize that the development was not originally in the city of Portland and the streets only had to meet the county standards. Since those standards did not meet the City of Portland requirements when the area was annexed, the streets can only be maintained (such as holes etc.) and never will be re-paved at the city's expense. At one time, John is not sure when, there was a move to organize a Local Improvement District (LID) to improve the streets and perhaps add curbs but nothing came of it. John asserts that it would have been a huge and expensive task as many of the houses were set above or below the grade of the street and many have usurped part of the street easement into their yards.

John and Nancy have thoroughly enjoyed their Bridlemile home. They raised a daughter and two sons there and have great memories of a wonderful neighborhood filled with children and young families who enjoyed each other's company. Horses occasionally were ridden in the neighborhood and Haleston's have pictures of their daughter riding her horse right up to their house. Another horse rider was the daughter of Bridlemile residents Ted and Phyllis White. The girls would tether their animals down by the ravine at the eastern edge of what is now Hamilton Park.

The Bridlemile development extended from Dosch Road to the west which is now 41st Street. At the southern end of 41st the paved road came to an end. Before 41st joined the road alongside the park there was about 100 feet unpaved....barely OK for a drive through in dry weather. During the rainy season, it was impassable. Halestons remember thinking it would be an asset when the road could be paved as it would provide them with another route to Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. When the paving did occur it was an asset in one way but a liability in another. The traffic through the neighborhood increased considerably!

The wildlife in Bridlemile was abundant in the early days, especially the pheasants. Of course the creatures were to diminish as the homes developed.

In the initial days of the neighborhood all the children went to Robert Gray or Hayhurst Schools. In 1958 when the Haleston's daughter was ready to enter kindergarten, all children in the area transferred to the brand new Bridlemile School which at that time encompassed all eight grades.

John and Nancy identified the lots of the old map in the brochure naming the families who built the homes. The Haleston's did not know Ruth and John Powell, they must have moved out of the neighborhood by 1954.

The Haleston's are long-time Portlanders. Nancy Allison moved to Portland when she was four, and John was born here. They both went to Alameda Grade School and Grant High School. Making a move from the east side of Portland to build a home on the "far, far" west side of the city was the near equivalent to moving to Hillsboro and out in the country. Look at the west side homes now!! John was a pharmacist and, with his father, operated pharmacies in downtown Portland. For that reason John is very familiar with the development of the downtown portion of our city. The proximity of the Bridlemile district to the hub of Portland has certainly proved to be an advantage for all who have chosen this section for owing property and making a home here.

Ken and Mary Lou Guenther

talk about the Wilcox Manor in this interview done by Ginger Danzer and Bev Shaw on March 21, 2003 (with some additions from a visit with Ruth Powell, March 24, 2003).

Wilcox Manor 3707 SW 52nd Place (turn north off Windsor Court). Photo by Victor von Salza.

The Wilcox Manor at 3707 SW 52nd Place is listed on the National Register of Historic Homes. Bridlemile’s only historic building is owned by Ken and Mary Lou Guenther who have been enthusiatic preservationists of the beautiful estate since Ken Guenther purchased it in 1965. Today the Manor presents the elegance of 1917, the year it was completed. The Guenthers have an extensive history of the property and continue to seek information historical information.

The original property was 160 acres. The Manor, a three storey southern colonial style building, had fourteen bedrooms, a 30 x 14 foot living room, a billiard room, a library and servants quarters. A beautiful classical sunken garden the size of a football field was behind the home. The architect was Kirtland K. Cutter of Spokane, WA and the L. M Thielsen designed the garden.

Theodore Burney Wilcox, a wealthy Portland businessman, built Glenwood Farm as a country home for his family. He purchased 160 acres of what was the Peter Smith donation land claim. Wilcox died the year after its completion. His wife, Nellie Stevens Wilcox, preferred to live in the Portland home and the home was given to her son. The son, Theodore B. Wilcox Jr. (Ted), and his wife, Elizabeth Menefee Wilcox, lived in the Manor for 30 years. In 1948 they sold it to the University of Portland and the Holy Cross Fathers who moved their Columbia Preparatory School to the site. The school operated from the Manor until 1955 when a shrinking student population forced it to close. The property was sold to Robert Strahorn.

After Strahorn purchased the Manor he hosted a huge ball in the elegant rooms. The occasion is mentioned in several articles about the Manor. There still could be people in the area who attended the event.

Robert Strahorn was a developer. At the time he purchased the Wilcox property he was associated with John Powell and had built homes in the Bridlemile and Brookford sections of the neighborhood. Reports of Strahorn’s business difficulties appear in several accounts of neighborhood history. In a business separation John and Ruth Powell acquired the Wilcox property. During this time it is said that Strahorn moved to Santa Barbara with his bookkeeper.

The Powell’s continued to develop many lovely homes in the Wilcox area but had difficulty keeping up the Manor. Vandalism was a problem. Mrs. Powell tells stories of high school students sneaking into the house through the coal chute to have club initiations. The Powells sold the Manor and the garden to a Mr. Ballentine.

It was Ballentine who remodeled the Manor into eight apartments. There is no information about the Ballentine years.

By 1965, when Ken Guenther bought it, the Manor needed a great deal of attention and was heavily mortgaged and reduced to six acres. Ken Guenther and neighbors remember the broken windows and peeling paint. Ken Guenther built the duplexes to the north of the garden.

Ken and Mary Lou Guenther have owned the Wilcox Estate longer than anyone else. Because it is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, maintaining the home is a ongoing project.

There are eight apartments in the Manor. Three are on the ground floor, four on the second floor and one on the third floor. A porte-cochere entrance, leads to the main hall which has the lovely original paneling, a handsome chandelier and curved staircase to the second floor. The flooring is also original, striking black and white diamond shaped linoleum. The beautiful medallion wallpaper became water stained. The Guenthers worked to duplicate it but the cost was prohibitive. They removed the paper and painted the walls a muted green very close to the color of the original wallpaper. A door at the back of the hall leads to a guest toilet with the distinctive 1917 small patterned tile floor and to a workroom that now serves as a laundry room and exercise room. Doors open onto the large brick deck and garden. At the west end of the garden is the beautiful pool and pergola.

The Guenther’s spacious two storey apartment is in the north wing. The original dining room is now their large and lovely living room. The breakfast room has become a beautiful diningroom with a garden view. Other first floor rooms in this wing were the kitchen, pantry and Manor service rooms. While visiting in Spokane the Guenther’s found the original sketches of the Manor in a museum featuring the work of the architect, Kirkland Cutter.

Mrs. Powell admired the beautiful German silver chandelier that hung in the formal dining room, now the Guenther’s living room. She believes that it was an antique when it was installed in the dining room in 1917. Mary Lou Guenther is quite fond of the chandelier too, but says that it is challenge to keep it shining. They were lucky to be able to replace some of its missing crystals.

When asked if any of the Wilcox family returned to see the estate. In 1995, Jim Brown, who was married to Towner Wilcox and his son and wife, visited. They had many pictures of the estate and gave copies to the Guenthers. Mary Lou Guenther said that occasionally Columbia Prep students come for a nostalgic visit. The Guenther’s have some of the Columbia Prep Yearbooks and would like to have a complete set. Perhaps some interested alumnus will come to visit and have the missing copies.

See and read more about the Wilcox Manor here.

Ruth Powell and Jane Tweeddale

talk about the early development of Bridlemile, including the beginnings of the Brookford and Wilcox developments in this interview done by Ginger Danzer and Bev Shaw on January 13, 2003 (edited for web site publication February 2005).

Ruth Powell & Jane Tweeddale. Photo by Ginger Danzer

Mrs. Ruth Powell was a land owner, resident and developer of land. Jane Tweeddale owns a home on Jerald Way.

In 2001 Mrs. Powell spoke at the Bridlemile Neighborhood Association Meeting at the request of Barbara Paetzhold, the neighborhood historian. In an effort to retrieve that information after Barbara Paetzhold's death, Bev Shaw contacted Jane Tweeddale and arranged this visit at the Tweeddale home. Both Mrs. Powell and Jane Tweeddale enjoyed the neighborhood and have many wonderful memories of their first years in the area.

Mrs. Powell explained that in 1947 her husband, Jack, was looking for property in Portland with enough acreage to build a home and garden. Dr. Powell, a native of Kansas, was a dentist, whose office was on SE 37th and Hawthorne. Ruth Morrison, a native Portlander, was his patient, and in 1939, his wife. The Powells looked and looked for property. A friend told Dr. Powell about some land that was for sale by the Art Museum and that he was sure that Jack would like. Jack was busy and told Ruth to go with the friend to look at it. She immediately loved the land, open with nice stands of trees and a wonderful western vista to the valley. She encouraged her husband to look at the land, and it was soon theirs. They initially purchased about 35 acres and continued to buy contiguous parcels of land. Most of the property was in Multnomah County at the time except for a pie shaped piece which was in the city of Portland and on which the Belluschi house was built.

The Powells planned to develop the property and needed a name for it. One night, before they moved to the area, Ruth Powell was brushing her teeth and thinking about the land and hoping to raise horses on it. She thought, "Bridlemile, that is it." The street, Jerald Way is named for the Powell's son.

Mrs. Powell talked about a sawmill in the area of their Bridlemile property and also spoke fondly of the stand of trees on the land.

The Powell's first home, built by someone in the Belluschi firm, was in the city part of the property because during the war they could not build in the county. It was at 3500 SW Bridlemile Lane on the corner of Jerald Way.

The Powells lived in this house for five years. Then they built a second home at 3600 SW Bridlemile Lane and lived there for three years. Their mailboxes were on Dosch Road, which is also where children caught the school bus. Mrs. Powell spoke of a well that was at a corner of the property that they used to gravity feed water to their large Victory Garden. They sold potatoes and cabbage to Corno's Vegetable Market.

During the war years there were significant barriers to building. Mrs. Powell remembers that Robert Strahorn came to their door one day and asked if he could build homes on their lots. The Powells saw his work and knew that he built good homes. They became associated with Robert Strahorn. The Powells, and Strahorn combined their names to form a company named Strell and arranged to buy property the current Brookford property south of Hamilton from Dr. Ray. The was to build 110 houses, but Strahorn built 100 houses and everything was fine. The First National Bank wanted their money and Powells didn't have it. The Bridlemile property was mortgaged to the bank. Strahorn and his lawyer, a Mr. Simmons evidently had bought the Wilcox property instead of paying the bank or notifying the Powells.

Some of the first families to buy property from the Powells were: Ruth and Bill Hagenstein, Phyllis and Howard Fishell, Natalie and Jerry Weigel, Jean and Harry Ragsdale, and Alan and Jane Tweeddale.

In the Archives there is an undated copy of a brochure announcing the development of Bridlemile. The Architectural Design Committee is: Dr. John H. Powell, Lyle Nosler, realtor and John J. Whelan, Architect. Dr. John and Sylvia Brenwood lived at the corner of Dosch and Bridlemile Lane. He was a pediatrician.

Tom and Veneta Riley built their house, and Tom wrote articles about his efforts and progress for Sunset Magazine. He worked for Sunset writing "how to do it" articles. He was an expert at building things, including small items for the house.

As a result of the problems with Strahorn the Powell's became owners of the Wilcox Estate. Strahorn had purchased it from the Holy Cross Fathers in 1955 when they closed Columbia Prep. Mrs. Powell chuckled as she said it seemed funny to turn the carriage house into a home after it had been a Catholic Chapel during the Prep years. She remembered the bell in the tower of the carriage house. The Powells built homes in Wilcox and lived in a home next door to the carriage house. She said those were hard years to stay afloat managing the Wilcox development. She was astounded by the expense of putting in curbs. She had no idea that they went so deep and used so much cement. During this time Mrs. Powell became a real estate agent and was actively involved in the development of Wilcox.

Jane and Allen Tweeddale bought a lot from the Powell's in 1949 and built a beautiful home on SW Jerald Way. Jane shared her pictures of the area at the time their home was being built. Some of them are in the BNA History files. Jane tells how the line between the city and the county went right through their home. For some time they could be befuddled by rules of two jurisdictions.

Both women looked at photographs of the late 40's and early 50's and reminisced. They had memorable parties in the neighborhood.

Jane Tweeddale continues to live on Jerald way. Mrs. Ruth Powell currently lives in the Wilcox development in Bridlemile.

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June 2007 Congratulations to Ruth Morrison Powell on her 100th birthday! The Bridlemile Neighborhood sends best wishes and thanks to Ruth on this very special occasion. Ruth named our area Bridlemile in 1947. Thank you Ruth.