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.