28 July 2011
26 July 2011
All the World and Gresham, Oregon (aka Campground)
Just reviewing my "in hiatus" blog and was stunned by the location of many of you who have looked at it (accidentally or on purpose -- no way for me to know -- and notice I didn't say "read"). In descending order:
USA
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Sweden
UK
Germany
Thailand
Italy
Guatemala
Denmark
Romania
Malaysia
Canada
Saudi Arabia
Wow! Would I could visit every county on the list and blog it. Sadly, no immediate travel plans. Though I do have a 25 minute commute most days (Got a job!!!! I mean one that requires more than 4 hours per week. Need to pay for my idle ways) -- in the glorious metropolis of Gresham, Oregon . Google says:
The city of Gresham could not establish itself as a city unless given a post office and postal code. A local storeowner offered to use his store as a post office and offered to name the city after Postmaster General Walter Gresham if a post office was granted. Until that time, the city had simply been known as Campground because this forested site was where pioneers often stopped to spend the night and compose themselves before moving on to Portland.
Smelly, skinny, exhausted, ragged, traumatized -- possibly maimed, possibly diseased -- pioneers COMPOSING THEMSELVES? The images are . . . well, let's see. What would that look like? Washing clothes (with what?) in a river whose borders are thick with thorny blackberries, hornets and poison ivy?
Rearranging rags? Using dull pick axes to chip off years of tartar?
And all for what? To limp in to Urban Portland?
Not all agree with Google -- an actual historian wrote:
The history of Gresham, Oregon, is rooted in the pioneers who trekked along the Oregon Trail in the 1800s. Traveling down the Columbia River or over the precipitous route by scenic Mount Hood. They found trees that were unparalleled, tall, and straight, which they used to build their first communities. The rich, fertile land was cleared to grow an array of crops that would eventually make the area well known for its agriculture.
Eventually there were many berry growers, fruit and vegetable truck gardeners, nut farmers and nurserymen. There were dairymen and cattle ranchers as well.
I'm not sure about all this -- there is rumored to be an historic downtown but all I see are highways and strip malls. When it's clear, I can see Glorious Mt. Hood -- but only from the highway.
USA
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Sweden
UK
Germany
Thailand
Italy
Guatemala
Denmark
Romania
Malaysia
Canada
Saudi Arabia
Wow! Would I could visit every county on the list and blog it. Sadly, no immediate travel plans. Though I do have a 25 minute commute most days (Got a job!!!! I mean one that requires more than 4 hours per week. Need to pay for my idle ways) -- in the glorious metropolis of Gresham, Oregon . Google says:
The city of Gresham could not establish itself as a city unless given a post office and postal code. A local storeowner offered to use his store as a post office and offered to name the city after Postmaster General Walter Gresham if a post office was granted. Until that time, the city had simply been known as Campground because this forested site was where pioneers often stopped to spend the night and compose themselves before moving on to Portland.
Smelly, skinny, exhausted, ragged, traumatized -- possibly maimed, possibly diseased -- pioneers COMPOSING THEMSELVES? The images are . . . well, let's see. What would that look like? Washing clothes (with what?) in a river whose borders are thick with thorny blackberries, hornets and poison ivy?
Rearranging rags? Using dull pick axes to chip off years of tartar?
And all for what? To limp in to Urban Portland?
Not all agree with Google -- an actual historian wrote:
The history of Gresham, Oregon, is rooted in the pioneers who trekked along the Oregon Trail in the 1800s. Traveling down the Columbia River or over the precipitous route by scenic Mount Hood. They found trees that were unparalleled, tall, and straight, which they used to build their first communities. The rich, fertile land was cleared to grow an array of crops that would eventually make the area well known for its agriculture.
Eventually there were many berry growers, fruit and vegetable truck gardeners, nut farmers and nurserymen. There were dairymen and cattle ranchers as well.
I'm not sure about all this -- there is rumored to be an historic downtown but all I see are highways and strip malls. When it's clear, I can see Glorious Mt. Hood -- but only from the highway.
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