Book of congratulatory pigeongrams sent for Burnside Bridge opening
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of a small bound volume containing 11 "pigeongrams" (messages delivered by pigeon) offering congratulations on the opening of the new Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Seven of the pigeongrams are addressed to Portland Mayor George L. Baker, while the other four are addressed to Oregon Governor Walter M. Pierce. Officials sending the pigeongrams include San Francisco, California, Mayor James Rolph, Jr.; Washington Governor Roland H. Hartley; Tacoma, Washington, Mayor A. V. Fawcett; Spokane, Washington, Mayor C. A. Fleming; and Seattle, Washington, Mayor E. J. Brown. The pigeongrams are dated from May 22, 1926, through May 27, 1926.
Dates
- 1926 May
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Historical Note
In 1922, voters of Portland, Oregon, approved a bond to build a new bridge at Burnside Street, which would be more suitable for automobile traffic and would replace a previous bridge that had opened in 1894. In 1924, the new bridge's construction erupted in scandal upon revelations that Multnomah County commissioners had awarded the contract to a firm that had bid $500,000 above the lowest bid. As a result of public outcry, three county commissioners were ousted from office in a May 1924 recall election and indicted; that July, the contract was awarded to the Pacific Bridge Company, and demolition of the old bridge began.
The new Burnside Bridge was dedicated on May 28, 1926. Portland Mayor George L. Baker (1868-1941) and Oregon Governor Walter M. Pierce (1861-1954) attended the dedication. As of 2022, the bridge was still operational.
Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1922-1926 and April 16, 1984.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Bound volume of "pigeongrams" (messages sent by pigeon) from political figures, congratulating Portland Mayor George L. Baker and Oregon Governor Walter M. Pierce on the opening of the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon. The Burnside Bridge opened in May 1926, replacing an older bridge of the same name from the 1890s, and was still operational in 2022.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Title Wave Bookstore, October 1995 (Lib. Acc. 25107).
- Title
- Guide to book of congratulatory pigeongrams sent for Burnside Bridge opening
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org