If it is necessary to bring in large numbers of Negro workers, locate them on the edge of the city. . . It would be much better for all concerned. If they are allowed to fan out through the city it soon will [be] necessary to station a policeman on every corner.
President of the Central East Portland Community Club, 1942
At the war’s end, approximately 11,000 African Americans remained in Portland, nearly half of whom lived at the “temporary” city of Vanport. On May 30, 1948, a railroad dike at Vanport burst, and the flood waters of the Columbia inundated the city leaving nearly 17,000 people homeless. Although Portland received national recognition for severing the “color line” during rescue efforts, segregation patterns persisted. Schools and churches “strategically” located near Vanport provided refuge to the 5,000 Black flood victims and some people opened their homes.
Flood refugees of all colors registered with the Red Cross, and the agency dealt with the “negro dilemma” by insuring hotels and shelters provided space for African Americans. Guilds Lake reserved two hundred one-bedroom units for whites, and forty or fifty segregated single room and kitchen units for Blacks. As emergency shelters closed, the Jewish Neighborhood House and the VFW opened their doors until Swan Island and other public housing areas could accomodate displaced Vanporters.
