Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
24 HISTORIC KENTON: PAUL
BUNYAN TERRITORY
BOUNDARIES: N. Columbia Blvd., I-5, N. Chautauqua Blvd., N. Lombard St.
DISTANCE: 1 mile
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PARKING: Free street parking
PUBLIC TRANSIT: TriMet MAX Yellow Line (Kenton/N. Denver Station)
Historic Kenton is a funky little out-of-the-way part of town that has a no-nonsense,
totally unpretentious center and an interesting past. Kenton began as a company town
in 1911, founded by the Swift Meat Packing Company. These days it might be best
known as the home of former Portland Mayor Sam Adams. The area has benefited re-
cently from a $2.85 million “greenscaping” and revitalization program courtesy of the
Portland Development Commission and the city's Bureau of Transportation. New
businesses and shopfronts have been moving in, and young barflies have been known
to travel from the depths of Southeast Portland to see indie bands play at Kenton wa-
tering holes. Plus it has its own branch of the Portland Farmers Market now (at North
Denver Avenue and McClellan Street). Kenton's most famous landmark (despite the
charming bravado of the World Famous Kenton Club) is the giant Paul Bunyan statue
at the intersection of North Interstate and Denver Avenues, near the MAX station; it's
a relic from the Oregon Centennial celebrations in Kenton in 1959.
Start at the Kenton/N. Denver MAX Station and walk across N. Inter-
state Ave. to the giant Paul Bunyan lumberjack statue. He's 35 feet tall
and was put here in 1959 to welcome folks who came to Portland for the
Oregon Centennial Exposition, but now he serves primarily to set an ex-
ample for fashion trends among the young men of the Portland area.
(Just kidding. Mostly.)
Follow N. Denver Ave. straight (southwest), then cross N. Willis Blvd.,
heading right (west). Walk about halfway down the block, and on your
left you'll find Salvage Works, which now shares its space with Solabee
Flowers and the very cool former pop-up shop Boys Fort. Salvage Works
has all kinds of vintage building materials, and Boys Fort is sort of a
shop for grown-up Eagle Scouts, a hodgepodge of the kind of knick-
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