Taylor Grandi

FRINQ
South Portland
November 13, 2014
South Portland 1900 - 1920
Portland was an up and coming city. Competing with San Francisco and Seattle on the
west while trying to perceive has even greater and newer than New York and Chicago.. Within a
40 year period Portland had doubled at the very least. (Portland: In Three Centuries) Portland
was from, what we now know as the University City to the Pearl District and the now Lloyd area
to Goose Hollow. All these areas expressing different ethnic groups and different classes. The
neighborhood that was most memorable and interesting is South Portland. (Portland: In Three
Centuries) In 1900 South was seen and known as the Jewish and Italian land. These groups
were placed here by discrimination and yet it was an area seen as highly active and higher than
most outer suburbs for it was so close to the center of Portland. (Portland: In Three Centuries)
When the Jews and Italians emigrated here to the U.S. it was for government reasons,
resources, and family. In 1900 - 1910 there was a large flux for both of these ethnic groups and
I will tell you why and how they created a home of their own in South Portland.
The twentieth century was a progressive time in all aspects; railroads, shipyards,
discrimination, and population. Portland was becoming a lead in many areas. Logging was one
of them and with that brought skilled workers. From Russia and Germany, Jews came to build a
home and life with the skills they had found in Europe. Portland was a major draw for they had a
growing lumber work. Here they created homes for their families and and community groups to
unite the race as a whole. (William Toll pg. 371) In 1890 - 1920 the Ku Klux Klan had increased
in the U.S. and began to push the Jews out of Portland and this is essentially a key component
to why the Jews ended in the South. They weren't the only ones though.

Majority of Italians came from Sicily and South Italy. (Charles Gould pg. 239) The largest
influx was during 1880 to World War 1 and peaked in 1902 - 1914. (Charles Gould pg. 239) One
of the main reasons for this in flux was that the Italian government was trying to push the
Malthusian Theory onto the citizens especially in the South. (Charles Gould) This push made
the U.S. look more desirable for we had more unused resources. The Italians were also a labor
pool that America desired. (Charles Gould pg.240) Shipping companies in or from Italy was the
biggest want for America since in the World War 1 brought a large need and industry to them for
ships. This was not the reason for Portland or Oregon of why they came. They came for the
railroads and eventually it was the farming land that had them staying in Oregon. (Charles
Gould pg. 240 and 242) Portland Itself had more than enough resources to get Italians on their
feet and make them successful. Looking at the causes of why these two came to Portland is
apparent but the effect that they had on Portland is even more apparent now and you can see
every where.
Shuttock School and Failing School was South Portlands community schools. Failing
was lower south then Shuttock and was dominated by Jewish children. Forty percent where
Jewish and only seventeen percent were Italian. Shuttock on the other hand was less
dominated by Jews yet Italians fell to only eight percent. (William Toll pg. 175) The effect on the
schools were incredible but the actual difference in the amount of children throughout South
Portland was even greater. In 1900 there were 28 Italian children and 245 Jewish children.
Within ten years, 1910, the numbers almost tripled with both, 344 Italians and 685 Jewish.
(William Toll, Table 1) When looking at William Tolls table 1 in Ethnicity and Stability paper we
can conclude that the population flux really relied on the Jewish children and the large number
they are. Table 1 comes in hand with much of this topic. Not only were the numbers of the
children a large effect to the population influx but so was the number of single men.
The immigration was large but Italian men were the most likely to come over then Jews.
This was for most Italian men thanks to the government push back in Italy were single and over

here for a family or they were brought over for the resources. (Charles Gould) In 1910 there was
only 2 single Italians and 1 Jewish. The majority of single Italians were in other parts of Portland
but in 1910 this took a turn, 245 single Italians with only 49 single Jews. (William Toll, Table 1)
With the community groups that the Jews created it was more of a draw for families than
individuals. (William Toll) But with so many opportunities and being recruited over, in a sense, it
was more of a draw for individual Italians and not couples or families. (Charles Gould)
The Portland Hotel was owned and co founded by a single Italian man and became a
very successful part of Portland. This was a start and welcoming to the Italians to create their
own business and what ultimately drew then to Portland. (Charles Gould) A lot of South
Portland became Italian shops and restaurants. (William Toll Ethnicity and Stability) What we
can conclude with the success of the Portland hotel is this inspired the Italians to step out of
comfort and try something new. With the KKK coming into a more powerful possession and
pushing them to the south this made the south great for up and coming business and through
this the Italians created a city of their own and dominating over the Jews (William Toll) Most
Jews found work outside and some came as higher class from Europe such as judges, priests,
even government officials. (John Logan 1939)
A lot of Jews found their work outside of the south and more throughout Portland but
because they were pushed out of the main city they found their home in the south with the
Italians. The only real effect the Jews placed was the large amount of children that they had
and brought over from Russia and Germany.This made their future population and imprint on
the South a lot more rememberable.
Italian and Jews were the soul to our now Portland State campus. They were the makers
of Shuttock and they are a city buried underneath us. They came for a solid start and freedom
everyone was promised. They came for multiple reasons that a lot of out of state student
understand, family. Portland became a home and a welcome land for many but the flux and
influence these two ethnics had became something no one should forget.