In this series, Street Roots looks back at the history and diverse voices of Old Town Portland.
Street Roots reflects on some of the characters that made Old Town what it was – and is today
A snapshot of a few blocks of Portland’s past
Cultural resistance – through graphic design, cartoons and songs – was one of the Wobblies’ most effective tools
Portland’s Old Town is well known as Chinatown, but in the late 1800s through 1942, a number of blocks made up Nihonmachi, the largest Japantown in Oregon
In the early 1900s, the publication was a way for Japanese immigrants to stay connected
One was a society woman, the other a prostitute. Together, their stories show what it was like to be an African-American woman in Old Town.
Sex has always sold well, and it’s been business as usual in Old Town for at least 150 years
Stark Street was once the heart of LGBTQ+ culture, but now ‘we can go anywhere,’ says Walter Cole, better known as the legendary drag queen Darcelle XV
A series of drawings depicts the history of Portland's oldest neighborhood
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