During World War II, Vanport served as a federal housing project mainly for Kaiser shipyard workers and their families. By 1943, the population peaked at about 40,000 people, making it the second largest city in Oregon at the time. Located in what is now the Kenton neighborhood, Vanport was washed away in a flood on May 30, 1948, displacing approximately 18,500 residents and killing at least 15 people.
Today, all that remains are the memories of the survivors and their families, and a small piece of concrete foundation from the original Vanport movie theater.
In order to honor all those who lived and worked here, volunteers have initiated a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization named the Vanport Placemarking Project (VPP). The goals of VPP are to mark significant physical locations of the historic Vanport site to provide a place for people to learn, connect, and share stories and memories of Vanport.
To discover more about the VPP, please visit vanportplaces.org.