Most of the bridges are located in the downtown area and serve to connect the east and west sides of the city, where they are divided by the Willamette River. The St. Johns Bridge, however, is located further north and connects Northwestern Portland to North Portland.
The bridge was completed in 1931 and, as far as I know, it's the only suspension bridge in Portland.
Cathedral Park is located directly under the bridge on the St. Johns side and the park gets its name because the bridge's support structures look like gothic arches.
It's actually a little eerie when you stand under the arches, but things really get creepy when you're told about Thelma Taylor. The story has it that Thelma was a teenager back in the late 40s who lived in the area. One summer afternoon she went out to wait for one of the berry picking trucks to give her a ride so she could earn some extra money...little did anyone know that this would be the last time her friends and family saw her alive.
Thelma was found days later brutally beaten, bound, and left for dead under the St. Johns bridge. And the story has it that, up until this day, you can still hear the sounds of her screams on a warm summer night. Some go as far to say that the police are regularly called out there during the summer but never find anything.
Of course, I'm a complete sucker for these things and while we didn't hear any screams that day, I must admit that Cathedral Park is definitely worth checking out. Seeing a giant suspension bridge from that angle is truly impressive. Plus you can get a good breakfast at Our Daily Bread located just across the street.
If you're really into the Ghosts of Portland, definitely drop by the Ghosts of North Portland website, there's some great local lore there.
April 20, 2023
comments powered by Disqus
