If you live in Mt. Tabor, you probably know that your local park sits on top of an extinct volcano. Portland is one of only a small handful of American cities with a volcano inside its city limits.
The Interesting History of Mt. Tabor
Mt. Tabor Park became part of the city’s park system in the early 1900s, when Portland’s east side was growing fast and the Parks Department was looking for green space to set aside. Landscape architect John C. Olmsted was brought in to consult on the design, and longtime Portland Parks Superintendent Emanuel Mische shaped much of what you see today.
The volcanic history of the park wasn’t even confirmed until years after it opened. A road crew working in the park found volcanic cinders while grading a path, which is when Portlanders realized the hill they’d been picnicking on for years was actually an old cinder cone. Those cinders were put to use paving some of the park’s own walkways — so if you’ve walked the trails, you’ve technically walked on lava rock from Mt. Tabor itself.
The park was also home to four open-air reservoirs, built between the 1890s and 1911, which supplied drinking water to Portland residents for decades before being decommissioned. Three of them are still there today, giving the park its distinctive look and serving as a scenic backdrop rather than a water source.
What This Means for Your House
Living a few blocks from nearly 200 acres of forest, trails, and open reservoirs is a huge part of what makes Mt. Tabor desirable, but it also means your home works a little harder than a house in a more paved-over part of the city. Homes near the park tend to deal with more of the things a big tree canopy and hillside trails bring with them:
Tracked-in dirt and leaf debris, seasonal pollen and fir needles, higher humidity and moisture, and dust buildup on window ledges and porches.
Essential Cleaning can help keep the house in tip top shape. Entryways, floors, and window sills near a green space like Mt. Tabor benefit from more frequent attention than they would in a neighborhood without a forested volcano next door.
Many of our customers schedule their cleanings around stuff they like to do, like hiking and exploring Mt. Tabor! Essential Cleaning is available for hire so you don’t have to clean your house when you get home from your adventure! Call us at 503-676-4656 or visit us at http://essentialcleaningpdx.com