
- The first important Swedish settlements in Oregon
was in Powell Valley, fourteen miles east of Portland. Large numbers of Swedes
also lived in Astoria, The Dalles, Florence, Mist, Warren, Colton, Ione, Coos
Bay, Junction City and Portland.
- Swedes developed several successfull orchards
in Oregon, the most important of which was Melrose Orchards near Roseburg.
Others were located in Newhem, Elida and Outlook in Clackamas County.
- The Lutheran Church was
established when Augustana began mission work among the Swedes in 1879. The
Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church of Portland was founded on December
28, 1879.
- The Heceta Head Lighthouse on U.S. Highway 101
was built by a crew of Swedish carpenters between 1892 and 1894. Swedes operated
and maintained this lighthouse as well as most of the lighthouses along the
Oregon’s coast.
- The Ross Island, St. Johns and Burnside bridges
in Portland were built by local Swedish contractors employing Swedish laborers.
Also some bridges of the Oregon Coastal highway were built by Swedish laborers.
- Emanuel Hospital & Health Center was founded
in 1912 by Rev. Carl J. Renhard of Immanuel Lutheran Church. He was born in
Småland, Sweden and came to the United States at the age of ten.
- The Pittock Mansion in Portland is a showcase
of Swedish craftsmanship. In the first floor library there is an intricately
detailed wood carving above the fireplace, depicting the family crest, hand
executed by William G. Lingenberg, one of Portland’s Swedish leading craftsmen.
On the second floor is ornate hand-carved Victorian walnut furniture made
in the 1880s by Daniel Wennerberg, a prominent Swedish cabinetmaker.