History of Rose City :)

History of Rose City

Do you know what Rose City is? It's Portland's nickname. Portland has been known as "The City of Roses" with many rose gardens. Portland is the largest city between San Francisco and Seattle. The major industries are tourism, high tech (the Silicon Forest is a nickname too), health care, and manufacturing. I was a little surprised when I knew that the sister city is Sapporo, Japan. Through the Portland trip (November, 18-21, 2010), I could learn this city's history, especially about the exploration by Lewis and Clark, Dr. John McLoughlin, and the sad story of Japanese-Americans.

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center was a really interesting museum, because there we could touch exhibits, such as a rifle, a canoe, and the real skins of two animals. First, I had a big rifle. The rifle was much heavier than I expected. It's very hard for me just to keep it in my arm. I couldn't imagine, moreover, hunters like Lewis and Clark had shot at some wild animals. The shot was also heavy, and I felt as if someone had made a hole in my stomach. It's a uncomfortable and strange experience. Next, I rode a canoe. The canoe was smaller than I expected. It's impossible to ride on it in a row. While I was riding it, I could understand how difficult it would be to sail angry waves with such a small canoe. It might be a hardship for crews. Finally, I touched a beaver's skin and an otter's skin. Both of them were soft and comfortable. I'm so sorry for these two animals, but actually these were necessary things to live in a land of severe cold. It might be really helpful to protect them from the severe cold. Through such valuable experiences, I could imagine the exploration by Lewis and Clark.

Visiting McLoughlin House was so exciting and helpful to know about Dr. John McLoughlin and his family. Mr. McLoughlin was famous because he helped travelers on the Oregon Trail by providing supplies for settlers during their first winter. I had known that fact before I visited his house, so I thought he was such a kind gentleman. I don't know actually how his character was, but his face which I saw from a photo was too scary, and I couldn't imagine his great job for travelers. In addition, his looks were like a Japanese 'sumo'. It's easy to understand how big he was. There were six people in his family; Mrs. McLoughlin, two daughters, and two sons. Mrs. McLoughlin was a fat woman, but on the other hand, her daughters were skinny. It's kind of funny. I could guess Mrs. McLoughlin's hobby was sewing, because there was a nice sewing room. There were a fire place and a keyboard. These things show she had been sewing while enjoying listening to music in a warm place. It sounds good. The time period when the McLoughlin family had lived was kind of hard, (because there was no electricity), but as I saw their house, they had lived a comfortable life comparatively.

The Japanese-American Memorial was different from what I thought. It's more simple than the memorials I saw during the East coast trip. However, it was also an irreplaceable memorial. The place was so quiet that the space was away from a noisy environment. The thirteen stone markers made their presence felt all the time. I found many great poems in both English and Japanese. For example, 'Sure, I go to school same as you. I'm an American', 'Our young men and women joined the army too. They are proud to be American.' Through these poems I felt their strong love for their family and Japan and sadness against a loss because of WWⅡ. I was surprised at the fact it was forty-three years later the US government made a declaration for an apology to them. I think it took too much time. After I visited the Japanese-American Memorial I thought deeply about peace. We must never repeat such a terrible war. The thirteen commemorative stone markers told me the sad history.

I had a memorable time in Portland which is known as Rose City. Every experience; to learn the exploration by Lewis and Clark at the Columbia George Discovery Center, to visit the McLoughlin house, and to read many moving poems at the Japanese-American Memorial were important for me to understand the history. I really enjoyed this trip, and if I have a chance, I'd like to go there again with my family. ;)