The public housing project Vanport was destroyed at 4:05 P.M. on Sunday
May 30,1948, when a 200-foot section of a dike holding back the Columbia
River collapsed during a flood, killing 15 people. Oregon’s second largest
city vanished in a day. The area is currently the site of Delta Park and the Portland International Raceway north of the city of Portland.

The city of Vanport in 1943

Mel Blanc at KGW radio in Portland, Oregon

Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc (Blank) (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989)

Nicknamed The Man with a Thousand Voices, Mel Blanc brought life to lovable
cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and Daffy Duck
as a voice actor. He changed the spelling of his last name after a rude comment
made by his high school teacher. Blanc began his radio career at the age of 19
when in 1927 he debuted as a voice actor on the KGW program The Hoot Owls
in Portland, Oregon.

The Kingsmen’s recording of “Louis Louie” was released in May 1963, initially
issued on the Jerden label, before being picked up by Wand Records and
released by them in October 1963. It entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot
100 chart for December 7, and peaked at number two the following week, a
spot which it held for six weeks. it remained in the top 10 through December
and January before dropping off in early February. In total, The Kingsmen’s
version of the Richard Berry song, which was recorded in Portland, Oregon,
spent 16 weeks on the Hot 100.

Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce in Portland, Oregon)

Singer, dancer, and actress Jane Powell is still active in television
and theater.