Address: 600 SE 26th Ave
Pricing: Free
Phone: (503) 224-9200
Hours: Open 7 days a week until sundown
How To Get There:
From downtown Portland:
1. Take Burnside Bridge
2. Turn right at the 1st cross street onto SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
3. Turn left at SE Stark St
4. Turn right at SE 26th Ave
By public transit:
From downtown Portland, take TriMet routes #15 or #20.
Parking:Street parking is available
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Lone Fir Cemetery: A reflective journey through Portland’s past
Jun 13, 2010
Lone Fir Cemetery gives visitors a chance to see Portland’s past residents from major businessman and former mayors to the everyday citizen. Cemeteries are not only places for thought and reflection of those who have passed away, but the great ones a glimpse inside the storied history of a city.
Similar to Pere Lachaise in Paris, the Lone Fir serves not only as a cemetery for city residents, but also as a landmark for Portland history. Those who grace its grounds combine much of what helped to create Portland as well as what makes the city what it is today.
Located just north of the Belmont neighborhood, Lone Fire Cemetery is a great visit for both visitors and long-time Portland residents. The cemetery offers an amazing amount of history being that it is older than Portland itself, stretching all the way back to 1846. It is one of 14 pioneer cemeteries that are maintained around Multnomah county.
The Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery describe it as reading “like a history book on many levels, from pre-settlement days to the waves of pioneer settlement, industrial development, social structure, more waves of immigrants of all sorts, masons, woodsmen of the world.”
The grounds are beautifully maintained and provide a view of both old and contemporary grave stones and monuments. Walking through the grounds, you feel at peace and honored to see the gravestones.
One of the highlights of a trip to Lone Fir is its Rose Garden. Founded in 1936, it brings a unique touch of beauty to the park. Many of the graves are also adorned with both roses, rose bushes and other flowers. These beautiful adornments add to the sense that this truly a home for Portland history.
Like most larger cemeteries, it can be hard for visitors to find the important graves and learn the history of Lone Fir. The second Saturday of each month there is a guided tour which will give you the story behind this wonderful landmark.
Lone Fir Cemetery is a great spot for walking among Portland’s history. With tall trees, ornate gravestones, and a ton of stories waiting to be told, it makes for a educational journey into Portland’s past.
HelloPortland Tip: Looking for a spooky Halloween adventure? The cemetery offers the Tour of Untimely Departures, a fun and festive guided tour through Lone Fir.
- by William Crane, Portland Reporter for HelloMetro
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William CraneWilliam Crane is an accomplished print and online journalist (http://www.william-crane.com) His work covers a variety of topics including features, local community news, sports, music, and political/social issues.
Graduating from Seattle University with a B.A. in Journalism, William's writing has appeared in a variety of different publications including the Stranger, Capitol Hill Times, the Skanner, Backfire Magazine, and the Internationalist.
