Photos: The Oregonian archive

Portland was very wet 125 years ago this month.

The Willamette River reached its highest recorded point -- 33 feet -- in June 1894, thanks to persistent heavy rain and snow runoff.

This combination washed out a hundred miles of train tracks and dunked downtown Portland under water. It also left two drawbridges stuck open, cutting off east Portland from the west part of town.

People downtown built precarious raised wooden walkways to keep commerce alive, but the best way to get around the streets was by boat. The disaster eventually led to serious flood-control works to be undertaken in the city.

The event was so catastrophic that one local business put together a souvenir booklet commemorating it. Take a look at the booklet’s photos below.

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Dave Killen

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-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

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