Oregonian file photo

The historic Memorial Day weekend flood of 1948 wiped the city of Vanport off the map. When a makeshift dike cracked, waters from Smith Lake poured into the community, reducing what had been the state's second-largest city during its World War II peak to rubble. More than 18,500 people lost their homes.

The destruction of Vanport was so cataclysmic that it has long overshadowed flooding that occurred throughout the metro area. More than 650 blocks of Portland were swamped by the flood, and the region suffered more than $100 million in damage from the flood -- a staggering amount at the time.

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As the Willamette River continued to rise, workers scrambled to construct a wall of 20,000 sandbags along the sea wall along what now is Tom McCall Waterfront Park. While those efforts helped protect downtown, the area around Union Station and much of the industrial eastside between the river and Southeast Grand Avenue were engulfed in water.

Recently, The Oregonian/OregonLive came across a series of never-published snapshots that show the extent of the damage in Portland from the 1948 flood. They include notable city landmarks surrounded by floodwaters caused by the swollen Willamette and Columbia rivers. The photos were found in a box along with photos taken by longtime Portland resident Bob Delozier, who was born here in 1927. The photos were simply labeled "Flood, May '48." Because Delozier passed away in 2008, it's unclear whether the photos were taken by him or someone else.

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A wall of 20,000 sandbags protected parts of downtown Portland. But more than 650 city blocks still saw flood damage.

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This photo, taken from the industrial eastside, shows the Steel Bridge surrounded by the rising Willamette River, which reached the bridge's lower deck. In the distance, you can see the tower of Union Station.

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Workers shovel sand to build a temporary dike around Union Station, which was a key transportation hub for the city in 1948.

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Efforts to prevent the flooding of Union Station weren't enough. Water from the swollen Willamette River inundated the station and the surrounding railyard in the wake of the historic flood of 1948.

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The view of Swan Island's shipyards.

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Another view of Swan Island's shipyards.

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More on historic 1948 flood

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More Portland history

If you're hungry for more of Portland's past, you're in luck:

-- Grant Butler

gbutler@oregonian.com

503-221-8566; @grantbutler

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