Community

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Community

A community is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. It is also a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

The community of Volga Germans initially lived in the same area of Portland, once known as Little Russia, and and built their own churches, businesses and sense of commonality. The initial isolation gave way to becoming an integral part of the larger Portland community. Their participation in local schools and sports teams and their work for local employers, resulted in a process of gradual assimilation into American society.

Emma Schwabenland Haynes describes the early Albina community in her unpublished manuscript titled My Mother's People:

"In the 1890's there was a tremendous difference in the appearance of the residential district around present-day Union Avenue. When grandfather bought his lot, all of the land east of 7th Avenue was still covered with forests; and although the trees had been cut down at the corner of Morris Street, he had to pull out the remaining stumps before he could begin to build his home. For the next ten years it was unnecessary for him to spend a single cent on fuel, because he and his boys could cut down all the trees that they needed in the lots across the street. The logs would then be piled up until they were dry enough to be used."

The layered map below shows the primary settlement area of the Volga Germans and places of significance including churches, businesses, cemeteries and the residences of the early pioneers.

Last updated February 16, 2018.