Conrad George Helzer
Conrad George Helzer was born in Denver, Colorado, on July 25, 1908, the son of Johann Jacob Hölzer (known as John Helzer) and Elisabeth Burbach, both of whom were born in Norka, Russia. Elisabeth, her youngest daughter, Catharina, and John's sister, Catharina, immigrated to the United States, arriving in Galveston, Texas, on July 1, 1907. They were bound for Denver (via Portland), where John was living. He immigrated to the United States sometime beforehand.
By 1910, John, Elisabeth, and their two children had relocated to Portland. There were more children born in Portland: Pauline, John, Jr., and Roy. It appears that John, Sr. died sometime before the 1920 U.S. Census.
At the time of the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Censuses, George lived with his mother, siblings, and stepfather, George Freas (Fries), in the Sylvan area on Scholls Ferry Road.
On August 19, 1934, George married Mary Pauline Barnes. He worked in Tigard as a meat cutter at the time, and she was a stenographer.
George and Mary settled in Oregon City. In 1940, George owned a meat market located at 802 Main Street. George and Mary became the parents of two children, Richard (1939) and Marianne (1943).
Mary died on October 12, 1949. Her obituary, published in The Sunday Oregonian on November 13, 1949, states that she is the "wife of George Helzer, prominent Oregon City businessman."
By the time of the 1950 U.S. Census, George was operating his own grocery and meat market and had become a community leader. Helzer's Super Market was located at 1501 Washington Street in downtown Oregon City.
George served as an Oregon City Commissioner in 1954 when a contract was awarded to James & Yost, Inc. to construct a new Oregon City Municipal Passenger Elevator. The new elevator was dedicated on May 5, 1955, and was described as "ultra-modernistic" in newspaper articles at the time. It is a vertical street connecting the city's lower and upper areas.
Subsequent to the successful completion of the elevator, George served as the Mayor of Oregon City from 1957 to 1958. George lived at 901 Center Street, a few blocks from the elevator's top floor.
A widower with two young children, George married Doris Esther Haag on August 13, 1954, in Los Angeles.
Conrad George Helzer died on April 1, 1959, and was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oregon City. After George's death, Helzer's Super Market was sold to the Danielson family and operated as Danielson's Thriftway for many years. The site is now home to the Providence Willamette Falls Community Center.
George's mother, Elisabeth, died in Portland in 1969 and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery.
The Oregon City Municipal Elevator was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County on May 15, 2014.
At the time of the 1920 and 1930 U.S. Censuses, George lived with his mother, siblings, and stepfather, George Freas (Fries), in the Sylvan area on Scholls Ferry Road.
On August 19, 1934, George married Mary Pauline Barnes. He worked in Tigard as a meat cutter at the time, and she was a stenographer.
George and Mary settled in Oregon City. In 1940, George owned a meat market located at 802 Main Street. George and Mary became the parents of two children, Richard (1939) and Marianne (1943).
Mary died on October 12, 1949. Her obituary, published in The Sunday Oregonian on November 13, 1949, states that she is the "wife of George Helzer, prominent Oregon City businessman."
By the time of the 1950 U.S. Census, George was operating his own grocery and meat market and had become a community leader. Helzer's Super Market was located at 1501 Washington Street in downtown Oregon City.
George served as an Oregon City Commissioner in 1954 when a contract was awarded to James & Yost, Inc. to construct a new Oregon City Municipal Passenger Elevator. The new elevator was dedicated on May 5, 1955, and was described as "ultra-modernistic" in newspaper articles at the time. It is a vertical street connecting the city's lower and upper areas.
Subsequent to the successful completion of the elevator, George served as the Mayor of Oregon City from 1957 to 1958. George lived at 901 Center Street, a few blocks from the elevator's top floor.
A widower with two young children, George married Doris Esther Haag on August 13, 1954, in Los Angeles.
Conrad George Helzer died on April 1, 1959, and was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oregon City. After George's death, Helzer's Super Market was sold to the Danielson family and operated as Danielson's Thriftway for many years. The site is now home to the Providence Willamette Falls Community Center.
George's mother, Elisabeth, died in Portland in 1969 and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery.
The Oregon City Municipal Elevator was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County on May 15, 2014.
Plaque commemorating the 1954 Oregon City Municipal Passenger Elevator shows C. Georg Helzer as a City Commissioner. Source: Steve Schreiber.
The new Oregon City Municipal Elevator during construction, 1954/1955. Source: spiritofhistoryoregoncity.weebly.com.
Sources
U.S. Census Records, Oregon City Directories, Oregon birth, marriage, and death records - Ancestry.com
List of Mayors of Oregon City, Oregon (accessed June 25, 2026)
Find-A-Grave
"Danielson family will leave the grocery business but not Oregon City," OregonLive, January 28, 2010. Accessed June 25, 2026.
List of Mayors of Oregon City, Oregon (accessed June 25, 2026)
Find-A-Grave
"Danielson family will leave the grocery business but not Oregon City," OregonLive, January 28, 2010. Accessed June 25, 2026.
Last updated June 27, 2026