Community > Funerals and Burial Sites
Funerals and Burial Sites
View of Rose City Cemetery. Photograph courtesy of Steve Schreiber.
Many Volga Germans, both those born in Russia and their descendants, were buried at the Rose City Cemetery on NE Fremont Street. Rose City Cemetery was founded in the early 1900s; the first burial was in 1906. The cemetery has been privately owned for its entire history (as of Sept. 2019).
Given that the Volga Germans began arriving in Portland in 1881, other burial sites such as the Lone Fir Cemetery (established 1855), the Columbian Cemetery (established 1857), and the River View Cemetery (established 1882) were the primary options for the early pioneers.
The first burial at the Lone Fir Cemetery occurred in 1846 on privately owned land in a rural setting. The land was later platted as Mount Crawford Cemetery in 1855. At the time, Portland existed only on the west side of the river. Because of marshy ground, the city closed graveyards at Ankeny and Front, Washington and Stark at 10th, and Burnside at 11th. Many bodies were then re-interred at Mount Crawford. Mount Crawford was renamed Lone Fir in 1866 for the once solitary tree in its northwest corner. (It’s still standing.) The cemetery is located at Southeast 26th Avenue and Southeast Washington Street. Some of the earliest Volga German pioneers are buried here.
The Columbian Cemetery (now the Historic Columbian Cemetery) was founded in 1857 and is now a patch of land that falls within the Interstate Cultural Boundary and underneath the I-5 overpass at 1151 N. Columbia Blvd. The website (accessed March 2020) states the following:
The Columbian pioneer cemetery located a mile south of the Columbia River has been the resting place for people from all class levels and ethnic groups, well-known and everyday citizens from the North Portland area since 1857. The cemetery was initially named the Love Cemetery after Captain Lewis Love, one of the first early settlers who lived on the property and made his money rafting logs to Portland. Many notable people in Portland are buried here, including founding fathers, pioneers who arrived along the Oregon Trail and freed slaves. It is a treasure trove of Portland history.
The River View Cemetery was established in 1882 by a group of Portland families who organized a mutually owned non-profit cemetery for their loved ones. The organizers were leaders in the community, and many streets and buildings carry their names today, including Corbett, Ladd, Failing, Benson, Terwilliger, and Pittock, to name a few. River View became one of the primary cemeteries for the growing riverfront town of Portland.
It was common up to the 1920s to have the deceased person's body brought in a coffin to the home and placed on open display in the living room for family and friends to view. Pallbearers would then carry the coffin to the church for the funeral service. Following the funeral service, the body would be transported to the burial site at a local cemetery.
Holding the funeral service at a private chapel became more common later. Mortuary and funeral services were often provided by Pearson Mortuary and Ross Hollywood Chapel.
Following the afternoon cemetery burial, it was common to have a late afternoon reception for family and friends at the deceased person's church.
Given that the Volga Germans began arriving in Portland in 1881, other burial sites such as the Lone Fir Cemetery (established 1855), the Columbian Cemetery (established 1857), and the River View Cemetery (established 1882) were the primary options for the early pioneers.
The first burial at the Lone Fir Cemetery occurred in 1846 on privately owned land in a rural setting. The land was later platted as Mount Crawford Cemetery in 1855. At the time, Portland existed only on the west side of the river. Because of marshy ground, the city closed graveyards at Ankeny and Front, Washington and Stark at 10th, and Burnside at 11th. Many bodies were then re-interred at Mount Crawford. Mount Crawford was renamed Lone Fir in 1866 for the once solitary tree in its northwest corner. (It’s still standing.) The cemetery is located at Southeast 26th Avenue and Southeast Washington Street. Some of the earliest Volga German pioneers are buried here.
The Columbian Cemetery (now the Historic Columbian Cemetery) was founded in 1857 and is now a patch of land that falls within the Interstate Cultural Boundary and underneath the I-5 overpass at 1151 N. Columbia Blvd. The website (accessed March 2020) states the following:
The Columbian pioneer cemetery located a mile south of the Columbia River has been the resting place for people from all class levels and ethnic groups, well-known and everyday citizens from the North Portland area since 1857. The cemetery was initially named the Love Cemetery after Captain Lewis Love, one of the first early settlers who lived on the property and made his money rafting logs to Portland. Many notable people in Portland are buried here, including founding fathers, pioneers who arrived along the Oregon Trail and freed slaves. It is a treasure trove of Portland history.
The River View Cemetery was established in 1882 by a group of Portland families who organized a mutually owned non-profit cemetery for their loved ones. The organizers were leaders in the community, and many streets and buildings carry their names today, including Corbett, Ladd, Failing, Benson, Terwilliger, and Pittock, to name a few. River View became one of the primary cemeteries for the growing riverfront town of Portland.
It was common up to the 1920s to have the deceased person's body brought in a coffin to the home and placed on open display in the living room for family and friends to view. Pallbearers would then carry the coffin to the church for the funeral service. Following the funeral service, the body would be transported to the burial site at a local cemetery.
Holding the funeral service at a private chapel became more common later. Mortuary and funeral services were often provided by Pearson Mortuary and Ross Hollywood Chapel.
Following the afternoon cemetery burial, it was common to have a late afternoon reception for family and friends at the deceased person's church.
Sources
Lone Fir Cemetery Website
Historic Columbian Cemetery Website
Rose City Cemetery and Funeral Home Website
Haynes, Emma S. My Mother's People. N.p.: 1959. Print.
Historic Columbian Cemetery Website
Rose City Cemetery and Funeral Home Website
Haynes, Emma S. My Mother's People. N.p.: 1959. Print.
Last updated October 21, 2023