70th Anniversary of the Columbia River Dike Failure

Abstract Only - During World War II, Vanport, OR was a hurriedly constructed for wartime housing on a diked section of the Columbia River floodplain North of Portland, Oregon and across the river from Vancouver, Washington. At its peak, 40, 000 people lived in the city. By 1948, the population had decreased to about 18,500; however, returning veterans were beginning to repopulate the area. At 4:05 PM on May 30, 1948, a section of the dike collapsed on May 30, 1948, killing 15 people. The entire city was underwater within hours. The dike failure at Vanport was one of many significant events that occurred during the 1948 floods. The floods prompted extensive dam and levee construction throughout the Columbia River drainage in the following years. After the flood, no reconstruction took place. Delta Park and the Portland International Raceway now occupy the site.