Resurrection

Some time ago I talked about the curious and somewhat dreary phenomenon of "abandoned" or orphan blogs; once gay and riotously convivial places whose owners, tenants, or lovers appeared to one day simply have walked away, leaving the lights on but nothing else.

From time to time I've come across these mysterious blogs and wondered; what happened? Lost job? Broken marriage? Simply lost interest? What? I never know; the blogs are simply artifacts without clues, riddles wrapped in enigmas, drifting endlessly in the Outer Rim of cyberspace.

The one blog in particular I discussed was one called, simply, D.D. Tinzeroes that had caught my eye because it spent some time on Portland history, a subject dearly treasured and laved with much adoration here in the Fire Direction Center.

Well!

It turns out that D.D. Tinzeroes was not dead! It was merely resting; pining for the fjords, the Norwegian Blue! Taking a bit of a nap, having the night off, merely biding its time!

Turns out that the blogger has, indeed, been busy, posting delightful bits of Northwest historiana, including more trolleys, trains, and streetcars as well as the top-rated urinals of the region and, lately, some priceless bits of the past pried from the World's Worst Newspaper, complete with commentary.

Here's my personal favorite, with the blogger's comments included:

"Arthur Davis, a negro who has frequently been sent to jail for roaming the streets after midnight, was tried and convicted in the police court yesterday on a charge of vagrancy. Davis, for months past, has been a hanger-on about some of the lowest dives at the lower end of town, among them a newly incorporated 5-cent all-round liquor establshment, and has made himself conspicuous by his general worthlessness. Davis pleaded that he one time washed a window, and on another occasion a floor. Judge Dement, in passing sentence, told David he had given him quite a number of opportunities to reform, and this time would allow him twenty-five days to debate and think over the subject. It cost Minnie Reynolds 10$ for acting in a disorderly manner and disturbing the neighbors on the vicinity of her residence Monday night. Officer Beach arrested her. She put up $10 bail, amd failing to appear for trial it was ordered into the city treasury."

-May 19 1886

["You are conspicuous by your general worthlessness."
"No! I washed a window, once."
"To see whether the saloon was open yet!"
"And a floor!"
"You were very drunk, and crawling in circles crying."]

Terrific stuff. So I'm pleased to report that D.D. Tinzeroes is NOT dead, but is, in fact, not just alive but very well.Pay a visit, leave a comment...let the blogger know you like his stuff, if indeed you do. That's all the pay we bloggers need.

And just so I can say that I did some bloggage...the appalling picture above is the "Coon Chicken Inn" that once occupied the site of "Clyde's Prime Rib" on NE Sandy.This fowl franchise - it was one of several outlets featuring the same racist trademark - opened here in 1931, lasted until the Fifties, and the original building appears to be in use today; the giant darkie-head has been decapitated and some sort of faux-medieval facade built over the other wing but the outline of the roof on the street side (the left as you look at the pictures) looks pretty much identical.I doubt whether the Inn would have welcomed any of Mr. Davis' descendents, seeing as it wasn't considered one of "the lowest dives at the lower end of town". We forget, now that we're "Little Beirut" the hipster capital of the Northwest how bloody ignorant and brutally racist we were just a generation or two ago.

The only black face the good citizens of white Portland wanted to see was on the front of the building winking.

So - a bit of Portland's scurrilous history for you, and while we're at it another shoutout to D.D. and his blog; long may their pixels phosphor!