I lived on that street in the old 2 story house on the last corner of 103rd back in the safe 70’s…. I knew every trail on that hill and my brother & I would sit on a bluff above the 104th street drive-in and watch the movies!! I’ve hiked it time & time again remembering those days that the hill was ours, as long as we didn’t go near the bunker!! I have never had a creepy feeling there….but in reality spirits can linger anywhere you go….😮 Great documentary on the place too! Nice work 👍😃
I have spent most of my life living between 122nd and 150th between Division and Powell. I have always wondered what was up there and why so many business's surrounding that area are either shuttered, run down or sketchy (not all but many) I knew about the underground reservoir but nothing else regarding its history. Thank yo very much for this detailed documentary and the second half with your description of the eeriness surrounding it. You sir, on one of the unsung heroes that You Tube has to offer. Best of luck in your future.
They probably don't want anyone up there because they don't want to attract rif raf, and they don't want to spend the money it would take to maintain it and install restrooms..
I grew up in forest grove and once I learned everything I could there history wise, my natural curiosity brought me into Portland where my moms family has been for generations. I now live in Lents, just south of Kelly Butte so I’ll have to check it out sometime. Lately I’ve been digging into Oregon City history, which is fascinating. Always loved the creepy, weird stories and trolling the vintage Portland website. Reading old books about the Portland mob. In the old days we’d have to go to the library and look at microfilm. Which is still available and is the BEST way to view history since the archives don’t change with the winds of politics and agendas. Newspapers, documents, court records always tell a different tale when viewed in black and white. We had a LOT of oddball history all over this country and especially around the Northwest that was still documented in the late 19th century. Much of our history has been forgotten. I still want to correlate native legends from local tribes like Celilo (whoever is left) and their oral stories with our western history and especially my own family’s history here. I’m especially fascinated with Mt Hood and Mt St Helens. Such awesome beauty!!!
You've been neighbors to my grandparents 🎉 They had a HUGE rhododendron bush in the front yard. We lived in Beaverton when it was first being developed and many strange things happened in that little forest behind our home.
@@StevetheAmateurHistorianI agree with that commenter. Tremendous documentary. Well researched and hosted. Just speak up a bit more but otherwise perfect. I clicked on, meaning to watch for a quick minute & immediately got drawn in to watch it all. 🏆🎬🎥
Agree, well done! However, my worldview leads me to believe it's a graveyard. ...don't ask 😢 I'd suggest doing a documentary on "Giant tree's", the purposely extinct big ones. ...that'll lead you to many giant lies!
I was curious about this documentary on a vacant butte in Portland I just happened upon.. I only initially was going to watch 5mins or so but I was drawn in by this unrivaled urge to explore the Butte with the narrator that I unknowingly watched the entire documentary and to my surprise, realized it was 2 hour documentary. It was so good i was completely immersed in it, I totally lost track of time. Great job on this documentary great commentary and awesome content quality I could really feel the commentator’s passion in trying to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the butte. Thank you I would love to see more of these from this talented creator.
This is wild. I grew up in southeast Portland. As a teen in the '80s, my friends and I partied on Kelly Butte regularly. We just called it "The Jail". LOADS of stories circulated back then about how 'a friend of a friend' experienced a haunting event there. We had endless stories to circulate and keep us spooked. I had no idea - until today - that there was so much more to Kelly Butte than just the jail. Thanks for updating me on that!
3 years later, and your video I still finding viewers. I am inspired to explore the butte now. Drive by it every day, and never gone.given the times I may bring a buddy.
Thanks for this great video! I love learning about little pockets of Portland's history like this! Interestingly, my grandpa was one of the few guys involved in designing and developing the 911 call center up there, and my grandma worked there once it opened! Awesome how these stories tie together.
In the 1950s in America, people lived in constant awareness of possible annihilation at any moment. TV stations "concluded their broadcast day" each night around midnight or 12:30 AM by showing the American flag waving or an atomic explosion on the TV screen. At school, students regularly experienced "air raid" drills during which they knelt beneath their desks with their heads between their knees as a siren sounded for several seconds.
A few months ago people were actually able to dig it out and some homeless started sleeping in there. The city came in quickly and wielded a cage barrier, and buried it again.
This popped up in my feed on a rainy Sunday morning in Peru. I enjoyed it so much that I subscribed. I'm looking forward to watching your other videos.
Well done! My grandfather used to own and run a Sinclair gas station on the SE corner of 101st & Division. I used to live next to the Gas station on 112th & Division in the late 60s - and played/explored all over KB. (I was in the 5th & 6th grade at West Powellhurst elementary). We found an abandoned two-story house about 100 yds from the entrance of the obscure bunker entrance. In it we found boxes of Civil Defense forms (mostly on 5x7 cards - which we took used to expand our imaginative play. We inner tubed down a steep "road" on the east side that now dumps into Woodward & 109th. In the 80s, when the BOECC opened the 911 dispatch and call center, I had the opportunity of helping to train new dispatchers. I always wished I could have gone in before it was converted by BOECC. (It's cool that the creepy mural is still there!) PS: We used to feel creepy standing next to the small bunker entrance - not much more than a small wall and metal door behind iron bars.
There was NEVER a jail at Kelly Butte. The Jail was on ROCKY BUTTE, to your west of Mayfield Neighborhood, on the west side of I-205. I grew up in Portland in the 50s, 60s,and 70s. The Rocky Butte jail was demolished for I-205. I hiked all over Kelly Butte as a kid. It was always forested with a few abandoned shacks. Still a great place to walk the dogs
I love local videos. Thank you! I grew up going to my Grandparents houses in Gresham and in Troutdale. I grew up around there (we visited about once a month or so since i was born in 83' up until 2009), and my parents were born in and grew up in Portland. I love that side of town. Still got tons of close relatives all over up there, and have lived in Newport my whole life. Thank you again!
Just discovered your channel the other night & super stoked you cover a lot of Oregon's tales. If you do one on Mt. Tabor-some boys in the 40's got lost in the cave before they finally sealed them up. My dad told me about it but hard to dig up the darker stuff.
You can always check out the visitor center or maybe even the old newspaper screenings. I only know about it because of my dad his dad lived in that community. They were the ones that always told me about history parts of Portland.
This is awesome. I am from Seattle, but I have family in the Portland area and have spent much of my life there, so it feels like a second home. Very well done. Thank you!
I really like the video as it is very detailed. A few maps of where these historical landmarks are or were, would be helpful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Well done!
I just just wanted to say that you did an incredible job on this film. I was mesmerized for 2 hours by your ability to tell this story with the perfect balance of talking and quietly filming the surroundings. It felt like I was listening to a friend talking and it felt like I was there at Kelly Butte with you. I love watching historical documentaries and I feel like this film was better than most of the best films I've seen. Thank you for your obvious passion and commitment to creating these films. You're an absolute artist!
This documentary immediately hooked me. I guess it's been out a few years but I just discovered it. I have done booksignings at Powell's in Portland and hope to return there someday.
The homeless that are camping on the Butte were in town hustling. Flying signs, canning, performing for donations. Scoring heroin. That's all stuff they have to do and you can't do any of that in the woods.
Dude I love your deep dive into the back history of Kelly Butte. It is sad the homeless have been allowed to ruin it. I think you need to carry something more substantial to protect yourself if you are that freaked out by homeless people jumping you on the trail. I tend to avoid them myself. I live over in Hillsboro and saw that movie Day X and was curious where the Bunker that is shown really was located. You answered all my questions in this video. I feel like you are a cross between "48 Hours Investigative Reporting" and "Tales from the Crypt" with the mixture of history and jump scares! Keep up the great work. Jerry
For the folks reading the comments about Kelly Butte vs. Rocky Butte. From the Southeast Examiner: “It was named for Oregon pioneer Clinton Kelly (Clinton Street and Park are also named for him). Kelly Butte has been home to a quarry, a jail, an isolation hospital for patients with contagious diseases, police firing range, civil defense center, and an emergency dispatch center. Originally it was The Kelly Butte. In July 1906, the Kelly Butte Jail was constructed. Initially, forty-eight prisoners, supervised by as many as eight guards, provided cheap labor to produce crushed rock for Portland’s new roads. These activities continued until the early 1950s.” It took me less than 30 seconds to find this information, yet so many comments falsely claim there was none of this happening on Kelly Butte. It is possible to have two jails running rock quarries at the same time, and that’s what they did. Lots of free labor.
THANK YOU! I literally put a link to a bunch of old newspaper articles referencing the Kelly Butte jail and rock pile in the videos description but the comments kept coming (not that many actually read the description).
As for Two jails just up from Kelly Butte about two & ½ miles north is "Rocky Butte which was the Prison " the only thing left know is the wall. they Closed it in the late 1960's when they built. I-84 ( they didn't want the inmates jumping the wall & running down the hill to Thumb a Ride - outta dodge )
One of my cousins lived about a mile or so west of "Rocky Butte". I visited at their home many times in the late forties and early fifties and all we were told was there was a jail on top of the hill. This history tells me a lot more about what really went on there.
@richreynoldsCIT Might be confusing where the jail was, but the hill he is showing is definitely not Rocky Butte. Rocky Butte has houses on it, and a concrete plateau.that can be driven to.
@@richreynoldsCITyes, They’re 2 different places. Rocky Butte and the Jail are north, Right where 84 and 205 come together. Kelly Butte is south of it around Clackamas area. Kelly had the bunker, Rocky had the jail. And then of course there is powell butte! Lol Steve does great work though regardless.
Glad I found this channel! Always *loved* local history. I live in Lents, just south of Kelly Butte a mile or two. I’ll have to stop by sometime. Always wondered where that old bunker was!!!
hey! I just wanted to provide some clarity about your noticed 'no trespassing' sign. It seems to have been made by local street artist Bleach. His art is made in all forms all around town. He works in tandem with the urban landscape to provide thought provoking installations with rules and objects. Great find! Someone probably stole it when it went missing.
The shot you have of Rocky Butte at 1:00 shows where "Rocky Butte Jail" was located at the base of the Butte below that radio tower at the south end. It closed around 1980 when the Justice Center replaced it in downtown Portland. Interstate 205 change the entire area. The jail was on N.E. Hancock Dr. The west end of the road still comes a block or two from 92ed ave. The easten end of Hancock Dr. was at the south tip of "The City of Maywood Park." At 102ed & NE Fremont. The Old quarry was just east of The Grotto at the top of the Skidmore ST. hill about 90th Ave. The Top of the the quarry Cliff is right across Rocky Butte RD. (North) from the domes. There is a cyclone fence on a guardrail right at the top of the quarry cliff face. (★BE Careful! It is a long drop and the cliff is just a few feet from the road★) Across from the big parking lot Driveway past the houses where the dome is closest to the street. Take Fremont from 82ed 'til it turns into Rocky Butte Rd. at 91st. Just around the first bend and past the houses. There are two roads that go to the top of the Butte. The other road has the U-shaped tunnel. It begins near the stop sign at 92ed and Russell St. Midway between Fremont & Halsey St. on NE 92ed. Ave. Cheers!- -dugair PDXtc
Steve check out the collection of old Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps through Library of Congress or your main library reference. They go back to latter 1800s an as recent as 1960s
I lived at the bottom of "The Butte" on 101st and Powell in the 60"s. I would climb on it all the time. I used to deliver newspapers to the hospital which was called "Eastport Nursing Home". There was a lot of nice old people there. The quarry used to be where the new reservoir is. It was later used as a gun range for the local police departments. I used to go and collect lead there. The concrete stairs is how the workers got from the holding facility to the quarry. The only thing to fear back then was the poison oak.
Thanks for this documentary! Now I'm curious about the mineral composition of the soil on Kelly Butte. Maybe when they were digging up the quarry and bomb shelter they unearthed some toxic minerals that caused the workers to get sick and also could make technology malfunction. Could add to the eerie vibes for sure.
Love your enthusiasm & will sub to watch some more of your work. I produce podcasts and also have a long history of making a living on the creepier side of digital content. Now here’s where some man-to-man tough love enters the picture. You’re spinning yourself up in an urban wooded area and aside from doing so while crazy high there’s no better way of creating a negative result. Is there a vibe? Sure. I’ve not visited the specific area you’re covering but I worked as a Set Dresser in Hollywood for 16 years. Working in one abandoned, urban decay, haunted, creepster vibes- oozing- from -the- walls place after another. I completely understand where you’re coming from. But you are flirting with self fulfilling prophecies, brother. And it could be something as boring as a massive sprain that strands you overnight with nothing but an energy drink. You go hypothermic. Now some other youtuber is up there finding you under a bush looking very blue and very rigor. In the future bring a hiking companion. Leave a specific itinerary with a trusted contact and make rock solid certain that they are THE person who will call EMS and alert the calvary if you fail to check in. Moms tend to fill this job nicely. Thirdly carry a satellite GPS with emergency texting. Fourthly build a comprehensive urban boogeyman go-bag. It should be a wilderness survival kit meets vampire hand-to-hand combat mobile lab. Keep it at 10-12 pounds. Lastly carry whatever level of personal defense you’re comfortable with & safely capable of using. Personally I self-equip with three levels of protection: pepper gel, collapsible baton & firearm. All 3 are legal in Oregon (just avoid making videos in California.) Heed my warning brochacho. You’re gonna accidentally walk off a cliff if you continue shooting like this. Remember what Hitchcock taught. It’s the buildup then allowing your viewers to let their imaginations fill in the blanks that creates true horror. You’ve got the backstory part nailed cold. Just don’t get yourself added to the story unwittingly. Keep up the great work. God bless.
I was visiting a really old cemetery on the Skamania/Clark county border of sr14 in Washington. I had brand new batteries in my digital camera when i arrived and after about ten minutes of being in the cemetery my camera said the batteries were low. So we jumped in the car to run back to town for extra batteries and we got about 1/2 mile down the road from the cemetery and the camera turned on the batteries were fine.
That hospital for infectious diseases was identified to me when I was young as the Tuberculosis hospital. Isolation was the major way to deal with tuberculosis until proper medications were developed. It closed after these medications were available.
Do you want to know a lot more about it I've lived upon it and moved next to it my whole life I'm 60 and I moved on to 105th division at the age of two That mountain was my playground when I was younger And then motorized vehicle signs were put up there because of me and my friends riding motorcycles over the top of it I can tell you every square inch of the 911 tower how it degraded I used to even have the complete instructions on it from the concrete foundation to the alarm systems
I went to David Douglas from '69-'72 and I remember going up a road on Kelly Butte and seeing a "Keep Out" sign from the U.S. Army, so I turned back. Class mates tried hiking up to the top and said that jeeps showed up carrying soldiers with rifles. They were told to go back and not trespass again (kind of a "this is your last and only warning" kind of thing).
I was born during the Columbus day storm after it made it's way to Long Beach Cal on 10-12-1962, I lived in Portland from grade school up until 1990 and I saw Kelly Butte many times...
My great grand parents built their house in 1929 there. My family still lives in the house. I used to jump the back fence and climb up the hill to the top. That deep impression you talk about in the beginning, if you walk down that you will come to a gravel rd that goes down to 109th. There used to be a water tank located there. My uncle would ride his dirt bike up there on all the trails. Everything you talk about, I learned growing up from my grandparents and uncle. Somewhere around the side, there was quicksand. Apparently, it was fenced off, and someone had died there. I can only imagine how many homeless camps are up there now.
Appreciate you doc. I love very close to there. Thinking about taking a trip. Rumor has it, someone tunneled into the bunker a year ago. Best believe I won't be going with any less than 5 people with me.
Yeah I did a video a while back and saw a bunch had been dug out. I guess it was at least one homeless guy which was impressive. When I saw how much was dug up I was sure it was multiple people.
Just before 1:11.00 when you said you could see a 'man's through the trees I seen some moving through the branches.. made my arm hairs stand up. Then at 1:23:30 That shadow that runs across the trail.. spooky for sure.
I'm glad you corrected the mistake about Multnomah County jail(Rocky Butte). Check this out if you get the chance: At 3098 SE 101st there's a gate(beware of cameras/sensors). The gravel road will lead you to a backdoor entrance to the Civil Defense underground tunnel system. There used to be(1960s) a concrete deflection barrier with a cannonball size hole in it in front of the steel door entry. My brother and I when we were Kids, got into the outer doors and saw maps of the tunnel system which actually showed tunnels spider webbing the entire City.
Let me explain how I and my brother discovered this and how it became even more valid after I became QA mgr overseeing the boiler fuel changeover projects for PPS in 2012; my former high school, John Marshall in particular. My brother and I explored and played at Kelly Butte a lot during 60s. We seldom ventured up at the top by the 'Tower' and C/D main complex. We mostly hung at the 'Pond' just off Division St & 99th, the 'Ravine'', and the 104th St Drive In, and Sheriff's old shooting range(now part of the Carnival company lay down yard). So, up just above the pond and to the East, and just above some water pumps in a barb wired enclosure, was this 'Back Door'(there was a concrete wall in front of the outer doors about 5' high, with a cannonball size hole in it); double metal doors, which my little brother was able tp penetrate, then another set of heavier, very secure metal doors. In that foyer, were maps of the tunnel system. Forward 4 years; all through high school rumors of an alleged elevator(seniors even forcefully sold phony "Elevator Passes"). In 2012 as part of my job, I was required to inspect all the piping and mechanical infrastructure in and Under my former high school. There was indeed an elevator, egress to another lower level below the boiler room, basement, and piping/utility tunnels. There is evidence in the back parking lot of the now defunct school in the form of a hatch type manway. Also note the 2 huge concrete blocks which have been there since the bldg's inception in 1959. @@herewegoagain6734
Thank you so much for creating and sharing this fascinating video. I have lived within sight (within a mile) of Kelly Butte for more than 6 years, and I have never known its name, or whether there were any level of public access or outdoor experience to be had there or not. I truly appreciate the information you've provided, for it does appear that you had to do some exploring just to find the entrance. I never would have guessed that such an unassuming little lump of land had such a strange and varied history. First a draconian prison and source of slave labor for the city, then the hide-y-hole of choice for the city government during the early years of the cold war, then the 911 dispatch hub, and finally... what, a reserved area for ghosts and creepy entities? Wow. Now I too am feeling weirdly attracted to the place- but thanks to your research and courageous exploration, I will go there forewarned and forearmed with knowledge. My thinking is that there are strange (potentially dangerous?) entities that seem drawn to both derelict human dwelling places and also to underground spaces. I can't imagine a place like Kelly Butte (which is a huge, derelict underground complex, buried and forgotten, pretending to be a "nature area") NOT being infested with all kinds of dangerous creatures from the borderlands of this reality and beyond! I will bring amulets of protection and bear spray when I visit, and I will pay attention to my 6th sense, and be ready to flee if necessary. Thanks again, so much! It's always wonderful to learn more about history, especially the history of my own home town! All the best to you, sincerely, --Naomi
Steve, as others have stated, the 'rock pile' and prison were on Rocky Butte, to the north, not Kelly Butte. I grew up a few blocks from Kelly Butte in the 60's and spent a lot of time up there. For one, there used to be caves full of bats on the west side by the water tower. The water tower came down and got turned in to the Police target range and the only road up was through the church parking lot. Climbing the east side was very steep up above the drive in. It was a cool place to hang out as a kid.
Maybe that creepy feeling is from all the homeless people hiding around the butte not wanting to be seen. They’re probably shy or on some good shit. And that person hiding in the bushes was some dude trying to take a crap?
Grew up on that hill in the 80’s. Go south on 101st street from Division. The road ends at the base of the hill. Rock quarry is west there, you can’t miss it. There is a trail at the end of 101st that goes up top. That whole hill has a very dark vibe, always has. I spent a lot of time up there as a kid and never saw another human being, but there is always evidence of people up there. I remember the tower in the bunker before it was overrun with homeless. All of Portland has always had a dark cloud in is a collective place for witches warlocks and witchcraft along with Child abduction and murder.
Thank you for your efforts in making this very personal documentary. I urge you to read about the liminal, a subject becoming interesting to many people. Husserl or Husseral, the liminal.
When you were talking about not feeling alone in the park, you were talking about the empty homeless shelters and all the spiderwebs everywhere…. I notice there were no nature sounds at all. It was dead silent
If you subscribe to the belief of Sasquatch, the no nature sounds, feelings of dread & someone watching you, sound of footsteps patterning your steps, batteries draining, are signs of the Sabe. Could be why the homeless people abandoned the place. Makes you wonder...
So, I grew up on 105th an Bush, went to Earl Boyles school and have been all over Kelly Butte. When I was in the sixth grade, went on a field trip to the 911 center, went to a control center, three stories under ground! I also discovered a cavern on the South side above Curtis Trailers. I did not know about the jail, but knew about the bunkers. There used to be a "shooting range" on the West side above the church. I really enjoyed your video as I didn't know any history of the butte before the 911 center. Again, I know of a cavern up there that I bet no one has ever found! Interesting!
You shouldn't go up there alone, bro. I know, I do the same thing all the time and I've got myself in some pinches. When you get that feeling in your gut that something isn't right, especially the feeling you're being watched, you turn and go. You don't look back, you just move. I've been up there and it's not a place i'd ever go back to alone. Be careful. There are some dangerous and nearly feral people out there.
You sir, are my hero. I love exploring the old and abandoned. I moved to Portland a few months ago.. thank goodness for your channel. I would love to know what bogs you follow on Reddit for this kind of stuff. If you ever need someone to operate a camera or just backup, let me know, I love exploring.
I lived a mere few blocks away from this butte. I never went yp there because my gramma told me that an angry ghost was up there, and wanted to be left alone. Gramma was always listened to.
I happen to live in Beaverton. Would love to explore portland/beaverton history more. I live near the Fanno Creek trail which leads to the home of Augustus Fanno, one of the founders of Beaverton.
So glad I stumbled onto this video. I began exploring the Portland buttes around 2002, mostly looking for places to ride my mountain bike. I lived off of 82nd Ave so Mt. Talbert, Mt. Tabor, Kelly Butte, Powell Butte, Mt Scott and Rocky Butte were all explored. Kelly Butte doesn't seem much different from when I was wandering around up there over 20 years ago. I always wondered what used to be up there to warrant the road and parking areas. I never felt the creeps while up there as it seemed totally abandoned with no sign of people being there. I just had fun riding down the one single track trail on the west side which ends up on the road above the church. I had more fun riding up and down the trails on Mt. Talbert. I even camped up on Mt Talbert once with my son. We saw some big deer and a little boy from the neighborhood said to watch out for mountain lions. Right. I now live on the side of Mt Scott near a secret mountain bike trail. It pays to explore.
The City of Portland & the surrounding areas would be better served with someone such as yourself in charge. You're well spoken, well learned, and you've done your homework. I left Portland in 1996, but much of my family remains. Many things have changed since 1978 when we moved there. Not all for the good. You, "Steve the Amateur" give me hope.
I'm not sure why this came up on my feed today, 11-25-23, Steve the Amateur Historian. Sometimes I just watch random stuff, so I thought "ok, lets have a look." The one thing that I noticed on each of your visits that I thought was really strange was that other than the road noises and the bumblebee, there was no bird, squirrel, insect or other wildlife sounds. In places you were whispering and it was clearly audible. Where are the animals, birds, etc? Very odd and kind of creepy.
Also where you saw the SHADOW PERSON dead give away was your description of there is no way up there you have bushes and sticks, natives call them little people each tribe has a different name for them. There are three different tribes of them. BTW awesome capture of that Carpenter Bee. You might want to do your history upon the land of which tribes would be in that area or traverse.
Live in tualatin and I drive by this butte thinking it was this old Boy Scout camp. I’m hank you for making a doc in my backyard @Steve the Amateur Historian
interesting video. I recommend in your future videos to focus more on better quality audio. When you were on camera and talking, I could barely hear you, sir.
I wonder if Powell butte has anything similar. I grew up there and it has the same kind of roads and so called water reservoirs. When they re did the parking lot about 7-10 years ago it took them a full year to do so and they had guards at the entrances almost 24/7. They are definitely hiding shit around
Back in 89' when I was 10 , my dad and I rode our bikes up there (started from 60th Holgate) ...We stopped at the top to have a picnic and that's when a Grey Flea-bitten horse came trotting through so I stopped it and gave it the rest of my Lic-o-Stic grabbed the halter it had on so I could pet and admire the beautiful beast...The one and only time I ever saw that horse again.....❤❤❤
I lived on that street in the old 2 story house on the last corner of 103rd back in the safe 70’s…. I knew every trail on that hill and my brother & I would sit on a bluff above the 104th street drive-in and watch the movies!! I’ve hiked it time & time again remembering those days that the hill was ours, as long as we didn’t go near the bunker!! I have never had a creepy feeling there….but in reality spirits can linger anywhere you go….😮 Great documentary on the place too! Nice work 👍😃
I have spent most of my life living between 122nd and 150th between Division and Powell. I have always wondered what was up there and why so many business's surrounding that area are either shuttered, run down or sketchy (not all but many) I knew about the underground reservoir but nothing else regarding its history. Thank yo very much for this detailed documentary and the second half with your description of the eeriness surrounding it. You sir, on one of the unsung heroes that You Tube has to offer. Best of luck in your future.
Thank you so much! Yeah I’ve lived around Portland my whole life and just in awe of the things I’ve discovered just in the last 5 years.
They probably don't want anyone up there because they don't want to attract rif raf, and they don't want to spend the money it would take to maintain it and install restrooms..
I grew up in forest grove and once I learned everything I could there history wise, my natural curiosity brought me into Portland where my moms family has been for generations. I now live in Lents, just south of Kelly Butte so I’ll have to check it out sometime. Lately I’ve been digging into Oregon City history, which is fascinating.
Always loved the creepy, weird stories and trolling the vintage Portland website. Reading old books about the Portland mob. In the old days we’d have to go to the library and look at microfilm. Which is still available and is the BEST way to view history since the archives don’t change with the winds of politics and agendas. Newspapers, documents, court records always tell a different tale when viewed in black and white. We had a LOT of oddball history all over this country and especially around the Northwest that was still documented in the late 19th century. Much of our history has been forgotten.
I still want to correlate native legends from local tribes like Celilo (whoever is left) and their oral stories with our western history and especially my own family’s history here. I’m especially fascinated with Mt Hood and Mt St Helens. Such awesome beauty!!!
You've been neighbors to my grandparents 🎉 They had a HUGE rhododendron bush in the front yard. We lived in Beaverton when it was first being developed and many strange things happened in that little forest behind our home.
Thanks for that well done video, keep up the good work
You sir make a fine documentary, with ostensibly no budget. You need to do this for a living
Thanks so much! I’ve definitely considered it.
@@StevetheAmateurHistorianI agree with that commenter. Tremendous documentary. Well researched and hosted. Just speak up a bit more but otherwise perfect. I clicked on, meaning to watch for a quick minute & immediately got drawn in to watch it all.
🏆🎬🎥
@@StevetheAmateurHistorian the bird that flew away from the spot you saw someone is proof that someone was there and scared it away.
Agree, well done!
However, my worldview leads me to believe it's a graveyard.
...don't ask 😢
I'd suggest doing a documentary on "Giant tree's", the purposely extinct big ones.
...that'll lead you to many giant lies!
I was curious about this documentary on a vacant butte in Portland I just happened upon.. I only initially was going to watch 5mins or so but I was drawn in by this unrivaled urge to explore the Butte with the narrator that I unknowingly watched the entire documentary and to my surprise, realized it was 2 hour documentary. It was so good i was completely immersed in it, I totally lost track of time. Great job on this documentary great commentary and awesome content quality I could really feel the commentator’s passion in trying to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the butte. Thank you I would love to see more of these from this talented creator.
I concur with this man (:
Your nerdy enthusiasm for history is really adorable. A very fun and interesting documentary on Kelly Butte. Good job Steve.
shit job on any 'ghost hunting' or haunts but it is what it is. oh... something is murdering the homeless there at night. why not do an overnight?
This is wild. I grew up in southeast Portland. As a teen in the '80s, my friends and I partied on Kelly Butte regularly. We just called it "The Jail". LOADS of stories circulated back then about how 'a friend of a friend' experienced a haunting event there. We had endless stories to circulate and keep us spooked.
I had no idea - until today - that there was so much more to Kelly Butte than just the jail. Thanks for updating me on that!
I love old history of Portland, Oregon. Thank you for your research and time and sharing this video. Thank you.
3 years later, and your video I still finding viewers. I am inspired to explore the butte now. Drive by it every day, and never gone.given the times I may bring a buddy.
did you ever do it? Im going to in a week
@@J4ME5_ sorry about the late response. I’ve hiked around the area but never scouted this area. I appreciate the reminder! I’ll follow up.
@@jakealan1822 I ended up going and thoroughly exploring the place!
Thanks for this great video! I love learning about little pockets of Portland's history like this! Interestingly, my grandpa was one of the few guys involved in designing and developing the 911 call center up there, and my grandma worked there once it opened! Awesome how these stories tie together.
*YA SEE IT WAS THE FIRST 911 CENTER*
In the 1950s in America, people lived in constant awareness of possible annihilation at any moment. TV stations "concluded their broadcast day" each night around midnight or 12:30 AM by showing the American flag waving or an atomic explosion on the TV screen. At school, students regularly experienced "air raid" drills during which they knelt beneath their desks with their heads between their knees as a siren sounded for several seconds.
I hope you kept this up. You made some very solid documentaries on no budget. Good work . Thank you
A few months ago people were actually able to dig it out and some homeless started sleeping in there. The city came in quickly and wielded a cage barrier, and buried it again.
This popped up in my feed on a rainy Sunday morning in Peru.
I enjoyed it so much that I subscribed. I'm looking forward to watching your other videos.
Well done! My grandfather used to own and run a Sinclair gas station on the SE corner of 101st & Division. I used to live next to the Gas station on 112th & Division in the late 60s - and played/explored all over KB. (I was in the 5th & 6th grade at West Powellhurst elementary).
We found an abandoned two-story house about 100 yds from the entrance of the obscure bunker entrance. In it we found boxes of Civil Defense forms (mostly on 5x7 cards - which we took used to expand our imaginative play. We inner tubed down a steep "road" on the east side that now dumps into Woodward & 109th.
In the 80s, when the BOECC opened the 911 dispatch and call center, I had the opportunity of helping to train new dispatchers. I always wished I could have gone in before it was converted by BOECC. (It's cool that the creepy mural is still there!)
PS: We used to feel creepy standing next to the small bunker entrance - not much more than a small wall and metal door behind iron bars.
ROCKY BUTTE JAIL WAS AT THE BASE OF ROCKY BUTTE,AND GOT TORN DOWN WHEN THEY PUT IN I-205.
Why yell though, are you triggered?
@@jasminegoin5006 sorry, im 62 and a little hard of hearing. could you speak-up a little bit.
This isn't rocky butte this is kelly butte, but rocky butte did get tore down in 83 for the highway
There was NEVER a jail at Kelly Butte. The Jail was on ROCKY BUTTE, to your west of Mayfield Neighborhood, on the west side of I-205. I grew up in Portland in the 50s, 60s,and 70s. The Rocky Butte jail was demolished for I-205.
I hiked all over Kelly Butte as a kid. It was always forested with a few abandoned shacks. Still a great place to walk the dogs
I was born in 1959 and visited rocky butte jail as a kid, probably around 1970.@@tamarahollenbeck2988
Holy smokes, this was fantasitic! How passionate you are. Got me all over google maps investigating this spot now. Bravo 👏
I love local videos. Thank you! I grew up going to my Grandparents houses in Gresham and in Troutdale. I grew up around there (we visited about once a month or so since i was born in 83' up until 2009), and my parents were born in and grew up in Portland. I love that side of town. Still got tons of close relatives all over up there, and have lived in Newport my whole life. Thank you again!
Just discovered your channel the other night & super stoked you cover a lot of Oregon's tales.
If you do one on Mt. Tabor-some boys in the 40's got lost in the cave before they finally sealed them up.
My dad told me about it but hard to dig up the darker stuff.
Never heard of that,
There’s a cave there? I have never heard that either, interesting.
The city filled/blocked it after the boys went missing.
Is there a source for more information on this case? I couldn’t find anything when I did a quick search on Google
You can always check out the visitor center or maybe even the old newspaper screenings. I only know about it because of my dad his dad lived in that community. They were the ones that always told me about history parts of Portland.
This is awesome. I am from Seattle, but I have family in the Portland area and have spent much of my life there, so it feels like a second home. Very well done. Thank you!
Ur funny bro and this was an awesome watch.
I love how you’re unapologetically yourself, and also factual. Internet needs more of this.
You, my friend, give me hope in youth, and protecting history. Thank you for what you do!
Great video and your narration pacing is really good!
Thanks for creating this video. It was fun to watch. I have subscribed to hopefully see more. I hope life is treating you well. Great job on this!
I really like the video as it is very detailed. A few maps of where these historical landmarks are or were, would be helpful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Well done!
I just just wanted to say that you did an incredible job on this film. I was mesmerized for 2 hours by your ability to tell this story with the perfect balance of talking and quietly filming the surroundings. It felt like I was listening to a friend talking and it felt like I was there at Kelly Butte with you. I love watching historical documentaries and I feel like this film was better than most of the best films I've seen. Thank you for your obvious passion and commitment to creating these films. You're an absolute artist!
This documentary immediately hooked me. I guess it's been out a few years but I just discovered it. I have done booksignings at Powell's in Portland and hope to return there someday.
The homeless that are camping on the Butte were in town hustling. Flying signs, canning, performing for donations. Scoring heroin. That's all stuff they have to do and you can't do any of that in the woods.
Excellent coverage Steve....I live near Wilsonville and enjoy seeing local history. Thanks!
Dude I love your deep dive into the back history of Kelly Butte. It is sad the homeless have been allowed to ruin it. I think you need to carry something more substantial to protect yourself if you are that freaked out by homeless people jumping you on the trail. I tend to avoid them myself. I live over in Hillsboro and saw that movie Day X and was curious where the Bunker that is shown really was located. You answered all my questions in this video. I feel like you are a cross between "48 Hours Investigative Reporting" and "Tales from the Crypt" with the mixture of history and jump scares! Keep up the great work. Jerry
It was already abandoned and very derelict before homeless people moved in. That was just the final nail in the coffin.
For the folks reading the comments about Kelly Butte vs. Rocky Butte. From the Southeast Examiner:
“It was named for Oregon pioneer Clinton Kelly (Clinton Street and Park are also named for him). Kelly Butte has been home to a quarry, a jail, an isolation hospital for patients with contagious diseases, police firing range, civil defense center, and an emergency dispatch center.
Originally it was The Kelly Butte. In July 1906, the Kelly Butte Jail was constructed. Initially, forty-eight prisoners, supervised by as many as eight guards, provided cheap labor to produce crushed rock for Portland’s new roads. These activities continued until the early 1950s.”
It took me less than 30 seconds to find this information, yet so many comments falsely claim there was none of this happening on Kelly Butte.
It is possible to have two jails running rock quarries at the same time, and that’s what they did. Lots of free labor.
THANK YOU! I literally put a link to a bunch of old newspaper articles referencing the Kelly Butte jail and rock pile in the videos description but the comments kept coming (not that many actually read the description).
As for Two jails just up from Kelly Butte about two & ½ miles north is "Rocky Butte which was the Prison " the only thing left know is the wall. they Closed it in the late 1960's when they built. I-84 ( they didn't want the inmates jumping the wall & running down the hill to Thumb a Ride - outta dodge )
The muralist's title of "Palmyra" is not about palm trees but rather a reference to the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. Thus the ruins and arches
One of my cousins lived about a mile or so west of "Rocky Butte". I visited at their home many times in the late forties and early fifties and all we were told was there was a jail on top of the hill. This history tells me a lot more about what really went on there.
Is he confusing kelly with rocky bute? There was a jail on rocky bute forever…not a prison…picked up friends who got popped for dui in high school
@richreynoldsCIT Might be confusing where the jail was, but the hill he is showing is definitely not Rocky Butte. Rocky Butte has houses on it, and a concrete plateau.that can be driven to.
As far as I know there was no jail at Kelly butte. There was at rocky butte.
@@richreynoldsCITyes, They’re 2 different places. Rocky Butte and the Jail are north, Right where 84 and 205 come together. Kelly Butte is south of it around Clackamas area. Kelly had the bunker, Rocky had the jail. And then of course there is powell butte! Lol Steve does great work though regardless.
Glad I found this channel! Always *loved* local history. I live in Lents, just south of Kelly Butte a mile or two. I’ll have to stop by sometime. Always wondered where that old bunker was!!!
hey! I just wanted to provide some clarity about your noticed 'no trespassing' sign.
It seems to have been made by local street artist Bleach. His art is made in all forms all around town. He works in tandem with the urban landscape to provide thought provoking installations with rules and objects. Great find! Someone probably stole it when it went missing.
You did very well at this portrayal Steve. Keep it up bud!
The shot you have of Rocky Butte at 1:00 shows where "Rocky Butte Jail" was located at the base of the Butte below that radio tower at the south end. It closed around 1980 when the Justice Center replaced it in downtown Portland. Interstate 205 change the entire area. The jail was on N.E. Hancock Dr. The west end of the road still comes a block or two from 92ed ave. The easten end of Hancock Dr. was at the south tip of "The City of Maywood Park." At 102ed & NE Fremont.
The Old quarry was just east of The Grotto at the top of the Skidmore ST. hill about 90th Ave. The Top of the the quarry Cliff is right across Rocky Butte RD. (North) from the domes. There is a cyclone fence on a guardrail right at the top of the quarry cliff face. (★BE Careful! It is a long drop and the cliff is just a few feet from the road★) Across from the big parking lot Driveway past the houses where the dome is closest to the street. Take Fremont from 82ed 'til it turns into Rocky Butte Rd. at 91st. Just around the first bend and past the houses.
There are two roads that go to the top of the Butte. The other road has the U-shaped tunnel. It begins near the stop sign at 92ed and Russell St. Midway between Fremont & Halsey St. on NE 92ed. Ave.
Cheers!-
-dugair PDXtc
Steve check out the collection of old Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps through Library of Congress or your main library reference. They go back to latter 1800s an as recent as 1960s
I loved this video the first time I watched it and I had to revisit it after your recent update. Excellent!
Really enjoyed this video, well done just subscribed love from Australia!
I lived at the bottom of "The Butte" on 101st and Powell in the 60"s. I would climb on it all the time. I used to deliver newspapers to the hospital which was called "Eastport Nursing Home". There was a lot of nice old people there. The quarry used to be where the new reservoir is. It was later used as a gun range for the local police departments. I used to go and collect lead there. The concrete stairs is how the workers got from the holding facility to the quarry. The only thing to fear back then was the poison oak.
rocky butte and kelly butte are two different places
Thanks for this documentary! Now I'm curious about the mineral composition of the soil on Kelly Butte. Maybe when they were digging up the quarry and bomb shelter they unearthed some toxic minerals that caused the workers to get sick and also could make technology malfunction. Could add to the eerie vibes for sure.
Love your enthusiasm & will sub to watch some more of your work. I produce podcasts and also have a long history of making a living on the creepier side of digital content. Now here’s where some man-to-man tough love enters the picture. You’re spinning yourself up in an urban wooded area and aside from doing so while crazy high there’s no better way of creating a negative result. Is there a vibe? Sure. I’ve not visited the specific area you’re covering but I worked as a Set Dresser in Hollywood for 16 years. Working in one abandoned, urban decay, haunted, creepster vibes- oozing- from -the- walls place after another. I completely understand where you’re coming from.
But you are flirting with self fulfilling prophecies, brother. And it could be something as boring as a massive sprain that strands you overnight with nothing but an energy drink. You go hypothermic. Now some other youtuber is up there finding you under a bush looking very blue and very rigor.
In the future bring a hiking companion. Leave a specific itinerary with a trusted contact and make rock solid certain that they are THE person who will call EMS and alert the calvary if you fail to check in. Moms tend to fill this job nicely. Thirdly carry a satellite GPS with emergency texting. Fourthly build a comprehensive urban boogeyman go-bag. It should be a wilderness survival kit meets vampire hand-to-hand combat mobile lab. Keep it at 10-12 pounds. Lastly carry whatever level of personal defense you’re comfortable with & safely capable of using. Personally I self-equip with three levels of protection: pepper gel, collapsible baton & firearm. All 3 are legal in Oregon (just avoid making videos in California.)
Heed my warning brochacho. You’re gonna accidentally walk off a cliff if you continue shooting like this. Remember what Hitchcock taught. It’s the buildup then allowing your viewers to let their imaginations fill in the blanks that creates true horror. You’ve got the backstory part nailed cold. Just don’t get yourself added to the story unwittingly. Keep up the great work.
God bless.
What a load of paranoid crap. Do you fear hiking in local parks too? Some people are not afraid of their own shadows.
I was visiting a really old cemetery on the Skamania/Clark county border of sr14 in Washington. I had brand new batteries in my digital camera when i arrived and after about ten minutes of being in the cemetery my camera said the batteries were low. So we jumped in the car to run back to town for extra batteries and we got about 1/2 mile down the road from the cemetery and the camera turned on the batteries were fine.
That hospital for infectious diseases was identified to me when I was young as the Tuberculosis hospital. Isolation was the major way to deal with tuberculosis until proper medications were developed. It closed after these medications were available.
this was cool, thanks for your hard work!
the research behind this is insane my guy
Do you want to know a lot more about it I've lived upon it and moved next to it my whole life I'm 60 and I moved on to 105th division at the age of two That mountain was my playground when I was younger And then motorized vehicle signs were put up there because of me and my friends riding motorcycles over the top of it I can tell you every square inch of the 911 tower how it degraded I used to even have the complete instructions on it from the concrete foundation to the alarm systems
I went to David Douglas from '69-'72 and I remember going up a road on Kelly Butte and seeing a "Keep Out" sign from the U.S. Army, so I turned back. Class mates tried hiking up to the top and said that jeeps showed up carrying soldiers with rifles. They were told to go back and not trespass again (kind of a "this is your last and only warning" kind of thing).
An excellent, amateur history video . Thank you so much .
Great documentary and a beautiful spot
I was born during the Columbus day storm after it made it's way to Long Beach Cal on 10-12-1962, I lived in Portland from grade school up until 1990 and I saw Kelly Butte many times...
Went up there three times last week! Thank you, Steve!
My great grand parents built their house in 1929 there. My family still lives in the house. I used to jump the back fence and climb up the hill to the top. That deep impression you talk about in the beginning, if you walk down that you will come to a gravel rd that goes down to 109th. There used to be a water tank located there. My uncle would ride his dirt bike up there on all the trails. Everything you talk about, I learned growing up from my grandparents and uncle. Somewhere around the side, there was quicksand. Apparently, it was fenced off, and someone had died there. I can only imagine how many homeless camps are up there now.
Appreciate you doc. I love very close to there. Thinking about taking a trip. Rumor has it, someone tunneled into the bunker a year ago. Best believe I won't be going with any less than 5 people with me.
Yeah I did a video a while back and saw a bunch had been dug out. I guess it was at least one homeless guy which was impressive. When I saw how much was dug up I was sure it was multiple people.
Thank You for sharing this interesting video, Steve. 😊 Great job!
Fun watch.. Thank you for posting!
Just before 1:11.00 when you said you could see a 'man's through the trees I seen some moving through the branches.. made my arm hairs stand up. Then at 1:23:30 That shadow that runs across the trail.. spooky for sure.
Great video.
You’re really good at creating content.
Any chance you’ll be going back again??
I'm glad you corrected the mistake about Multnomah County jail(Rocky Butte). Check this out if you get the chance: At 3098 SE 101st there's a gate(beware of cameras/sensors). The gravel road will lead you to a backdoor entrance to the Civil Defense underground tunnel system. There used to be(1960s) a concrete deflection barrier with a cannonball size hole in it in front of the steel door entry. My brother and I when we were Kids, got into the outer doors and saw maps of the tunnel system which actually showed tunnels spider webbing the entire City.
What!! I gotta see this
Ive only bee in the tunnels in old town so far that run to the waterfront wall
Lies
Let me explain how I and my brother discovered this and how it became even more valid after I became QA mgr overseeing the boiler fuel changeover projects for PPS in 2012; my former high school, John Marshall in particular. My brother and I explored and played at Kelly Butte a lot during 60s. We seldom ventured up at the top by the 'Tower' and C/D main complex. We mostly hung at the 'Pond' just off Division St & 99th, the 'Ravine'', and the 104th St Drive In, and Sheriff's old shooting range(now part of the Carnival company lay down yard). So, up just above the pond and to the East, and just above some water pumps in a barb wired enclosure, was this 'Back Door'(there was a concrete wall in front of the outer doors about 5' high, with a cannonball size hole in it); double metal doors, which my little brother was able tp penetrate, then another set of heavier, very secure metal doors. In that foyer, were maps of the tunnel system. Forward 4 years; all through high school rumors of an alleged elevator(seniors even forcefully sold phony "Elevator Passes"). In 2012 as part of my job, I was required to inspect all the piping and mechanical infrastructure in and Under my former high school. There was indeed an elevator, egress to another lower level below the boiler room, basement, and piping/utility tunnels. There is evidence in the back parking lot of the now defunct school in the form of a hatch type manway. Also note the 2 huge concrete blocks which have been there since the bldg's inception in 1959. @@herewegoagain6734
@@RINGSOFALCYONE I lived up the street on 85th n Powell for 11 years never had any idea. Thanks for your reply and explanation.
Thank you so much for creating and sharing this fascinating video. I have lived within sight (within a mile) of Kelly Butte for more than 6 years, and I have never known its name, or whether there were any level of public access or outdoor experience to be had there or not. I truly appreciate the information you've provided, for it does appear that you had to do some exploring just to find the entrance.
I never would have guessed that such an unassuming little lump of land had such a strange and varied history. First a draconian prison and source of slave labor for the city, then the hide-y-hole of choice for the city government during the early years of the cold war, then the 911 dispatch hub, and finally... what, a reserved area for ghosts and creepy entities? Wow.
Now I too am feeling weirdly attracted to the place- but thanks to your research and courageous exploration, I will go there forewarned and forearmed with knowledge. My thinking is that there are strange (potentially dangerous?) entities that seem drawn to both derelict human dwelling places and also to underground spaces. I can't imagine a place like Kelly Butte (which is a huge, derelict underground complex, buried and forgotten, pretending to be a "nature area") NOT being infested with all kinds of dangerous creatures from the borderlands of this reality and beyond! I will bring amulets of protection and bear spray when I visit, and I will pay attention to my 6th sense, and be ready to flee if necessary.
Thanks again, so much! It's always wonderful to learn more about history, especially the history of my own home town! All the best to you, sincerely,
--Naomi
Steve, as others have stated, the 'rock pile' and prison were on Rocky Butte, to the north, not Kelly Butte.
I grew up a few blocks from Kelly Butte in the 60's and spent a lot of time up there.
For one, there used to be caves full of bats on the west side by the water tower.
The water tower came down and got turned in to the Police target range and the only road up was through the church parking lot.
Climbing the east side was very steep up above the drive in.
It was a cool place to hang out as a kid.
Used to ride my bike on it - spent a lot of time on it
There was a jail annex on Kelly Butte to house inmates that worked at the quarry. When the quarry was closed the annex was demolished.
I keep coming across references of caves that the city covered.
Makes me start to wonder.
You do such a great job covering this. Thank you!
Except for the volume. Can't hear much on a lot of video!
Maybe that creepy feeling is from all the homeless people hiding around the butte not wanting to be seen. They’re probably shy or on some good shit. And that person hiding in the bushes was some dude trying to take a crap?
Grew up on that hill in the 80’s. Go south on 101st street from Division. The road ends at the base of the hill. Rock quarry is west there, you can’t miss it. There is a trail at the end of 101st that goes up top. That whole hill has a very dark vibe, always has. I spent a lot of time up there as a kid and never saw another human being, but there is always evidence of people up there. I remember the tower in the bunker before it was overrun with homeless. All of Portland has always had a dark cloud in is a collective place for witches warlocks and witchcraft along with Child abduction and murder.
The "under one hour" evacuation cracks me up... there's no excuse for the insufferable traffic that snarls the city and all routes in and out!!
Thank you for your efforts in making this very personal documentary. I urge you to read about the liminal, a subject becoming interesting to many people. Husserl or Husseral, the liminal.
When you were talking about not feeling alone in the park, you were talking about the empty homeless shelters and all the spiderwebs everywhere….
I notice there were no nature sounds at all. It was dead silent
If you subscribe to the belief of Sasquatch, the no nature sounds, feelings of dread & someone watching you, sound of footsteps patterning your steps, batteries draining, are signs of the Sabe. Could be why the homeless people abandoned the place. Makes you wonder...
Its sraounded by freeway how would they get there
Fantastic documentary video! I thoroughly enjoyed it .Interesting,informative and best of all spooky without being cheesy.
You are an awesome narrator! Nice work!
Enjoyed this. Learned a lot..I'm related really distant cousins to the Kelly's I know nothing about them...thanks for your hard work...was awesome
So, I grew up on 105th an Bush, went to Earl Boyles school and have been all over Kelly Butte. When I was in the sixth grade, went on a field trip to the 911 center, went to a control center, three stories under ground! I also discovered a cavern on the South side above Curtis Trailers. I did not know about the jail, but knew about the bunkers. There used to be a "shooting range" on the West side above the church. I really enjoyed your video as I didn't know any history of the butte before the 911 center. Again, I know of a cavern up there that I bet no one has ever found! Interesting!
You shouldn't go up there alone, bro. I know, I do the same thing all the time and I've got myself in some pinches. When you get that feeling in your gut that something isn't right, especially the feeling you're being watched, you turn and go. You don't look back, you just move. I've been up there and it's not a place i'd ever go back to alone. Be careful. There are some dangerous and nearly feral people out there.
I love how nature just says. “Yeah, this is mine again.”
Great stuff, man. Keep it up 🙏
I just watched this awesome documentary. Very well done. I'm surprised no one broke into those houses up there to camp out. 😮
Fun watch I lived in Portland for a couple years. My son lives in Happy Valley. I’ll pass this on to him. He’ll enjoy it.
Went there today 1/25/24 and took a walk. No ghosts. No spooky feelings. Just a scruffy nature park. Checked it off my list and won't go back.
there are actually multiple entrances and why didn't you to to/film the old water towers?
You sir, are my hero. I love exploring the old and abandoned. I moved to Portland a few months ago.. thank goodness for your channel. I would love to know what bogs you follow on Reddit for this kind of stuff. If you ever need someone to operate a camera or just backup, let me know, I love exploring.
I lived a mere few blocks away from this butte. I never went yp there because my gramma told me that an angry ghost was up there, and wanted to be left alone. Gramma was always listened to.
I liked the little montage effect and music at around 28 minutes 🎉
amazing documentary 👏
I happen to live in Beaverton. Would love to explore portland/beaverton history more. I live near the Fanno Creek trail which leads to the home of Augustus Fanno, one of the founders of Beaverton.
Bruh. That sounds like fun.
That home was relocated from its original location.
So glad I stumbled onto this video. I began exploring the Portland buttes around 2002, mostly looking for places to ride my mountain bike. I lived off of 82nd Ave so Mt. Talbert, Mt. Tabor, Kelly Butte, Powell Butte, Mt Scott and Rocky Butte were all explored. Kelly Butte doesn't seem much different from when I was wandering around up there over 20 years ago. I always wondered what used to be up there to warrant the road and parking areas. I never felt the creeps while up there as it seemed totally abandoned with no sign of people being there. I just had fun riding down the one single track trail on the west side which ends up on the road above the church. I had more fun riding up and down the trails on Mt. Talbert. I even camped up on Mt Talbert once with my son. We saw some big deer and a little boy from the neighborhood said to watch out for mountain lions. Right. I now live on the side of Mt Scott near a secret mountain bike trail. It pays to explore.
The City of Portland & the surrounding areas would be better served with someone such as yourself in charge. You're well spoken, well learned, and you've done your homework. I left Portland in 1996, but much of my family remains. Many things have changed since 1978 when we moved there. Not all for the good. You, "Steve the Amateur" give me hope.
there was always something creepy about this place me and my friends used to hang there sometimes after school over 10 years ago
I'm not sure why this came up on my feed today, 11-25-23, Steve the Amateur Historian. Sometimes I just watch random stuff, so I thought "ok, lets have a look." The one thing that I noticed on each of your visits that I thought was really strange was that other than the road noises and the bumblebee, there was no bird, squirrel, insect or other wildlife sounds. In places you were whispering and it was clearly audible. Where are the animals, birds, etc? Very odd and kind of creepy.
Also where you saw the SHADOW PERSON dead give away was your description of there is no way up there you have bushes and sticks, natives call them little people each tribe has a different name for them. There are three different tribes of them. BTW awesome capture of that Carpenter Bee. You might want to do your history upon the land of which tribes would be in that area or traverse.
Living in oregon my whole life, there are so many weird or creepy places. Never heard of this one! Keep going man!
Thanks! Will do!
Very interesting film. Thank you. Enjoyed it very much! 😊
Live in tualatin and I drive by this butte thinking it was this old Boy Scout camp. I’m hank you for making a doc in my backyard @Steve the Amateur Historian
Are you thinking of "Scouters Mountain"? Just SE of Kelly butte
interesting video. I recommend in your future videos to focus more on better quality audio. When you were on camera and talking, I could barely hear you, sir.
Don't know if any one out there likes rock climbing but there are some really cool basalt cliffs right there too
I wonder if Powell butte has anything similar. I grew up there and it has the same kind of roads and so called water reservoirs. When they re did the parking lot about 7-10 years ago it took them a full year to do so and they had guards at the entrances almost 24/7. They are definitely hiding shit around
Seems really strange that there is no sound of traffic in a busy area . Be safe and bring a buddy with you.
Here in 2023. Any strange updates? Thanks for this informative video, won’t hike this one.
👏Great job on a very interesting history video! Loved it! ✌️😎
Back in 89' when I was 10 , my dad and I rode our bikes up there (started from 60th Holgate) ...We stopped at the top to have a picnic and that's when a Grey Flea-bitten horse came trotting through so I stopped it and gave it the rest of my Lic-o-Stic grabbed the halter it had on so I could pet and admire the beautiful beast...The one and only time I ever saw that horse again.....❤❤❤
I found this very interesting! Very thorough, great job!!