‘The Evergreen’: Oregon’s poor farms, and how history compares to today

The Multnomah County Archives recently acquired an invaluable donation of century-old photographs never seen by the public before. The pictures show Multnomah County’s first public relief institution, known as Hillside Poor Farm and Hospital. The farm cared for the county’s most destitute residents in a sprawling facility that occupied what is now Portland’s Washington Park.

Oregon once required counties to take care of their neediest residents. For decades, relief institutions known as "poor farms" operated throughout the state. They provided food, shelter, medical care and sometimes burial services. The treatment of residents varied widely, with some poor farms providing refuge for those in need while others operated more like prisons.