America's Only Vertical Street: The Oregon City Elevator
For the past 103 years, Oregon City has maintained America’s only vertical street. 7th Street is a main thoroughfare through town, but the downtown business district is split from neighborhoods above by a 90-foot band of vertical basalt.
To surmount the cliff, the city installed a water-powered elevator in 1915, which was eventually replaced with todays electric version in 1957. Here is an image from the City’s website showing both, with the catwalk leading out to the original elevator:
A pedestrian tunnel goes beneath railroad tracks to access the base of the elevator. The free ride is used by nearly one-thousand people every day.
The top has a UFO-like walkway with huge windows that offer a bird’s eye view of downtown.
Is it still functioning?
Yes, its heavily used by commuters who can't find parking downtown year-around. In the summer especially, it sees tourist traffic. An operator is employed 12 hours a day giving the 15-second rides.
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