The Portland Zoo Railway was founded in 1958 in the West Hills of Portland, one year before the opening of the new Portland Zoo. Its flagship, the streamlined, Space Age-styled Zooliner made its debut on June 5, 1958, and carried over 2,500 riders that day. This was a year before the opening, and the fares collected over the season, as planned, were used to fund and build the zoo. By the end of the summer, the Zooliner had carried 200,000 passengers. The magnificencse of the Zooliner rolling down the track with flags flying, symbolized the optimism and growth of the post-war era. A year later, the steam-powered Oregon Locomotive No. 1 was added to the rolling stock. Historian Melissa Darby will trace the history of the railroad, including some famous passengers. 

Melissa Darby is an award-winning scholar, author, and archaeologist and is on the research faculty in the Department of Anthropology at Portland State University. Darby has worked for over forty years in the Northwest and is the principal investigator at Lower Columbia Research & Archaeology, LLC. 

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp