Welcome to The Volga Germans in Portland website. This site is an online resource for learning about the settlement of this ethnic group in Oregon. Migrating from the Germanic areas of Western Europe in the 1760's, they settled along the Volga River near the city of Saratov and established colonies on the vast unsettled steppes of Russia.
These German colonists built stable communities, established farms, churchs, schools and businesses in their new homeland in Russia.
The Second German Congregational Church was located on NE 8th and Skidmore until 1961.
In the later part of the 19th century, these ethnic Germans looked to find new opportunities, escape political repression and preserve their way of life. Many Germans living in Russia's lower Volga River region came to the United States during this time period - settling first in the Midwest. By the early 1880s these pioneers were moving west and many came to call Portland their new home.
Henry E. Hergert, a Volga German from Brunnental, Russia, owned two saloons in NE Portland from the early 1900's to about 1912. One of the establishments was on the corner of Union & Russell (shown above) and the other was located at Goldsmith (now Larrabee) & Russell near the Albina rail yard. Photograph courtesy of Carol and Teresa Gass.
The Volga Germans became an integral part of the diverse fabric of this community. This site is dedicated to those families, their ancestors, and the descendants who carry on their memory. I hope that you will explore the culture, history and heritage of the Volga Germans in Portland and become active in its preservation.
The Wooden Shoe Tavern Softball Team in Irving Park. Many of the players were from Volga German families.
RECENT ADDITIONS AND NEWS
Video recording of Jack Hagelganz presenting the history of the Second German Congregational Church in 1993. (Windows Media File)The Portland Development Commission (PDC) is evaluating the creation of heritage markers on Martin Luther King Blvd. (formerly Union Avenue). These heritage markers may honor individuals, cultural or historical events, or topics of significance to the inner northeast neighborhoods of Portland. The project website can be seen here. Please contact the PDC and let them know that you support the recognition of the Volga Germans as part of this program.
A wonderful website titled MLK in Motion by historian Alan Silver covers the history of this well known Portland street. Featured on the site are some Volga German landmarks such as Weimer Hardware Building, now known as the Heritage Building which was recently purchased by the PDC.
Click here to download the latest AHSGR Oregon Chapter Newsletter
The first house of the Heinrich Hagelganz family at 797 Haight Street, Portland, Oregon, about 1907. Living a few blocks south on Haight street was the Heinrich Gerlach family. Mr. Gerlach sponsored the Hagelganz family (from the colony of Kutter), paying one half of the passage fee. Both families attended the Free Evangelical Brethren Church. Photograph courtesy of Joanne Krieger.
Portland is now the home of The Center for Volga German Studies at Concordia University. Visit the CVGS website for more information about the Volga Germans and upcoming events in the Portland area.
The Center for Volga German Studies publishes its second book: The Volga Germans by Sigrid Weidenweber
Following the successful release of Catherine last August, the CVGS is pleased to announce the availability of The Volga Germans. It follows Vadim and Svetlana to whom we were introduced in Catherine to the German colonies along the lower Volga and into the lives of the fictional Meininger family and their friends who have settled in Norka and later move to Schaffhausen.
The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability offers an excellent online resource list of Portland street name changes. The list is in Microsoft Excel format.
1938 Second German Congregational Church Confirmation Class Photo
Many Volga Germans that settled in Portland were from the colony of Norka, Russia. Please see the updated Norka website by clicking on this link.
Photograph of Henry and Katherin Miller's children about 1925. Photograph courtesy of Chris Kauhi.