Portland is a city blooming with cultural cachet.
From crowning culinary achievements, moments the world of sports will never forget, and music that shaped generations, there is no shortage of local icons who have carved their legacies into Rose City lore.
But who would go on your own Portland-inspired Mount Rushmore? Or Mount Hood, if you’d prefer.
The finalists
Last week, we tasked you with picking four of the city’s most influential figures, past or present, to be memorialized on an imaginary landmark. Well, get your chisels ready — we’re one step closer to carving a Portland-inspired Mount Rushmore. Here are the top 10 choices submitted by readers.
- Bud Clark
- Vera Katz
- Beverly Cleary
- Darcelle XV
- Tom McCall
- Matt Groening
- James Beard
- Damian Lillard
- The Unipiper
- Ursula K. Le Guin
Now, it’s time to cast your ballot. We’ll end the vote at midnight on Tuesday, Aug. 14 and share the final results in a future newsletter.
The challenge
We’re looking to find out which four local legends you would immortalize above all others in our imaginary sculpture, replacing the likes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — who, truth be told, would look weird in a beanie.
They can be historic or modern, but each nominee should have strong Portland roots (either they were born and raised here like Matt Groening, or made their name locally like Carrie Brownstein).
We’ll keep nominations open until Sunday, Aug. 6, and then put the top 10 names submitted into a ballot.
The top four vote-getters from that ballot will then be featured in a special newsletter celebrating their achievements, with — of course — visuals of what we think their mountain would look like.
If you need help brainstorming, go ahead and consult online lists of various famous locals — we won’t tell.