“I’m almost to the end of my road, but I’m not gonna let that happen yet.” That’s what iconic stuntman Rober Craig “Evel” Knievel told reporters on March 29, 1974 , after breaking the world indoor record by jumping 10 trucks and seven vans in front of a packed Memorial Coliseum. Oh, and he was only a month out from a compression fracture in his back.
That’s right, 8,173 spectators watched the former motorcycle salesman ride his Harley-Davidson XR-750 up one ramp at about 85 mph, flying through the air to safely land past the 101-ft mark recently set by Southern Oregon native Debbie Lawler .
It was a memorable entry into the long lore of Portland’s daredevil history , which stretches as far back as 1912.