Portland, Oregon has a close link with water and is known worldwide as a rain soaked location.  Columbia and Willamette rivers and the vast numbers of lakes, waterfalls and beaches are close by.  The Portland residents and visitors are pleasantly blessed with the most diverse and artistic collections of stunning outdoor water fountains.

The City of Fountains

Those who are thinking of visiting this beautiful area and know that the weather in spring and summer can get exceptionally hot will find over 120 drinking water fountains. There are also 17 decorative water fountains to have a look at, these are truly remarkable and well worth some holiday snapshots. Following is a brief summary of some of Portland’s beautiful water fountains.

All of the fountains are spectacular but probably the one that is best known is “Benson Bubblers”, here you can taste the water for free by using the beautiful ornate bronze drinking fountain bowls. The story behind this fountain reads like a Wild West story of the late 19th century.

Simon Benson a lumber baron is a legend of Portland, being a non-drinker he soon realized that local saloons were slaking the thirsts of his parched timber employees. This was the turning point when he paid for 20 fountains to flow 24 hours a day giving people alternative refreshment. Today it remains famous and is appreciated by everyone on a hot summer afternoons.

Salmon Street Springs is another popular water fountain this is the centerpiece at the cities popular Tom McCall waterfront park. This is a beautiful picturesque span of green leading along the western banks of the Willamette River which flows through downtown.

Adults and children of all ages are always delighted watching the water fountains rhythmic patterns. Changing their cycle of “Bollard, “Mister” and “Wedding Cake” formations, this fascinating fountains display all controlled from a computer underneath the main structure.

The Legacy of Stephen Skidmore

Stephen Skidmore of Portlander in the late 1878, because of a trip he had taken to France for the Paris Exposition, was so inspired that he decided to create a fountain of beauty for his home city. This fountain is something that Portlanders of today still smile about as the colorful Mr. Skidmore specified that it was not only for men but the fountain was to serve horses and dogs as well.

The water fountain was so elegant that people on the East Coast thought the fountain was out of character for this frontier town, which at the time is what they considered Portland was. It was some say that because of Benson Bubblers water fountains and being an anti-alcoholic theme that Henry Weinhard a Portland brewer offered to pipe fresh beer through the water fountain all day and night.

The Skidmore water fountain today is the centerpiece of the Portland Saturday Market; this is a retail institution that runs every weekend from March through to December 24th. Inscribed in the base of the fountain is the cities unofficial motto “Good citizens are the riches of a city”. These are just a few of the water fountains to be found around Portland, Oregon and there are many more beautiful splendid looking fountains for you to enjoy and admire.