The Portland Street Railway Company was the first mass transit company and streetcar line in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1872 by transportation magnate Ben Holladay, it operated horsecars on a 2 mi narrow gauge line on First Street, from a barn on Glisan Street in the north to Porter Street in the south.
History
On April 19, 1871, Levi Estes, who together with D. S. Thompson owned sawmills on North Front Street, proposed to the Portland Common Council the operation of horse- or mule-drawn streetcars on First Street, among other streets.[4] That September 12, the council approved Ordinance No. 1065, titled "An Ordinance Authorizing the Construction and Operation of Street Railways in the City of Portland",[5] which granted the Portland Street Railway Company a 25-year franchise to operate a horsecar line down the length of First Street. At the time, most of Portland was located near the waterfront, making First Street the ideal spot for the new line. Construction of the line began on September 11, 1872. The horsecar rails were recycled from the Oregon Central Railroad by turning the iron upside down.