Progress, Oregon

{{short description|Neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon, United States}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Location map|USA Oregon|lat=45.457|long=-122.782|width=250|caption=Location of Progress within the state of Oregon}} {{coord|45|27|25.42|N|122|46|55.35|W|region:US-OR_type:city_dim:1800|display=title}} thumb|Business and apartments in Progress

'''Progress''' is a former unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States.<ref name=GNIS>{{cite gnis |id= 1136658 |name= Progress |entrydate= November 28, 1980 |accessdate= March 21, 2025}}</ref> It is now part of the cities of Tigard and Beaverton. It is located at the crossroads of Scholls Ferry Road and Hall Boulevard (unsigned Oregon Route 141).<ref name=OGN>{{Cite OGN|7th|page=786}}</ref><ref name=Atlas>{{cite book |title= Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer |edition= 7th |year= 2008 |publisher= DeLorme |location= Yarmouth, Maine |isbn= 978-0-89933-347-2 |page= 28}}</ref> The Progress area is home to Washington Square,<ref name=TigardGIS>{{cite web |url= https://maps.tigard-or.gov/Html5Viewer/Index.html?viewer=Public# |title= Tigard Maps |publisher= City of Tigard |access-date= March 21, 2025}}</ref> a large shopping mall that opened in Tigard in 1973–1974.

==Geography== The portion of Progress located within Tigard's city limits is in the quadrant east of Scholls Ferry Road and South of Hall Boulevard.<ref name=TigardGIS/> This area is the site of the historic Crescent Grove Cemetery (aka Progress Cemetery), founded in 1852.<ref name=TigardGIS/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Documents/Cemetery_List.pdf |title= Historic Cemeteries in Oregon |publisher= Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |date= January 15, 2025 |access-date= March 21, 2025}}</ref> The remaining three quadrants of the crossroads at Progress are located in the City of Beaverton, with the portion north of Hall Boulevard in the Denny Whitford/Raleigh West neighborhood, and the portion south of Hall Boulevard in the Greenway neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://beaverton.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=ccb23ad7e71b4e18b8b68aaa7fbf59bc |title= What's My Neighborhood? |publisher= City of Beaverton |access-date= March 21, 2025}}</ref> Progress Station #53 of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue is located in the Denny Whitford/Raleigh West neighborhood of Beaverton.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.tvfr.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Fire-Station-53-27 |title= Fire Station 53 |publisher= Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue |access-date= March 21, 2025}}</ref>

==History== Progress had a post office from August 28, 1899, to July 11, 1904.<ref name=OGN/><ref name=Friedman>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4i1grNoMcWgC |title= In Search of Western Oregon |author= Friedman, Ralph |authorlink= Ralph Friedman |year= 1990 |page= 382|publisher= The Caxton Printers, Ltd |location= Caldwell, Idaho |isbn= 0-87004-332-3}}</ref> The first postmaster was Joseph Hingley.<ref name=OGN/>

In 1915, Progress was described as a village along the interurban Portland, Eugene & Eastern Railroad (P.E. & E.).<ref name=Resources>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7Ng2AQAAMAAJ |title= The State of Oregon: Its Resources and Opportunities; Official Pamphlet Published for the Information of Homeseekers, Settlers and Investors |publisher= Oregon State Immigration Commission |author= Burke, Thomas C. Burke |year= 1915 |page= 284}}</ref> It had a Methodist and an Episcopal church, as well as a grade school.<ref name=Resources/> At that time the primary economic activities were horticulture and agriculture.<ref name=Resources/> The former P.E. & E. line is now the Tigard Branch of the Portland and Western Railroad, which is also in use by WES Commuter Rail (WES). WES' Hall/Nimbus station is the closest stop to Progress.

By 1989, Lewis A. McArthur noted that Progress was "part of a heavily built suburbia" between Tigard and Beaverton. In 1990, author Ralph Friedman commented that Progress had been "[e]ngulfed by the giant mart of Washington Square."<ref name=Friedman/>

===View-Master plant=== Sawyer's, later General Aniline & Film (GAF), the manufacturer of View-Master reels, built a large plant near Progress in 1951.<ref name=Dimensions>{{cite news |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sunday-oregonian-camera-uses-3-dimen/168541797/ |title= Camera Uses 3 Dimensions |newspaper= The Sunday Oregonian |date= April 6, 1952 |via= Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=Gruber>{{cite book |title= View Master: The Biography of William B. Gruber |year= 2014 |author= Gruber, Gretchen Jane}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=19j5gvgE8fYC&pg=PA14761 |title= Federal Register, Volume 43, Issues 64-71 |date= April 3, 1978 |publisher= National Archives and Records Administration}}</ref> The plant closed in 2000,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian-mattel-will-shut-beaverton/168555658/ |title= Mattel Will Shut Beaverton Site |author= Frentress, Aaron |date= February 23, 2000 |newspaper= The Oregonian |via= newspapers.com}}</ref> and this area later became part of Washington Square Mall.<ref>{{Oregon Encyclopedia|beaverton|Beaverton|author= Schade, Liza J.}}</ref> The View-Master factory supply well was investigated for possible chemical contamination in the early 2000's.

===RedTail Golf Center=== The City of Portland Parks and Recreation RedTail Golf Course in Beaverton was originally named "Progress Downs".<ref name=Downs>{{cite news |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian-golf-course-gets-name/168534278/ |title= Golf Course Gets Name |newspaper= The Oregonian |date= January 9, 1962 |via= newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=RedTail>{{cite web |url= https://www.portland.gov/parks/redtail-golf-course |title= Portland Parks Golf |publisher= City of Portland |access-date= March 22, 2025}}</ref> The land, a former farm, was purchased in 1954 by the city to replace the West Hills Golf Course, which was to be the new site of the Washington Park Zoo.<ref name=Downs/><ref name=RedTail/> The course opened in 1966.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregon-daily-journal-new-golf-9-crow/168555486/ |title= New Golf 9 Crowded |date= May 11, 1966 |newspaper= The Oregonian |via= newspapers.com}}</ref> Progress Downs was renamed RedTail after a 1999 renovation.<ref name=RedTail/> In 2024, the city was considering selling the golf course to develop a Major League Baseball Park.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/13/selling-redtail-golf-course-portland/ |title= Selling RedTail Could Jeopardize Portland's Public Golf Courses, Committee Says |author= Land, Joni Auden |date= April 13, 2024 |publisher= Oregon Public Broadcasting |access-date= March 22, 2025}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://heritage.lib.pacificu.edu/s/beaverton/item/24906 Historic aerial image of Beaverton and the community of Progress] from the City of Beaverton collection

Category:Beaverton, Oregon Category:Tigard, Oregon