It’s rare when Portland hankers for anything in Vancouver. Yet in the summer of 1892, it coveted the city’s racetrack because it didn’t have one of its own. The Oregonian dubbed it as “one of the finest in the Northwest.” The track lay east of Main Street between 33rd and 39th streets and was nearly a mile long.
In February, O.M. Hidden and Charles Brown signed for the Columbia Land Company’s purchase of 60 acres at $50,000. The company put $30,000 down and financed the rest at little over 3 percent. The company’s articles of incorporation set shares at $25 each, covering the investment. Some investors had horses that later would race on the track.
The investors chose the spot for its easy access from Vancouver’s Main Street ferry to attract Portlanders across the Columbia River to gamble. They knew the electric streetcar extension from there would reach the track.
In March, locals got in on the excitement by incorporating the Vancouver Driving Park Association, which was linked to the Portland Speed Association. O.M. Hidden, an architect, was among them and designed the $18,000 judging tower. The surveyor finished platting the milelong track location in April. In May, city council members postponed any decision but said they favored the project.