The Viewpoint, The Restaurant, And The Totem Pole

3720Let's return to Terwilliger Blvd.

At 5700 SW Terwilliger Blvd in Portland there is an upscale restaurant with panoramic views of Portland and dinner prices to match; it's unit of the Chart House chain of fine dining establishments (If you have to ask, you can't afford it™). The Brown Eyed Girl and me ate there just once, a very long time ago, on a gift certificate. I had a pepper steak. It was superb.

It is the only address that's obvious, commercial or residential, along the whole of the Terwilliger parkway.

The restaurant in question.

There is a small parking lot in front but, oddly, even though it looks like it should be, is not strictly speaking, the restaurants. The Chart House exists at a public viewpoint called the Elk Point viewpoint, and you can park there (provided you can find a spot) for two hours no matter who you are, what your vehicle looks like, and take in the view. It's quite a lovely look.

Wy'east, from this vantage, seems far off and just a blip on the horizon, or maybe it was the overwhelming blue of the sky diminishing things (this is one reason I dislike clear bright blue days. They're actually quite dreary. The great leveller.) but I had to play a trick or two after downloading this to make it look anything like good.

But the majesty shows through.

... because it's Wy'east, and that's the way Wy'east be.

The real revelatory treat of the Elk Point viewpoint is the totem pole, however. dulled by age, it's none the less impressive for stature, about 50 feet tall, and if the story of the carvings are somewhat inscrutable to those without indigenous roots, it commands respect, and has a rather legendary creator: Chief Leelooska.

Chief Leelooska's Totem Pole at Elk Point

I had heard little of Leelooska but education was quickly to be found to hand electronically. The Chief was Cherokee, but was a great storehouse of cultural knowledge of many Native tribes, and had an especial love for the art of the Pacific Northwest coast. He was, in course, adopted by a branch of a Northwest tribe living in southwest Washington (the Leelooska Foundation, an educational organization and indigenous museum, is located in Ariel, a community on the Clark-Cowlitz county border). A page at Friends of Terwilliger has it thus:

Born Cherokee, Chief Lelooska (1933-1996) was adopted into the Kwakwaka’wakw, and was known for his mastery of storytelling and carving. As a scholar and educator, Chief Lelooska was recognized as significant resource on Native Americans in North America with a particular emphasis on the tribes of the Northwest coastal region. He was known for his versatility in wood sculpting, creating artwork that ranged in size from hand-held rattles and feast bowls to large-scale totem poles. The “Totem Pole” at Elk Point Viewpoint serves as an excellent example of Chief Lelooska’s work and is a prized part of Portland’s public art collection.

The pole lived at the Oregon Zoo for years and was apparently moved to Elk Point in 2014. It shows its age, and they're looking to restore it. But even as weathered as it is, its still magnificent in its dignity.