HISTORY: 1905 Built Portland World’s Largest Log Cabin, Burnt In 1964, Learn How.
The world’s largest log cabin was built in the year 1905 for Lewis and Clark World Exposition held in Portland at the time. For many years it was a Timber Museum housing exhibits of the Forest and Lumber Industry. The enormous cabin required 2 years to build, it was consumed in 2 hours by fire on August 17, 1964.
Lewis and Clark World Exposition was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the centennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It attracted both exhibits and visitors from around the world. The event was held over a period of four months, the exposition drew over 1.6 million visitors and saw the participation of 21 countries.
THE FORESTRY BUILDING IN 1938
The enormous cabin structure measures 206 feet long by 102 feet wide and 72 feet high. Organizers of the exposition boasted that the Forestry Building was the world’s largest log cabin, and indeed it was, being constructed out of whole logs with the bark still in place. Most of the giant logs that comprised the building, came from old-growth trees in Columbia County, Oregon.
On August 17, 1964, at the Forestry Building’s approximately 6 pm the cabin was on fire which was noticed by a neighbor and when the fire crews arrived at the scene around 6:15 it was clear that nothing short of direct divine intervention was going to put it out.
The cause of the fire eruption was some bad vintage-1905 electrical wiring ignited that broke out into massive fire and burnt down the Forestry building.
