How Portland became the City of Roses is due in part by the effort of dedicated civic leaders and citizens who gave away thousands of rose cuttings to beautify the city.
If you were in Portland during the Lewis & Clark Exposition in 1905, you would find the streets of Portland lined with roses. Specifically, they would be lined with the pink rose named Madame Caroline Testout, after a French dressmaker.
Two years later, a parade with floats covered in roses would mark the beginning of the Portland Rose Festival.
Visit the Oregon Historical Society to learn more: Madame Caroline Testout: The Rose That Made Portland Famous.
