A Brief History of Montavilla
Originally, the community of Mount Tabor Villa was mainly orchards and farming, but the area began to change in the mid 1800s when local farmers sold off portions, which land speculators then turned into subdivisions.
By 1891 Montavilla had its own Post office and prosperous urban community. The completion of the Morrison Bridge in 1887, the first vehicular bridge to span the Willamette River, and the street car completed in 1889, created a vital link to downtown and were instrumental in opening Montavilla farmland to future development.
Mount Tabor Villa incorporated in 1898 with a population of 150 people on 1309 acres. It was one of the earliest subdivisions along with Tabor Heights, Belmont Park, Melrose & Crystal Springs Addition, which later became the Montavilla and Mount Tabor Neighborhoods. Today, the Montavilla Neighborhood is bounded by Interstate 84, Southeast Division Street and Interstate 205, and the western border runs along 67th Avenue to Burnside Street, where it jogs over to 76th Avenue.
By the early part of the 20th century Montavilla had taken on the trappings of a midsize town, with stores, banks and grocery stores, though hunting was still common on Mount Tabor. The majority of this growth radiated outward from the P5 Marker. By 1905 numerous newly platted properties used the contraction of Montavilla as part of their formal line title applications.
Stark Street was originally known as Base Line Road, which was the road built along the baseline for surveying across the state. The distance from the Willamette River to Gresham was marked by mileposts, and the P5 marker (which is still standing) was erected in 1854 and is located at 7732 South East Stark Street, 5 miles from downtown Portland. Pioneers arriving from the east crossed the Sandy River near Troutdale and followed Baseline Road to Portland.
In 1906 Montavilla was in dire need of sewers, street improvements, improved lighting for the roads and a secure water source. Stark Street was a dirt road, and, when it rained, often referred to as Mudvilla. As a part of Portland they could tie into the nearby Bull Run system. Securing another source appeared to be prohibitively expensive, so in 1898 80 percent of Montavilla Residents voted for annexation, which ultimately stabilized and encouraged economic growth in the district, providing sewers, better street lighting and paved streets. At that time, 82nd Avenue was the eastern boundary of Portland and was known as Meridian Road. As the Montavilla neighborhood expanded so did the city boundary.