The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in England in 1844 to provide a safe place for young men to learn and socialize. The association quickly spread to the United States. In March, 1868, Edward Quackenbush and William Wadhams held the first meeting of the Portland YMCA in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church. Quackenbush, along with E.J. Northrup, William Lair Hill, James Steel, and Dr. Rodney Glisan, all prominent Portland men, wrote up a constitution for the YMCA. By 1871, women were allowed to become members.
Early social and cultural activities at the YMCA included educational classes, a variety of lectures, mission meetings, musical entertainment, and theatrical events. The Portland YMCA continued to grow and programs soon extended to sports and aquatics as health and physical education gained popularity. Technical classes in automotives, plumbing, electrical crafts, and horticulture were also held at the Portland YMCA beginning in the early 1900’s. By 1920, specific YMCA educational classes served to become a technical school called the Oregon Institute of Technology.
Today, the Portland area YMCA is known as the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette. It continues to be a vital community organization in which people of all ages can be physically and socially active within a safe and nonthreatening environment.
From the guide to the The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of Portland, Oregon, Archives, 1868-2005, (Lewis & Clark College Special Collections and Archives)
