5 Black American Towns Hidden Under Lakes And Ultimately From History Books

In the 1940s, Vanport was the center of a booming shipyard industry because of World War II and quickly became the second-largest city in the state.

But as World War II saw white males drafted to serve overseas, a labor shortage pulled in a great migration of Blacks from the south.

With soldiers being drafted overseas to fight in the war, Oregon saw a labor shortage.  This resulted in a great migration of Black Americans from the south.

These new workers needed places to live, as the Albina neighborhood was the only place where Black people could live legally. It became too small for the growing population of Black Americans, and Vanport was built as a temporary housing solution.

At its peak, 40,000 residents, or 40 percent, were African-American.

But then, in 1948 massive flooding erupted in the neighborhood, and city officials didn’t warn residents of the dangerously high water levels, Many didn’t evacuate in time.

The town was wiped out within a day. 18,500 families were displaced, more than a third Black American.

Today, that area is known as Delta Park.