While the roar of the crowd has thundered in Providence Park for years playing witness to numerous events, soccer, baseball, football, concerts and more, few know that not too far under the surface, a piece of Portland history literally runs underneath: Tanner Creek.
Nick Firchau, Senior Editor at MLSsoccer.com, dives deep into the creek--history that is--to explore how it has evolved over time and the secret world that few know about it:
Only a limited number of people actually know for sure what Tanner Creek is anymore. Some say they can hear it rush freely under a manhole near the Providence Park light rail station, others think it’s a sewer. Some say the water is only deep enough to cover your bootlaces, but others still walk around Portland today with t-shirts telling the world they kayak’d Tanner Creek, remnants from a DIY approach to cheap thrills in the 1970’s.
“It looks a like something you’d see out of old London down there,” says Timbers executive Ken Puckett, the man in charge of Portland’s stadium since 2000. “It’s Jack the Ripper kind of stuff.”
It's a fantastic read about the long history of Providence Park ahead of Wednesday's AT&T MLS All-Star Game (6:30pm PT, ESPN2).
