The original jail of Port Orford, Ore., still stands, though quite the worse for wear. Built in 1936 during the height of the timber industry, it was condemned in 1965. Since then, its window grills have rusted, turning its white walls a rusty brown on either side of its weather-beaten front door.
In its time, the small building probably held only a few vagrants or drunk and disorderly rowdies. While it never held a famous criminal, Becky Flake wrote on the Port Orford City website that in the 1950s the jail briefly housed a belligerent logger who pulled off a brazen jailbreak. What’s even more surprising, he apparently got away with it.
The logger had a few equally belligerent friends who were determined to free their pal. They reportedly pulled a log truck up to the wall of the jail and used chains to yank the window bars out.
The oddest part of the story is that the logger was caught and tried, but ultimately found innocent. It seems Port Orford had no law against jailbreaks at the time of the trial. Or maybe the town couldn’t stand to lock up a good woodsman.
Sources: Flake, Becky. "Old City Jail." City of Port Orford, www.enjoyportorford.com/cool.html. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.
