Tigard Public Library's Local History Room is unavailable while the building is closed for HVAC upgrades.

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Historic Main Street Walking Tour

Download the map for a self-guided tour!
Put on your walking shoes and explore the early development of Main Street. Download the map above or visit the library to pick up a printed version. Learn about the entrepreneurs, their businesses and other events that helped shape downtown Tigard from a rural crossroads to a thriving commercial center.

Tigard History Talks

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Curtis Tigard Interview

Curtis Tigard
April 13, 1909 - July 25, 2018

Curtis Tigard, whose grandfather Wilson M. Tigard founded our city in 1852, sat down with cameras rolling on October 1, 2010 and recalled some great tales for use as a historical record.

Mr. Tigard was born in 1909, and as you'll see in the video, he is witty, conversant and very sharp as he recalls magical moments of his boyhood in Tigard in the early 1900's. Hunting skunks at the foot of Bull Mountain, swimming in Fanno Creek behind where the library now sits, catching crawdads in the Tualatin River, walking 6 miles to and from high school fueled by 6 maple bars after football practice are just some of the stories you'll hear.

He also discusses finding a job during the Great Depression and how his wife helped the founding of Cook Park half a century ago. The interview was conducted, appropriately, in his uncle's home, the John Tigard House which was saved from demolition in the 1970's. The home was moved over 30 years ago and sits on the corner of SW Canterbury Lane and SW 103rd in Tigard.