On Wednesday May 22, 1901, Vaughn Street Park opened to the public, bringing baseball back to Portland. The city had been without it since 1896, when its Pacific Northwest League team folded. This great American baseball park entertained Portlanders for fifty-five years.

The owners of Vaughn Street Park had great incentives for building it. E.I. Fuller, owner of the Portland Railway Company, and C.F. Swigert, operator of the City and Suburban Railway Company, already had streetcar lines that ran to, or very near, the property on which the park would sit.

Together these men decided that the increased rail traffic, as well as the ballpark gate receipts would create enough funds for them to build Vaughn Street Park and maximize profits.

In 1905, the park's bleachers were enlarged to accommodate 6,000 spectators, doubling the capacity. This coincided with the Lewis and Clark Exposition, allowing the National Track and Field championships to be held at the park.

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