First, traditionalists like Policewoman Lola Baldwin disliked the “mixed-swim” for the same reason they did not appreciate the dancing pavilion - they did not feel that it was appropriate for males and females to recreate together in such an informal way.

Worse, bathers did not wear as much clothing as dancers. Bathing suit trends gradually evolved during the first part of the twentieth century. As swimming increasingly became an acceptable athletic sport for women, suits that once resembled heavy dresses now became increasingly form-fitting.

In fact, by 1913 crowds of female patrons at The Oaks drew attention to themselves by discarding the skirts and stockings of their swimming uniforms, leaving only a one-piece suit that revealed their arms and their legs below the knees. Article

Progressive reformers also worried about hygiene within the city’s bathhouses. On popular days in 1913 Oaks Bathhouse patrons rented bathing suits before they had an opportunity to dry from the previous bather.

That same year, Portland Mayor H. R. Albee took it upon himself to write The Oaks and inquire about the measures the resort took to safe-guard the public at the bathhouse. Oaks manager John F. Cordray immediately responded and cordially assured the mayor.Document

Cordray was always quick to address concerns related to hygiene and safety. For the 1914 season he increased his supply of bathing suits, implemented a limit to the number of swimmers in the tank at a given time, and hired an additional “expert swimmer” to oversee his patrons.

The manager was less receptive to the critics of new bathing suit styles and co-ed swimming. The popular Oaks feature never segregated swimmers based on sex. Fashionable swim suits were always available for rent, but over the years an increasing number of patrons expressed their individuality by bringing their own stylish suit.

However, even Cordray understood that there were limits to the exposure young women in bathing attire could receive respectably in Progressive-era Portland.

In 1920, the city hosted the national convention of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Cordray promised the local chapter members that they could have the “run” of The Oaks for one day during the convention to host an event for the visiting Shriners. The local fraternal members decided on a “bathing girl’s parade” and called upon the young maidens of Portland to be a part of the contest that would present to their national brothers the “fluttering” and “laughter-laden” bathing beauties of Portland.

Cordray identified that such an event could attract negative attention to his resort from the city’s moralists and immediately called off the pageant.

Shortly following the cancellation of the contest, Portland’s Chief of Police Leon Jenkins received complaints from some of the city’s more conservative citizens regarding the attire and conduct at some of the bathhouses in town. The police chief agreed to organize a group of bathing censors that toured the city’s establishments and assessed their level of decency. After the tour, the censors declared that Portland’s establishments, including the Oaks Bathhouse, were clean and decent.

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