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Wilhelm’s Memorial Mausoleum Mural

By WW Contributor

6705 SE 14th Ave., 503-236-4141, wilhelmportlandmemorial.com.

The West Coast's oldest crematory entombs lumber baron George Rae's marble sarcophagi—and nearly 100,000 other decedents in macabre grandeur. The mausoleum grounds are open for public exploration on Memorial Day only, so Wilhelm's most meaningful legacy may be its rear wall. Perched high above the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, the mausoleum's eight stories are covered with a hand-painted mural of a great blue heron mural said to be the nation's largest.

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