Ramsay Signs built the original sign on top of a manufacturing building in Old Town in 1940. At the time the animated 50-by-51 sign lit up with 1,100 feet of neon tubing and 500 incandescent lamps, featured a pouring sugar sack.” In five separate stages, it read, “White Satin Sugar, Oregon’s Own and Only.” In 1957, the sugar came down, and the sign was rebranded for the sportswear company "White Stag" which used a white stag as its mascot. The holiday tradition of adding a red nose to make the stag Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer began in 1959. In 1997, the script was replaced by “Made in Oregon” to promote the Made in Oregon stores, but the stag remained. In 2010 the City of Portland took over ownership and maintenance of the beloved fixture in Old Town.The day before Thanksgiving each year the red nose is lit with a flip of the switch. You can see the neon tubing for the nose. It is the size of a football.

Enjoy the fall colors on this beautiful Portland day of November 16th, 2023