Events
OSPA Annual Convention at the Oregon Zoo
October 10
2026 OSPA Annual Convention – Oregon State Pharmacy Association
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It’s a classic Portland story: the city’s premiere wildlife conservation center started because a pharmacist had a few too many bears in his back room.
The Oregon Zoo, originally known as the Portland Zoo, owes its existence to a British seaman-turned-pharmacist named Richard Knight (often referred to as R.B. Knight).
If you’re looking for a story about how a simple hobby turned into the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi, you’ve found it. Here is the breakdown of how Knight’s “side project” became a city institution:
The Pharmacy Menagerie
In the 1880s, Knight operated a pharmacy at Third and Morrison in downtown Portland. Having been a sailor, he maintained connections with seafaring friends who would frequently bring him exotic animals from their travels.
Knight began housing these animals in the back of his drug store. His collection eventually included:
The “Accidental” Founding (1888)
As you can imagine, keeping bears in the back of a pharmacy in a growing city wasn’t a sustainable business model. By 1888, the bears had become too large and expensive for Knight to manage.
Evolution of the Zoo
From those two bears, the collection grew rapidly:
MERCHANDISE – Get your official OSPA Annual Convention merchandise shipped directly to you. Order online at https://www.bonfire.com/store/ospa-store/?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_published_share&utm_campaign=ospa-store&utm_content=default THE 10 BEST Hotels near 97221 (Portland, OR) – Tripadvisor
Friday, October 9, 2026
Sunday, October 11, 2026 10:30 am & 11:30 am– Japanese Gardens Private Group Tour (Advanced purchase required = $20.25) The New York Times has named Portland Japanese Garden among seven gardens around the United States they deemed are “so serene” that you “won’t believe they’re in the city.” Gabe Castro-Root, travel reporter for the Times, encourages folks to visit by writing, “Explore bonsai, bridges, ponds and pagodas at the 12.5-acre garden, which overlooks the city from a hillside perch west of downtown.”
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