“Benson Bubblers are Portland's iconic drinking fountains. The city currently boasts 52 of the fountains and 74 one-bowl variations. Though the single-bowl variations look like Benson Bubblers, they are not. In fact, in the 1970's, the Benson family asked that the installation of the four-bowl fountains be limited to certain downtown boundaries so as not to diminish the uniqueness of them.

“Drinking water is fresh and NOT recycled, fountains are cleaned routinely. The Bubblers flow freely from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., daily. The fountains run 365 days per year unless a cold snap or excessively windy weather forces the Water Bureau to temporarily shut them down. The fountains serve up Bull Run drinking water!

“In 1912, Simon Benson, a local businessman and philanthropist, donated $10,000 to the City of Portland to purchase and install 20 bronze drinking fountains, now known as Benson Bubblers.

“Local folklore tells us that Simon Benson donated the 20 bronze drinking fountains as an effort to keep loggers out of the saloons at lunchtime. Others say that Benson was inspired after seeing a little girl crying at a 4th of July parade because she couldn't find a drink of water. Either way, the Benson Bubblers have become a historical and enduring legacy here in Portland.” (City of Portland Water Bureau site)

Proliferation, posted earlier: