Military memorabilia: Oregon City man quietly built huge collection

When Mark Togni walked the Oregon City property he and his business partner were interested in buying recently, the depth and breadth of the military history stored there wasn’t all that clear.

But once the deal was made, Togni said that a more thorough exploration revealed something incredibly unique and special. And it’s something he wants to share with people before it’s gone.

Turns out, an 81-year-old Oregon City man named Rowdie Tamblyn had been collecting military memorabilia for decades. Togni said that when Tamblyn’s wife would travel, he’d purchase a financially equal amount of military equipment when she returned. This went on for decades, and Togni is stunned by the size of the accumulated military memorabilia.

“In 2017 they move and Rowdie, in his retirement, fiddled with the property, but never told anybody about this collection,” Togni explained. “So, he puts the house up for sale in 2023 around Christmastime and there’s about 12 buyers. Rowdie was like, whoever buys this place has to deal with the collection.”

That left many potential buyers less than enthused about the prospect, but Togni thought it was worth the effort.

“The property is amazing, over an acre in the middle of Oregon City,” Togni said. “The collection takes up probably a third of the property. There are mini warehouses that are connected to barns that are connected to outdoor sheltered areas.

“And it’s not hoarding,” Togni said. “He’s got it organized.

The military collection — which features a 3-ton anchor off a World War II frigate, Navy WAVES uniforms still in plastic, B-52 flight suits and much more — spans World War II into the 1980s. There’s a ton of interest in this new discovery, so much so that a New York production company is stopping by to film Thursday through Saturday for a show they are developing. And, said Togni, the property, located at 1101 14th St. in Oregon City, will be open to the public on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for sales of the collection.

Togni said the goal is to give the film crew some nice interaction with the collection, while also providing people a chance to acquire some of this unique and wide-ranging military collection. It will be a chance to make good deals on really unique items.

“When we toured the property and saw all this stuff, I told my business partner I’d invest a year of my life to help deal with all this,” Togni said. “I want people to come and see this before it all goes away. It’s really amazing.”