In 1933, just as orthopedic surgery was emerging as a medical specialty, Dr. Harry Blair founded the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic in downtown Portland, Oregon. Dr. Herbert Thatcher joined him in 1935, and Dr. Joe Davis in 1939. These men gained a national reputation for their pioneering work in the new field of orthopedics. They began the tradition of teaching, research and excellence in patient care that has characterized the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic for over 75 years. In those early days, orthopedic surgery concentrated on bracing and casting, more than surgery, to straighten and strengthen limbs injured by accident or disease. Patients were often children, many of them crippled by polio.

In the 1940s, Dr. Blair and Dr. Davis left the clinic to serve in World War II. The casualties of that conflict changed orthopedics forever, showing the power of surgery to help and heal the injured. The years since then have seen advances in technology undreamed of by the first orthopedists: new materials, new techniques, new understanding of the body and how it works. The future promises continuing advances. Since its founding, doctors at the Orthopedics & Fracture Clinic have cared for more than 500,000 patients. While technology has changed since 1933, the Mission of the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic remains the same: "To provide skilled, effective and compassionate orthopedic care, and to maintain the tradition of commitment to the highest professional standards of orthopedic surgery."