Journalist By Nature: Oregon City: A Living History Tour

Early Oregon City settlement

Today was a triple denominated date: the first day of spring, the official national Day of Happiness and a typical Dryday for the hikers. It couldn't have been a better time to tour the hilly historical points of Oregon City. According to Foster's research "In a last-gasp effort to secure the area south of the Columbia for England, McLoughlin had the site at Willamette Falls platted in 1842 and named it Oregon City. However, the area was by then de facto American, and in 1845 Oregon City was voted by settlers to be the seat of the Oregon Territory's first provisional government. McLoughlin, by this time forced to retire for mucking up the British claim to the land, joined the crowd. In 1845 he paid the Hudson's Bay Company $20,000 for the Oregon City claim and built his retirement home there. By 1846 seventy homes had been built, 500 people lived in Oregon City (more than Portland at the time), and the United States-Canada border had been set at its present location along the forty-ninth parallel. McLoughlin became an American citizen in 1851, partly to ward off claims that a citizen of the Crown could not own property in an American territory. He died in 1857 in Oregon City, after donating much of his land to public use, churches and industry."

Our chilly band of seven met at the McLoughlin House but found it closed for the day. It was looking a bit unkempt with peeling paint, a broken doorbell and a yard in need of attention. But Laura Foster's narrative guided us around the house, beyond a Phoenix-banded bird bath, down a winding stone staircase, past the Singer Creek waterfall to the base of the Oregon City Municipal Elevator. The city of today looks vastly different from the painting above, where houses have been replaced with sprawling industrial buildings that are now themselves in need of serious upgrades or replacement.

Crossing mid-town traffic we made our way to the newly constructed bridge across the Willamette River from Oregon City to West Linn . Dwarfed by the interstate bridge of I-205, this bridge provides local traffic quick access to each side of the river. As we walked along the bridge we noted the seals bounding up and down in the river, trolling for fish. Their presence is inconvenient and competitive to fishermen on the hog line during fishing seasons but as noted in a news article at the Clackamas County Museum, they have been around since 1936. We were surprised to see these usually saltwater marine animals so far upstream in fresh water, but they obviously go where the fish are.

Gazing upriver we viewed the paper mill, locks and basalt-lined Willamette River Falls with its roiling waters rising in a mist above the smooth river surface. These falls have disappeared occasionally when winter and spring flood waters take the river height far above the rocky depression mid-river. In the worst of times, whole giant oak trees have been observed floating madly downriver. In an attempt to find the pathway down to the river's edge, we were turned away by a security guard who informed us that the pathway was no longer open due to the deteriorating condition of the area.

Returning to the Oregon City side, we walked along the stone-walled Promenade that parallels the river above the falls and mill areas. Old homes line the walkway and continue up the hill to the higher levels of the city. There are 60 historic homes to view throughout the residential areas, each marked with a plaque stating its original owner and date of construction. Many architectural styles make this tour a sort of art walk, with Gothic Revival, Four Square, Dutch Colonial, Bungalow, Cottage, Art Deco and Queen Anne to name a few. Colorful paint schemes on some of the refurbished homes are quite stunning. We encountered an owner/contractor who was replacing a basement and total interior of one little house in the expectation of selling it for a profit. There's money to be made in historic Oregon City!

The Clackamas County Historical Society is responsible for a clutch of museums in town, including the Museum of the Oregon Territory and the Stevens-Crawford Heritage House. Funding for these fine museums was withdrawn by the County and now relies on donations and the sales of photograph reprints of historical scenes. A group of extremely devoted volunteers keeps the doors of these museums open for part of the week and are the purveyors of great amounts of historical information. The Museum of the Oregon Territory is a fabulous three-story treasure house of well-planned exhibits that rotate through the year. There is no entrance fee and visitors can wander throughout the rooms to learn much about the native Indian tribes, early settlers and various industries and businesses that were an integral part of the local history. I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful facility.

As always, our stomachs dictate a lunch stop along our route. Today it was Singer Hill Cafe, a plant-walled, kitchy art collection, order at the bar sort of place patronized by a wide selection of locals. The food and Stumptown coffee was just what we needed as we listened to a couple of our members recount tales of their trip to South Africa. Safari adventures and a dousing at Victoria Falls were highlights of their journey, as well as family connections to native South Africans. Travel really is a broadening experience!

Taking a circuitous route back to our cars, we passed more historic buildings and homes. Plaques in the sidewalks labeled early businesses for additions to our history lesson. There is a revival-like air to Oregon City, with the downtown area sprucing up and the residential areas colorfully joining the 21st Century with new utilities and "faces" but retaining their original shapes. This city walk is ready to please you for a day of discovery of early Oregon history. Take a living history tour in Oregon City and come to appreciate many of the efforts and sacrifices that went into making Oregon the fine state it is today.