Our neighborhood and the adjoining land to the south has a fascinating history – and much of this history has been lovingly preserved for us to see and enjoy.
This first article will focus on the Native Americans who lived here first.
The second issue will share the amazing stories of the early settlers – the Shipley and Cook families.
The third will take us to the current day, and Name Names! (Hazelia, Cook’s Butte, Lusher, Rassekh…)
But first – a quiz – did you know we all live on an island? (read to the end – answer will surprise you!)
Atfalati, Tualatin, Callapuyas, Clackamas, and others were all here first.
Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Lib.
The Atfalati were a subset of the Callapuyas and lived on the floodplains of the Tualatin River all the way up to Palisades and Lake Oswego. They subsided on Camas and Wapato (roots and vegetables), fished, and hunted deer, elk and wildfowl.
Selective burning and thinning of trees allowed crop growth and the creation of grazing meadows for wild game. Hazel nuts were a staple and Willow trees provided material for baskets. Local springs (including one on the present day Cook Farm) provided clean water, and Willamette Falls provided a rich fishing ground. During the warm summer months they moved in small family groups gathering provisions for the winter, then reunited into larger groups later in the year, settling in pit or plank houses.
Sadly, they were not immune to the diseases common to the early settlers, and many of these early natives died in the early 1800’s. In 1855, the remaining Kalapuyas signed treaties and most were removed to the Grand Ronde and Siletz reservations in Yamhill and Lincoln counties, along with other Oregon tribes.
In the 1840’s the first settlers arrived on the Oregon Trail – a story saved for the next issue!
Now, about this island: yes! We live on an island – bound by the Tualatin River on the south, Oswego Canal (1871) on the west, Oswego Lake and Oswego Creek on the north, and the Willamette River on the east. So, if you dropped 2 rubber duckies in the Tualatin R. and Oswego Canal just south of Childs Rd., the two duckies would meet up again at George Rogers Park where Oswego Creek flows into the Willamette River. And what stories they could tell – one having survived Willamette falls, and the other – lake water-skiers and the dam!
We are indebted to Rick Cook for most of this information (although his early memories of the Atfalati’s is hazy), and Rick’s diligence and passion for preservation makes it possible for all of us to enjoy his farm and vineyard while we wait for the flagger to let us proceed down Stafford.
