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Champoeg Park

By a nail-biting vote of 52-50 in 1843, Oregon became a provisional territory of the United States. The voting site is at Champoeg Park on the Willamette River about 20 miles southwest of Portland.

There was a city at Champoeg (cham-poo-e’) at one time, but several floods in the late 1800’s destroyed most of the buildings. Maybe as a hint for the modern day, the Champoeg folks learned their lesson and soon moved to higher ground.

After putting on my raingear, it never stopped raining the entire four hours of the hike, I visited the pavilion and monument commemorating the 1843 event. A short loop to the west along the river was the next stage of my outing, passing huge cottonwood trees.

After returning to the pavilion, I began hiking to the east on a cinder path, which soon turned to a paved lane along the River.

A side path took me by an 1845 pioneer woman’s gravesite and then a nature hike loop.

I then hiked an additional 1 1/2 miles to the Butteville Store, originally opened in 1863. It’s typically closed in the late fall and winter seasons.

The hike back to the trailhead was wet, but very pleasant with squirrels and songbirds keeping me company.

Reflections in the Willamette River

The historic Butteville Store

Mushrooms and Licorice Ferns

Different sections of the trail