McLoughlin Promenade Hike

Overview

Founded on an 1829 land claim by Dr. John McLoughlin, Chief Factor at the Hudson Bay Company's Fort Vancouver, Oregon City was the first incorporated city to the west of the Rocky Mountains. The city sits on basalt terraces above Willamette Falls, one of the largest waterfalls (by volume) in North America. In 1846, Great Britain and the United States signed a treaty delineating the current boundary with Canada, and McLoughlin, the "Father of Oregon," moved to Oregon City. Soon thereafter, new settlers began arriving after traveling across the country via the Oregon Trail and Oregon City became the capital of the Oregon Territory and then, in 1859, the newly created State of Oregon. This walk takes you through some of this history. Begin at the 20th century Municipal Elevator, and then walk the higher terrace to get views of Willamette Falls. Continue upriver, stopping at the Museum of the Oregon Territory if you wish, to Old Canemah Park, near the site of the town of Canemah (now part of Oregon City). The two settlements were connected by a portage path that served upriver and downriver traffic. Return the same way along the bluff and visit Dr. McLoughlin's house and grave before descending to the lower terrace and your vehicle. Walk up to the municipal elevator through a pedestrian tunnel under the Union Pacific railroad tracks. Historic holographic photographs document the construction of the elevator. Volunteers sometimes operate the lift, which rises 90 feet, and can answer questions: it is one of only four such elevators in the world. From the top of the bluff, you can view Willamette Falls and the closed (2011) Blue Heron Paper Company Mill from a glass-fronted viewing rotunda. Go right on the sidewalk (the McLoughlin Promenade) after exiting the elevator, and head up with a row of historic homes to your left. Below you, on the terrace above the river, is Oregon City's busy industrial area. The clifftop McLoughlin Promenade was constructed in the 1930s as a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project.

Trail Stats

Photos

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