4 min
Overview
In 2013, the City of Tigard purchased a section of abandoned railroad paralleling Tigard Street and drew up plans to convert it into a paved universal access trail billed as an ‘outdoor museum.’ The trail opened in December 2019 with exhibits along the way, between Main Street and Tiedeman Avenue, honoring residents and settlers of the area from different ethnic communities. The trail itself is ¾ mile long, so for the return it’s suggested that you take the Fanno Creek Trail as it winds through Dirksen Nature Park and Woodard Park to end up at Main Street again. The trail begins at Rotary Plaza on Main Street. The first exhibit tells the story of Harry Kuehne, an early resident originally from Austria. Also mentioned here is the man for whom Tigard is named, Wilson Tigard. Pass under the Highway 99 viaduct, with an active railroad line behind the fence on your right. Murals by M.J. Lindo and Joshua Lawyer brighten up the highway piers, and plantings line the path. Other displays tell the stories of Chinese-American, African-American, and Latina members of the community. You’ll pass Grant Street, which crosses Fanno Creek. Tall ponderosa pines rise to your right in a scrubland next to the railroad. There’s a history of early Japanese-American settlers as the trail and Tigard Street curve to the right. A brand new development is rising across the street. The environment becomes decidedly more industrial as you pass next to a lumber yard. You’ll reach the end of the trail where the railroad tracks cross Tiedeman Avenue. The display at this northern portal honors BaXawádas Louis Kenoyer, the last speaker of the Tualatin dialect of the Kalapuyan language. Return down the trail about 40 yards and take the connector to the sidewalk below. Follow the sidewalk to the four-way junction of Tiedeman and Tigard Street. Go right at the junction to follow Tigard Street and pass over Fanno Creek on a footbridge near a beautiful old farmhouse. Cross Tigard Street and enter Dirksen Nature Park on the Fanno Creek Trail. A ru
Trail Stats
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19 m
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Photos
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