Willamette, Oregon facts for kids

The town of Willamette, Oregon was a small community that started in Oregon. It was officially created on October 5, 1908. Willamette was located right across the Willamette River from Oregon City, Oregon. It was also upstream from the famous Willamette Falls.

The area was first known as Willamette Falls. Later, its name was made shorter to just Willamette. James Downey was the first mayor of this new town. About 300 people lived in Willamette at that time.

The main business in town was the Capen Shoe Company Factory. It was located on 7th Avenue, which is now called Willamette Falls Drive. Every home in Willamette had electricity, running water, and a sewage system. The town even had its own electric trolley service. This trolley ran from Main Street to the Willamette Falls Railroad station. Some people used the trolley to go to work at paper mills. These mills were on the west side of the Willamette River and in Oregon City.

Challenges for Willamette

In 1910 and 1911, the town of Willamette faced a health challenge. Many people became sick with a fever. At first, people thought it was caused by floods from the Willamette River. They believed the floods might have made the town's well water unsafe.

Newspapers at the time reported that about 10% of the town's people, around 35 individuals, got sick. Sadly, at least one person died. Later, state health officials checked the well and found it was clean. This meant the source of the sickness was still a mystery.

Official Paperwork Issues

In 1912, the former mayor, James Downey, took the town to court. He said that Willamette had not properly filed its official paperwork to become a town. Because of this, he argued the town could not collect taxes.

A judge agreed with him. County officials had never officially checked the vote from 1908 that made Willamette a town. So, in 1913, the town held a new vote. This time, they made sure all the correct paperwork was filed.

Joining West Linn

In 1913, the town of Willamette tried to join with nearby communities. These communities were Sunset, Windsor, West Oregon City, and Bolton. Willamette tried twice, but it didn't work.

Instead, in August 1913, these other communities decided to join together themselves. They formed the city we know today as West Linn.

A few years later, in 1917, the much larger city of West Linn officially joined with Willamette. This meant Willamette became part of West Linn. This was good for Willamette because it then got access to West Linn's clean water. This water came from the nearby Clackamas River.

The original area of Willamette was recognized as a special place in 2009. It was named a "National Register Historic District." This means it's an important historical area. It also includes the local historic district of Willamette, which West Linn had set up in the 1970s.