Clifton is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Clatsop County,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, United States. It is located north of

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

, about nine miles northwest of Westport on the south bank of the Columbia River. It is on Clifton Channel across from Tenasillahe Island.

History

Henry Harrison Hunt, an

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...

pioneer of 1843, established a sawmill in the Clifton area in 1845. By 1851 Hunt had moved on. Later the site was an outpost for gillnetters. In 1873 brothers James W. and Vincent Cook, pioneers of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

salmon packing industry, established the second

salmon cannery A salmon cannery is a factory that commercially cans salmon. It is a fish-processing industry that became established on the Pacific coast of North America during the 19th century, and subsequently expanded to other parts of the world that had e ...

in Clatsop County there. It is likely that settler Stephen G. Spear named his farm Clifton after the cliffs above the river before the land was owned by the Cook brothers. Clifton post office was established in 1874, with Vincent Cook as the first postmaster. The Astoria and South Coast Railway (later sold to the

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) was a railroad in the northwest United States. Incorporated in 1905, it was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of ...

) was built through the area in 1898. The cannery employed Chinese workers, who canned the fish caught by Greek, Yugoslav, and Italian fishermen. When the cannery closed in 1906, the Chinese left the town, leaving behind their bunkhouses (which no longer exist). The other immigrants settled in different parts of town. In its heyday, Clifton had two saloons, one with a combination skating rink and dance hall upstairs, two stores, a church, and a

one-room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

house. The railroad tracks served as the main street. In 1915 Clifton had a population of 200. The dance hall burned down in 1921. Clifton was not connected to U.S. 30 by road until 1937. Instead, to leave town people either boated across the Columbia to

Cathlamet, Washington Cathlamet is a town located along the Ocean Beach Highway in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States, where it is the county seat. The population was 532 at the 2010 census, though it has an additional rural population outside of the town ...

, or took the train to Astoria or

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. In the early 20th century, there were five logging camps within three miles of Clifton and when the camps closed the loggers would move into town. By 1930 all logging activity in the area had ceased. Today Clifton is on the edge of the

Clatsop State Forest Clatsop State Forest is a state forest in Clatsop and Columbia counties in the U.S. state of Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Orego ...

. Electricity did not reach Clifton until 1958.

Decline

Author

Ralph Friedman Ralph Friedman (June 3, 1916 – June 3, 1995) was an American author best known for his books about Oregon. Ralph Friedman was born and raised in Chicago. He hitchhiked to Oregon in 1933 at the age of 16. He wrote 10 books, and contributed to ...

considers Clifton a "picturesque

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

". The town went into decline as the salmon runs were depleted. One store closed in 1950, the other closed in 1960 and was turned into an office for the caretaker of the town, which was then owned by

Bumble Bee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera ...

. As people moved out, the houses were dismantled for their lumber. Other buildings, such as the first store and the church, fell to splinters, while some structures fell into the river. The post office closed in 1966. As of 1990, very few structures were left in Clifton. The rail line that passes through the area is now operated by the

Portland and Western Railroad The Portland and Western Railroad is a Class II railroad serving the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The PNWR includes a subsidiary, the Willamette ...

(PNWR), who acquired it from the BNSF Railway. Clifton is still a PNWR station. There was renewed interest in the area in the early 2000s because of the proposed Bradwood Landing project.

References

External links

Images of Clifton
from Panoramio

{{authority control 1874 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1874 Company towns in Oregon Ghost towns in Oregon Oregon populated places on the Columbia River Unincorporated communities in Clatsop County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon