Willamette Mission State Park is a
state park in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
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 ...
, located about four miles (6 km) north of
Keizer adjacent to the
Wheatland Ferry and east of the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
. It includes Willamette Station Site, Methodist Mission in Oregon, which is listed by the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
History
The park is the site of the
Willamette Mission, established in 1834 by
Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to:
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*Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder
*Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor
* Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...
, who traveled to the area to convert
Native Americans in the
Oregon Country to Christianity. The missionaries built a one-room house that served as a school, chapel, hospital, and living quarters. They later added onto the house and built a barn. In September 1837, more missionaries arrived and built a blacksmith shop, granary, and a hospital, and a building that doubled as a school and a dining hall; the ensuing settlement became known as Mission Bottom. The mission later moved in 1840 to
Salem (known then as Chemeketa). In a flood in 1861, the mission site was extensively damaged, and the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
changed its course. The mission site is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
as the "Willamette Station Site, Methodist Mission in Oregon".
A "ghost structure" marks the location of the mission.
Details
Located along the east bank of the Willamette River, the park contains eight miles (13 km) of hiking trails along the river. The park is home to what might be the largest
black cottonwood
''Populus trichocarpa'', the black cottonwood, western balsam-poplar or California poplar, is a deciduous broadleaf tree species native to western North America. It is used for timber, and is notable as a model organism in plant biology.
...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The Willamette Mission Cottonwood was designated an
Oregon Heritage Tree by the Oregon Heritage Tree Committee.
See also
*
List of Oregon State Parks
References
External links
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{{authority control
IUCN Category V
Methodist Mission in Oregon
National Register of Historic Places in Marion County, Oregon
Parks in Marion County, Oregon
State parks of Oregon