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OREGON CITY

Oregon City, OR, now a south suburb of modern-day Portland, was the first incorporated city west of the Mississippi River. Begun in 1829 as a lumber mill near Willamette Falls, it was incorporated in 1844 and served as Oregon's territorial capital until 1852. This area was the terminus for water transportation on the Willamette River and had been a meeting place for Indians, hunters, trappers, and the Hudson's Bay Company voyagers for years. The first major overland migration to Oregon City occurred in 1842. Three years later the Barlow Road was established around the south side of Mt. Hood, from The Dalles and into Oregon City eliminating the need to raft the final segment down the river. Oregon City rapidly became a primary urban center and dominated social and political life in Oregon during the provisional government period. From Oregon City the emigrants fanned out in all directions to stake their claims and begin their new lives. They had reached the promised land. The provisional government allotted 640 acres of fertile Willamette valley farmland to every male citizen.

Oregon City is host to a number of historic sites and museums inluding the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and the Museum of the Oregon Territory.