History Tours

OC Natural, Cultural History Tours Off To Good Start

Over 30 people joined Rivers of Life Center’s Youth Tourism Corps for an overview of Oregon City natural and cultural history as they walked from the McLoughlin House south to Willamette Falls.

“This walking tour is the first of three different routes that we are researching and presenting to an eager public, ”said Adam Doty, Youth Tourism Corps guide.

 Participants viewed geographic and geologic features including faults, basaltic scarps and volcanic cones, unique to the Willamette Falls area. The history of settlement including locations and operations of early mills at Singer Falls were visited and described. Doty, a 22 year old actor and interpreter, presented a cultural history story in fine-arts style that showcased Willamette Valley homesteaders and settlement.

“The purpose of all this is to enlist our area youth in doing the research and planning for walking tours that will visit the region’s unique riverscapes, steamboat landings and natural history,” said Jerry Herrmann, president of the Rivers of Life Center.

Local Resident Greg Swanson, who joined the tour, was “pleasantly surprised about the knowledge of young people and their enthusiastic presentation abilities.”

Future routes planned for March and May will give overviews of Oregon City historic fisheries and Native American uses of the river, while visiting actual pre-history village sites. In “A Tale of Two Rivers”, planned for May, participants will visit Oregon’s most difficult navigational challenges at the Clackamas rapids, where Oregon City, Gladstone and West Linn meet.

All discovery Walking Tours are planned for Saturdays and involve a 90-minute commitment. For more information, call Rivers of Life Center at 503-260-3432.