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Oregon City Voyage Tips and guide

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    Oregon City is a city of 37,000 people (2019) in the Portland Metropolitan Area. The seat of suburban Clackamas County, it is best known as being the end of the Oregon Trail. Several tourist attractions in the city commemorate this history.

    Understand

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    Although Portland is the main attraction in modern-day Oregon, those making the trek from the Midwest to Oregon along the Oregon Trail in the 1840s and 1850s came to their journey's end in Oregon City, near a camp called Abernethy Green. It was here that newly arrived settlers would camp while filing their land claims.

    • Dr. John McLoughlin founded Oregon City in 1829 as an outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company to take advantage of the power provided by nearby Willamette Falls. It became the capital of the Oregon Territory for its early years (1848 to 1851), and at the time competed with nearby Portland for influence.

    Today, its downtown area retains the historic character thanks to preservation of the historic houses and buildings.

    Visitor information

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    Get in

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    Map
    Map of Oregon City

    By bus

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    TriMet has buses connecting Portland's city center to Oregon City. Bus 33 goes along the east side of the Willamette River (while it does cross the Hawthorne Bridge, it mostly has views of car dealerships) and bus 35 goes along the west side (lots of trees).

    By car

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    I-205 runs through Oregon City. From PDX airport, take 205 south to Oregon City. 205 also branches off of I-5.

    • SW Macadam connects Oregon City into SW Portland through West Linn and Lake Oswego. It begins as SE 7th and crosses over the Willamette River from Oregon City on the Oregon City Bridge to West Linn and becomes SW Macadam on the other side.
    • SE McCloughlin goes from Oregon City into SE Portland through Gladstone and Milwaukie. In Portland SE McCloughlin becomes Grand Ave going north and Martin Luther King Blvd for the southbound traffic (a block west) from Grand Ave.
    • Cascade Highway

    By train

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    See also: Rail travel in the United States

    Get around

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    See

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    • 1 John McLoughlin House, 713 Center St, +1 503-656-5151. F Sa 10AM-4PM. John McLoughlin was the head of the British Hudson's Bay Company in the Oregon Country. His house has been preserved as a museum of the fur trade and settlement of Oregon. Free tours at 15 min past the hour. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (Q5472217) on Wikidata Fort Vancouver National Historic Site on Wikipedia
    • 2 Willamette Falls (Hwy 99E near S 2nd St). Natural horseshoe-shaped waterfall, 2nd largest by volume in the United States after Niagara Falls. A former paper mill overlooking the falls is being redeveloped. As of 2017, the best views of the falls are from a public viewpoint below the Museum of the Oregon Territory, or by taking the Municipal Elevator to the McLoughlin Promenade. Willamette Falls (Q8003290) on Wikidata Willamette Falls on Wikipedia
    • 3 Oregon City Elevator, 605 High St (Lower terminus at 7th and Railroad), +1 503-994-6633. Only municipal elevator in the United States. Observation deck has a view of city and the Willamette River. If you want a souvenir, ask the elevator operator (yes, it has one) for a "lifetime pass". Free. Oregon City Municipal Elevator (Q7101126) on Wikidata Oregon City Municipal Elevator on Wikipedia
    • 4 End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, 1726 Washington St (exit 10 from I-205 south, right on Washington St), +1 503 657-9336. M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su 10:30AM-5PM. Located at the actual end of the Oregon Trail, the museum features costumed historical interpreters. Adults $13, Seniors (60+) and Youth (13-18) $9, Children (4-12) $8. Kids under 3 and active military are free.
    • 5 Museum of the Oregon Territory (Clackamas County Historical Society), 211 Tumwater Dr, +1 503- 655-5574. W-Sa 10:30AM-4:30PM. Adults $5; Ages 5-17 $3; Under 5 free.
    • 6 Stevens-Crawford Heritage House, 603 6th St.. Th-Sa noon-4PM (last tour at 3:30). This historic house has been mostly restored and furnished with items from 1908 to 1920. Adults $5; ages 5-17 $3; under 5 free.
    • 7 Francis Ermatinger House, 619 6th St, +1 971-219-4881, . F Sa 10AM-4PM. Francis Ermatinger House (Q5480862) on Wikidata Francis Ermatinger House on Wikipedia

    Do

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    Buy

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    • Tony's Fish Market, 1316 Washington St (Across the street from Oregon City Brewing and Spicer Brothers Produce on Washington and 14th), +1 503 656-7512. Fish market that's been around for 50+ years.

    Eat

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    Drink

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    Sleep

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    Connect

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    • 2 Oregon City Library, 606 John Adams St. (at 7th St.), +1 503 657-8269. A historic 1913 Carnegie Library Building remodeled and expanded in 2016. It offers free WiFi and public use computers (ask staff for a guest pass to use computers if you do not have a library card). Oregon City Public Library (Q52159825) on Wikidata Oregon City Carnegie Library on Wikipedia

    By mail

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    Cope

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    Go next

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    Routes through Oregon City
    East PortlandGladstone  N  S  → West Linn → Ends at N S
    PortlandLake Oswego ← West Linn ←  N  S  END
    PortlandMilwaukieGladstone  N  S  → Canby → AuroraWoodburnSalem
    PortlandGladstone  N  S  SilvertonSalem
    SeattlePortland  N  S  SalemAlbanyEugene



    This city travel guide to Oregon City is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.


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