Historic Willamette

Architects take note. You can’t walk far in Willamette’s main street community without seeing stunning examples of historic homes built between 1890 and 1920. Recently, a significant grouping of Victorian houses and craftsmen bungalows was designated a National Historic Register District. These 16-blocks enjoy the largest concentration of authentic, period homes in West Linn. Many [...]

It wasn’t all work and no play in early Willamette. Pioneers had priorities. They loved their riverfront! A lovely, if steep, stroll takes visitors south down 12th. Street to Willamette Park where the Willamette River is wide and smooth before plunging over the majestic falls only a mile or so downstream. Spot osprey, seagulls and [...]

Willamette boasts its very own meteor. The 15-ton, 10-foot-long meteorite is the largest ever found in the United States. The local farmer who found it in 1902 charged the curiosity seekers 25 cents to view it. Today, what you see is a replica. After an ownership dispute, the real meteor was moved to the Museum [...]

Introduction Since the earliest days of human habitation, the Willamette River has provided the major means of north-south transportation in Western Oregon. The arrival of settlers coming to claim free land and a few years later the introduction of steamboats to the Northwest sparked the beginning of a water transportation system that though much diminished [...]

West Linn’s Living History Tour in Willamette is back by popular demand. Take a step back in time this September for Willamette’s Second Annual Living History Tour, a one night event where guests can journey back to 1908 aboard a horse drawn carriage and experience life in the Town of Willamette a century ago. Costumed [...]