Champoeg State Park

Champoeg State Park Review

Pronounced "sham-poo-ee," this 615-acre state park on the south bank of the Willamette River is on the site of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post, granary, and warehouse that was built in 1813. This was the seat of the first provisional government in the Northwest. The settlement was abandoned after a catastrophic flood in 1861, then rebuilt and abandoned again after the flood of 1890. The park's wide-open spaces, groves of oak and fir, modern visitor center, museum, and historic buildings provide vivid insight into pioneer life. Tepees and wagons are displayed here, and there are 10 mi of hiking and cycle trails.

Robert Newell was among the inaugural American settlers in the Willamette Valley and helped establish the town of Champoeg; a replica of his 1844 home, now the Newell House Museum (8089 Champoeg Rd. NE, 97137. 503/678-5537. www.newellhouse.com. $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 children. Mar.-Oct., Fri.-Sun. 1-5), was built inside the park grounds in 1959 and paid for by the Oregon State Society Daughters of the American Revolution. The first floor is furnished with 1860s antiques. Pioneer quilts and a collection of gowns worn by the wives of Oregon governors at inaugurations are displayed on the second floor. There's also a pioneer jail and schoolhouse.

Also on park grounds is the historic Pioneer Mother's Memorial Log Cabin (8035 Champoeg Rd. NE, 97137. 503/633-2237. $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 children. Mar.-Oct., Fri.-Sun. 1-5), with pioneer artifacts from the Oregon Trail era.