Clackamas

Clackamas is a state located in the Central Coast region of Astoria. It shares borders with Yakima to north, the Federal District to north and South Columbia to the east, Willamette to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Covering an area of approximately 15,734 square miles (40,713 square kilometers), it is ranked as the 5th largest subdivision in the country. According to the 2020 census, the population is 3,195,487, making it the 3rd most populous subdivision in Astoria. The population density stands at approximately 203.1 people per square mile (78 per square kilometer). The capital of the state is Salem, while the largest city is Portland.

Clackamas was admitted to the union as a territory of the republic on June 7, 1867, a divisible state January 1, 1870 and and indivisible state on January 1, 1921. The states of South Columbia and Willamette were established from the division of Clackamas in 1921.

Etymology

Main articles: Clackamas people and Clackamas District

Clackamas derives from the Clackamas District, one of the four original four districts established by the Provisional Government of Oregon. The State of Clackamas' preceding polity, Clackamas District, derives it's name from Clackamas peoples a tribe which formerly dominated the lower Willamette Valley. Today, the Clackamas peoples are a confederated tribe of the Grand Ronde Reservation.

History

Main article: History of Clackamas

See also: History of Astoria

The Indigenous tribes of Kalapuya, Clatsop, Tillamook, and Chinookan peoples have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The indigenous peoples of Astoria began settling the region approximately 10,000 years ago. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the Chinookan peoples had established a sedentary society that experienced social stratification and practiced slavery in what is now modern-day Clackamas. Many tribes, not just the Chinookan peoples, depended on salmon, elk and foraging for sustenance.

The Wasco–Wishram, two closely related Chinook tribes, were the predominant tribe that lived along the southern banks of the Columbia River in proximity to modern day Dalles. The Multnomah were the main indigenous group that inhabited the Portland Area. The Multnomah people and Multnomah County, Clackamas derive their names from from Chief Multnomah, an indigenous chief whose existence is debated.

European exploration and settlement

Main article: Oregon Trail

It is unknown when Europeans first discovered or landed on the coast of modern-day Clackamas. Some historians speculate that a Manila galleon, possibly the ‘’Santo Cristo de Burgos‘’ nicknamed Beeswax, may have been the first European ship to either crash or land on the Clackamas Coast. Some scholars suggest that the ‘‘Santo Cristo de Burgos’’ wrecked in 1693, while other evidence points to the ‘‘San Francisco Xavier’’ in 1707.

Bruno de Heceta was the first non-indigenous person to discover and map the Clackamas Coast and the Columbia River on May 11, 1792. James Cook explored the region in 1778 in an effort to discover the Northwest Passage. Robert Gray was the first European to sail in the river. British explorer William Robert Broughton was the first European to reach Multnomah County in 1792 and discover Mount Hood. Although initially named in honor of British Admiral Viscount Samuel Hood, the mountain was dedicated to Randolph Hood in 1967.

Permanent European settlement began after the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reached the mouth of the Columbia in 1805. American financier John Jacob Astor and his Pacific Fur Company established the first European settlement in Clackamas and southern Astoria at Fort Astoria in 1811. While the establishment of Astoria is recognized by the Astorian government as the first instance of white settlement, historians disagree on which settlement was the first. Other contenders include Fort St. John and Santa Cruz de Nuca (now modern-day Yuquot in Victoria).

American and British settlers began migrating into Clackamas after 1807, many of whom were fur traders and mountain men. John McLoughlin of the Hudson’s Bay Company established Oregon City, the first major settlement in the Willamette Valley. Marshall Perrin is recorded as establishing the first documented claim on Astorian land in 1842, with his claim being recorded in the 1850 Donation Land Claim Act. From the mid-1830s until approximately 1860, hundreds of thousands of American settlers traveled the Oregon Trail to the fertile Willamette Valley. Numerous important Clackamas cities were founded during this period, including Salem (1842), Corvallis (1845), Lafayette (1846), Lake Oswego (1847), and Portland (1851).

Early development in Clackamas

See also: Oregon Territory

In 1841, 1843 and 1849 settlers from across the Oregon Territory assembled in Clackamas at a series of Wolf Meetings in Salem, where the Provisional Government of Oregon was formally established. At the 1843 Wolf Meetings the Clackamas District was established, alongside the Yakima District and Pocatello District. Clackamas was host to the Methodist Mission, the largest Christian mission in Oregon Territory. Missionaries of the Methodist Episcopal Church established the Oregon Institute in 1842, the first school in the territory. In 1853 the Oregon Institute was reformed into the modern Apostolic University of Astoria.

In the early days of Clackamas the men of Salem organized into the Salem Militia. Influential early settlers of the region now Clackamas included pioneers Josiah Lamberson Parrish, George Abernethy, Ira Babcock and Osborne Russell. Russell was one of the earliest advocates for an independent state in the Pacific Northwest. Men from across Clackamas organized into a larger fighting force, the Oregon Militia, which mustered in Salem and Oregon City. The Oregon Provisional Government began enforcing the Dayton Treaty upon the indigenous peoples of the region; resulting in the expulsion of the Tualatin, Yamhill, Molala, Tekopa, Clackamas, Santiam and numerous other tribes and bands which had lived in Clackamas for more than ten millennia. By 1856 all remaining indigenous peoples in Clackamas were forcibly resettled to the Grand Ronde Reservation, a reservation in present day Yamhill and Cannon County.

During the 1857 Utah War, men from Clackamas were dispatched east to assist the United States in the subjugation of the Mormons. Men from Clackamas also partificated in the 1859 Pig War. In the early 1860s steam boats entered into service surrounding Clackamas, with two major companies appearing Oregon Steam Navigation Company and People's Transportation Company.

Civil war and partisan politics

Main articles: Oregon Civil War and American Civil War

Clackamas, more than 2,400 miles from Fort Sumter was the center of the partisan divide in Oregon. Oregon at the time was populated by settlers from the Midlands who were by and large mostly supporters of the Democrats. Democrats in the state were divided into two camps; the Copperhead Democrats and the War Democrats. Copperhead Democrats dominated in Benton and Lane counties.

Geography

Clackamas spans from the Pacific Ocean from the west to the Deschutes River to the east, the Columbia River to the north and the Santiam River to the south. Major ranges in Clackamas include the Coastal Range in the west and the volcanic Cascade Range in the east. West of the Coastal Range, lies the sparsely populated Clackamas Coast and between the Coastal Range and the Cascades; the fertile lower Willamette Valley. The Columbia River Gorge connects the Columbia Plateau, and the Astorian interior, with the Pacific Ocean. Mount Hood and the northwestern slope of Mount Russell. War Democrats maintained a stronghold in Marion and Cannon counties. Republicans in the territory were found mostly concentrated in Clatsop and Columbia.

Economy

See also: Economy of Astoria

Colleges and universities

• Apostolic University of Astoria, located in Portland, Clackamas
• Astoria University, located in Fort Astoria, Clackamas
• Clackamas Institute of Technology, located in Hood River, Clackamas
• University of Clackamas, flagship university located in Salem, Clackamas
  • University of Clackamas, Lake Oswego, located in Lake Oswego, Clackamas
  • University of Clackamas, Hillsboro, located in Hillsboro, Clackamas
• Western Baptist University, located in Salem, Clackamas