STEVENSON

The vibrant community of Stevenson is just 45 minutes and a world away from downtown Portland.  Laid out along the confluence of Rock Creek and the Columbia River, Stevenson is home to a great selection of restaurants, shops and and a delightful brew pub.

HISTORY

Taken from the  Stevenson Chamber of Commerce website:

Located just above the rapids known as the Upper Cascades, the Stevenson area has been home to Native American settlements for thousands of years. Their villages were focal points for commerce and social gatherings as they came to trade and fish along the riverbanks. Later the first explorers and missionaries (Lewis & Clark, David Thompson, Dr. Spaulding) used the Columbia River to penetrate the Cascade Mountains on their way to the Pacific Ocean. In 1843 the Oregon Trail brought the first of a great wave of settlers past our shores. Pioneers portaged around the Cascade Rapids on their way to the Willamette Valley.

Eventurally, mills and logging camps peppered the hillside, with flumes and skid roads to carry the logs to shipping points. Saloons flourished until prohibition went into effect. With the construction of the State Highway, and later construction of Bonneville Dam, the town moved further up the hill as portions of the original town site were flooded by the Bonneville Pool.