Oregon Prayer Spotlight: Canemah
Stand at the crossroads and look;
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| Canemah at Willamette Falls, 1867 |
We’re looking at a tiny section of Oregon this time, not even a whole town. Canemah is particularly interesting because it has been a spot occupied for so long and gives us a glimpse into the very early history of our state.
Canemah, meaning “the canoe place” and now a district in Oregon City, was once a very important location for salmon fishing and trading among the Native Americans. It is located on the eastern bank of the Willamette River, just above Willamette Falls. Tolls could be charged for portage around the falls, and for this reason battles were fought among various tribes over the area, although it was under the control of the Kalapuya tribe most of the time.
While the Kalapuya had salmon, trading and tolls in the pre-fur trader days, giving them some prosperity, the tribes were impacted by disease after the arrival of the Europeans in the early 1800’s. By the time the settlers began arriving in the 1840’s their numbers were greatly reduced. In the mid 1850’s the Kalapuya were relocated to the Grand Ronde Reservation.
Absolom F. Hedges arrived with the early settlers at Oregon City (1844) and staked a land claim at Canemah. He saw a lot of potential for the location, and built a tannery and laid out a townsite he tried to call Falls City. The name didn’t stick. He also built a sawmill and a store. The settlers upriver brought their products for sale downriver to Canemah where they were taken down the old portage path to Oregon City. Within a few years the path was widened for ox cart traffic. As traffic increased Mr. Hedges – and others - saw the potential for steamships. During the 1850’s steamboat travel was popular on the Willamette and its tributaries.
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| Sternwheeler Beaver on Willamette River, 1875 |
In 1861 a flood wiped out the bustling village of Canemah, but they rebuilt and continued to build steamboats for the river transport. However, when locks were built on the west side of the falls the boats no longer needed to stop at Canemah to connect with Oregon City and the village began to diminish. While now a section of Oregon City along the Willamette River, it is a site that has been occupied for thousands of years, the roots of our early history.
Pray blessings on the neighborhood of Canemah, and repentance for any injustice committed in those early days.
Prayer focus: The Oregon Legislature begins the 2021 session on January 19. Prior to that, January 11 - 15 are Legislative Organization Days when members are sworn in and bills are introduced.
Be in prayer about this year’s session.
You can find out more here.
Margaret
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