"Historic Site, but L ..." a Champoeg State Park Travel Page by glabah

Champoeg was, for many many years, an important community in Oregon. Just how far this community goes back is anyone's guess: one of my relatives once had a friend that lived in the area near Butteville, and had a vast collection of Native American arrowheads collected just from their own property.

Obviously, history here goes back far before the arrival of the written word.

Today, the state park includes a large number of open areas, and some forested areas along the river. The park has camping, fishing, a bike path from Champoeg to Butteville, several historical displays and museums, and a number of other items. There are many picnic areas, and a freebee golf course that wanders through part of the park. A few historical sites in the park, such as the Kitty Newell grave, are marked.

At one time, the area around the park was mostly farmland. Today, some of the farm land remains, but to an increasing degree the area is turning into a residential area for those who work in Wilsonville's high-tech industry. The park used to be fairly quiet and pleasant, but in recent years the roar of traffic on Wilsonville Road, across the river, has become incessant as more and more people move into the area.

Some pleasant aspects of the area remain, and some of the farms have turned into wineries and vinyards, which is hope that at least some of the region will be preserved from suburban sprawl.

Champoeg State Park has a number of web sites about it, including:

Oregon State Parks, Park # 113: http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_113.php

Friends of Historic Champoeg: http://www.champoeg.org/
This web site includes a park guide: http://www.champoeg.org/park.htm