Site of the Vote for Oregon's First Provisional Government
Dr. John McLoughlin, often referred to as the "Father of Oregon," induced many former Hudson's Bay Company employees to settle the area in the 1830s. A growing number of American pioneers were also settling on the land. A series of meetings began in 1841 to discuss the formation of a government. The meetings went on in the town of Champoeg for three years until May 2, 1843 when frontiersman Joe Meek called for a final vote. Meek drew a line in the dirt with the heel of his boot and asked all who favored the organization of a provisional government to stand with him on one side and all who opposed to stand on the other. Fifty two of them stood with Meek and 50 did not, although the actual counts are disputed.
A frontiersman named Dr. "Doc" Robert Newell stood along with Meek in support of the provisional government, which subsequently selected Newell as Speaker. Newell arrived in the area in 1840, and in the year before the vote (1844), acquired a 640 acre donation land claim. Newell promoted the location for the townsite and was instrumental in the establishment of Champoeg.
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| Inception of Birth of Oregon, Theodore Gégoux, 1923 Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department : State Archives Holdings |
After this historical vote, the town persisted as a shipping point for river transportation. Wheat was the primary crop of the farms on French Prairie and was transported to market down the river on steamboats; railways had not yet arrived. An 1851 sketch of the townsite shows how undeveloped it was at this time. The platted town of Champoeg was recorded in 1852 and grew rapidly. However, in December 1861 an incredible flood swept through the town.
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| Markers in the location of the former townsite that display the water level from the recent 1996 flood compared with the 1861 flood Champoeg State Park |
Nothing remained. Champoeg continued to serve as a shipping point for the valley, and several new buildings were constructed. But another flood destroyed the town again in 1892, ending further attempts to use the site for a settlement.
Today, the townsite is located within the Champoeg State Park and can be experienced by bike. Champoeg State Park marks the northern point of the Willamette Scenic Bikeway and the historic townsite of Champoeg can be experienced by bike within the park itself. A basic map is shown below and a more detailed version is provided by Friends of Historic Champoeg.
We started our day at the Newell House Museum. Admission was $6 for adults and allowed us to explore the historic Newell house as well as the Butteville school and jail.
Doctor Robert Newell ("Doc" Newell) was born in 1807 in Ohio and came to Oregon by way of St. Louis where he worked as a saddle maker. At age 22, he began a career as a fur trapper along with partner, Joe Meek, and when beaver became scarce in the late 1830s, Newell decided to settle on the French Prairie in 1840 along with his wife, Kitty, a daughter of a sub-chief of the Nez Perce tribe. While he did not have medical training, he became skilled in performing basic surgical procedures and was referred to as "doc" from that time on.
Newell brought his provisions to the Willamette Valley, blazing the first wagon trail into Oregon along with Joe Meek. He first established his residence on the Tualatin Plains (now Hillsboro) but desired to be near a navigable river and so moved to the site of Champoeg where he accepted a donation land claim. In 1843, the mass meeting was held, as described above, to vote on a provisional government. Newell was a member of the Legislative Committee and helped frame the law that was adopted that July.
His wife, Kitty, passed away in 1845 and he remarried to Rebecca Newman in 1846. In 1849, Newell decided to travel to California and search for gold. While there's no record of a large stake, he returned in 1850 and built his home in 1852 taking up warehousing and operating a commission business in wheat. Newell was instrumental in platting Champoeg.
At its height, the population was around 200 people, with stores, blacksmiths, livery stables, churches, saloons, a hotel, a school, and other services. Markers in Champoeg State Park display the locations of Champoeg streets.
On December 2, 1861, the Willamette River rose 55 feet above its normal summer stage, flooding the town with seven feet of water. The flood washed away everything including Newell's warehouse and store and covered the entire town. Newell's home, however, stood high above the water and a large number of the townspeople took refuge there. He nearly went bankrupt caring for the townspeople after the devastating event.
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| Newell House |
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| Inside the Robert Newell House |
There are a couple of other historical structures next to the Newell house museum, including the relocated Butteville jail (1848) and two-room schoolhouse (1859). These structures were relocated by the DAR in the late 1950s. You can continue riding from the Champoeg townsite to Butteville along the Champoeg bike trail, which parallels the Willamette River.
There are four miles of trails within the park. If you decide to ride to Butteville, you can see the historic Butteville store, which is more than 149 years old and the longest continually active store in Oregon.
Butteville is one of Oregon's earliest towns and was used as a river landing. It was an arch rival to Champoeg competing for shipping services needed by French Prairie farmers. It survived the devastating flood of 1861. West of the store is a mid-19th century mansion built by a prosperous grain merchant. The main traffic was by steamer in those times, so the front door faces the river. A ferry operated from Butteville in 1853. It was a thriving port until the railroad arrived.
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| From "A History of Oregon Ferries since 1826" |
