The Willamette Valley & Wine Country - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 483

log cabins, and this two-story clapboard home (a National Historic Site) was considered
a mansion. Free tours are offered; check the website for free events that take place here.

Museum of the Oregon Territory MUSEUM
( 503-655-5574; 211 Tumwater Dr; 11am-4pm Wed-Sat) Exhibits at this engaging
museum include a chunk of the Willamette Meteorite , the largest meteorite found in the
US (the rest is at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City). There's
also information on Oregon's founding fathers, Native American relics, an original
covered wagon and a full-size historic pharmacy. Head up to the 3rd floor for a good
view of the dam and Willamette Falls.

Stevens-Crawford House Museum MUSEUM
( 503-655-2866; 603 6th St; noon-4pm Thu-Sat) For a taste of the past, step into
this historic museum. Owned by a pioneering family, the 1908 house still boasts most of
its original furniture and other possessions, plus innovative (at the time) electric light fix-
tures, indoor plumbing and central heating!

Information

Visitor Center ( 503-657-9336; www.historicoregoncity.com ; 1726 Washington St;
9:30am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10:30am-5pm Sun) A good place for information and a few pioneer
exhibits from an old interpretive center that used to be on the premises.

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Champoeg State Heritage Area
One of the very first settlements in Oregon, Champoeg (shampoo-e) was located on a
flood plain along a bend in the Willamette River. After the historic 1843 vote ( Click
here ) , the town continued to grow as the era of riverboat travel brought increasing trade
to the Willamette Valley. However, this bounty only lasted until December 1861, when
an enormous flood swept through the Willamette drainage and the settlement, destroying
most of it.
Now a state heritage area and popular family destination, Champoeg State Heritage
Area ( 503-678-1251; www.oregonstateparks.org ; 7679 Champoeg Rd NE; day-use fee $5) is 25
miles southwest of Portland, off I-5 exit 278. There are 615 acres of old-growth wood-
land, grassy meadows, nature trails, historic sites and campgrounds. Films and displays
at the visitors center (

9am-5pm) explain the events that led up to the famous vote at