Champoeg State Heritage Area - Newberg, Oregon
Posted by: 
RickObst
N 45° 14.896 W 122° 53.649
10T E 508306 N 5010535
Champoeg is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the Willamette Valley in the early 1840s. It is now preserved as Champoeg State Heritage Area as part of the Oregon State Parks system.
Waymark Code: WMZ0ZV
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 08/23/2018
Views: 1
Champoeg is best known as the site of a series of meetings held in the town during the 1840s. On February 7, 1841, Willamette Valley settlers convened there for the first time. They selected Oregon missionary Jason Lee as their chairman and considered measures to deal with problem of wolves menacing their settlements. It was to be the first in a series of "Wolf Meetings" at the town site that would establish the basis of civil codes.
By the middle 1840s, the question of the possession of the disputed Oregon Country between the United States and the United Kingdom began to loom large. On May 2, 1843, a meeting was held at the town to determine whether a provisional government should be established. The measure passed by 52 to 50.
The town continued to exist after Oregon statehood. However, on December 2, 1861, the adjacent Willamette River rose 55 feet (17 m) above its normal summer stage, flooding the town with seven feet (2 m) of water. The great flood destroyed most of the structures in the town, barring two saloons.
Panicked residents found shelter at the Newell House, which was built upon a hill. Robert Newell went nearly bankrupt in caring for the flood victims. Champoeg was never rebuilt after the disaster. The town site is now preserved as Champoeg State Heritage Area. A 1901 monument records the names of the 52 settlers who voted to establish the provisional government at the 1843 meeting. Dams installed since the 1930s make another catastrophic flood unlikely.
Amenities of the heritage area include a visitor center, an 1860s-style garden, the Newell House Museum – Robert Newell's restored 1852 house – and the Pioneer Mothers Memorial Cabin Museum.[4]
Also located in the park is the Historic Butteville Store, which was founded in 1863. Considered the oldest operating store in Oregon, it is the last remaining commercial building of the nearby community of Butteville.[4] A series of weekend interpretive programs is available late June through Labor Day weekend, and the Champoeg Promise program provides an interactive living history program for schoolchildren.[4]
The site is open year-round and is available for camping (tent, yurt, cabin and RV), hiking, disc golf, bicycling, bird watching, picnicking, fishing and boating. (https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=79)
Park Type: Day Use and Overnight
Activities:
Camping, picnic, disc golf, bike riding, hiking trails, historical museums
Park Fees:
Day use parking $5
12-month day-use parking permit $30
24-month day-use parking permit $50
Electrical $29
Extra vehicle $7
Full Hookup $31
Group RV $102, and $10 per unit after the first 10.
Group Tent $71
Hiker-biker per person $7
Pet Friendly Rustic Cabin $53
Pet Friendly Yurt $53
Rustic cabin $43
Special site $5 boater camp
Tent site $19
Yurt $43
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Background: Not listed
Date Established?: Not listed
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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