Abernethy Green - Oregon City, Oregon - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Abernethy Green

Originally called Green Point, Indians gathered here for over 3,000 years to fish at Willamette Falls.

George Abernethy arrived here June 2, 1840, with the "Great Reinforcement" of Jason Lee's Willamette Mission.  He took 640 acres just north of Oregon City, including a neck of land that extended to the Willamette River.  This area became known as Abernethy green.  George and Anna (Pope) Abernethy built their house at the mouth of Abernethy Creek next to the Methodist Mission where the first laws of Oregon were drafted.

Oregon Trail emigrants started arriving on rafts from Fort Vancouver in 1843.  They put in at Abernethy's house and climbed up to Abernethy green.  Arriving in late fall or early winter, most of them opted to winter over in encampments at at Abernethy green.  During their stay here they would scout out their piece of the Willamette Valley, file their claim at the Government Land Office and resupply in Oregon City at places like Pettygrove's Red Store or Governor Abernethy's Mercantile.

Beginning in 1846 two-thirds of Oregon Trail emigrants took Sam Barlow's Mount Hood Toll Road which ended right here at Abernethy Green.  During peak years of the Oregon Trail migrations, Abernethy Green would be filled with covered wagons and neighbors Hiram Straight, Hugh Burns, Daniel Tompkins, and Jacob Hunsaker took the overflow.  In 1851 Hunsaker's wife took in an emigrant family with mountain fever, and she lost a son and daughter to the disease.  A rose from May John McLoughlin still grows on their grave.

A devastating flood in 1861 destroyed everything nearby.  George Abernethy was financially ruined and left for Portland.  By this time improvements along the Oregon Trail had cut travel time almost in half and emigrants no longer needed to winter over.  Abernethy Green ceased being the encampment at the end of the Oregon Trail. - text of marker

Group that erected the marker: The Oregon-California Trails Association URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 1726 Washington Street Oregon City, Oregon United States 97045

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