Native American legends taught that the falls were placed there by a great god so that their people would have fish to eat all winter.·
Willamette Falls was once the home to the Charcowah village of the Clowewalla band of Tumwaters or Willamette Band of Tumwaters, an upper Chinookan speaking people.
These lands were ceded to the United States Government under the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (signed on January 22, 1855; ratified on March 3, 1855).
Tribal members were then removed from these ancestral lands to the Grand Ronde Reservation, a 60,000-acre reservation at the base of the coast range.

Willamette Falls is an important location for many tribes.
The abundance of salmon brought tribal members from all over to fish, trade, and interact at the falls and created an economic hub for the region.
Despite the removal of natives from the area, the importance of Willamette Falls continues to this day.
Each year the Grand Ronde Tribe harvests ceremonial salmon from a fishing platform at Willamette Falls and collects lamprey during the summer.
Native Americans from other Tribes, such as Warm Springs, also harvest Pacific Lamprey  at the falls.

European fur traders became aware of the falls in 1810.
John McLoughlin established a land claim at the falls in the name of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1829.
Oregon City was established in 1842 near the east end of the falls.
The town of Linn City was founded on the western shore one year later in 1843.
The two towns competed economically, vying for the lucrative steamboat traffic and the trade it generated.
With the falls representing the end of the line for boat traffic, river boat captains were forced to choose a side of the river on which they would dock to unload their passengers and goods; some of which would continue their upriver journey on winding portage toll roads.
Competition between the towns was fierce until the Great Flood of 1862.
Oregon City was inundated and badly damaged, but the unluckier Linn City was obliterated.

Navigating past the falls was not possible until the completion of the Willamette Falls Locks in 1873.
During construction of the locks, channels were blasted from the very rocks that formerly supported the town of Linn City.
Along with the locks, the modern city of West Linn sits on a portion of the former town site.
The locks were sold by the Willamette Falls Canal and Locks Company to the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1915.
Native American legends taught that the falls were placed there by a great god so that their people would have fish to eat all winter.· Willamette Falls was once the home to the Charcowah village of the Clowewalla band of Tumwaters or Willamette Band of Tumwaters, an upper Chinookan speaking people. These lands were ceded to the United States Government under the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (signed on January 22, 1855; ratified on March 3, 1855). Tribal members were then removed from these ancestral lands to the Grand Ronde Reservation, a 60,000-acre reservation at the base of the coast range. 
Willamette Falls is an important location for many tribes. The abundance of salmon brought tribal members from all over to fish, trade, and interact at the falls and created an economic hub for the region. Despite the removal of natives from the area, the importance of Willamette Falls continues to this day. Each year the Grand Ronde Tribe harvests ceremonial salmon from a fishing platform at Willamette Falls and collects lamprey during the summer. Native Americans from other Tribes, such as Warm Springs, also harvest Pacific Lamprey  at the falls. 
European fur traders became aware of the falls in 1810. John McLoughlin established a land claim at the falls in the name of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1829. Oregon City was established in 1842 near the east end of the falls. The town of Linn City was founded on the western shore one year later in 1843. The two towns competed economically, vying for the lucrative steamboat traffic and the trade it generated. With the falls representing the end of the line for boat traffic, river boat captains were forced to choose a side of the river on which they would dock to unload their passengers and goods; some of which would continue their upriver journey on winding portage toll roads. Competition between the towns was fierce until the Great Flood of 1862. Oregon City was inundated and badly damaged, but the unluckier Linn City was obliterated.
Navigating past the falls was not possible until the completion of the Willamette Falls Locks in 1873. During construction of the locks, channels were blasted from the very rocks that formerly supported the town of Linn City. Along with the locks, the modern city of West Linn sits on a portion of the former town site. The locks were sold by the Willamette Falls Canal and Locks Company to the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1915.
Willamette Falls