Heritage status for Oregon City?

The Oregon City News, Nov 23, 2009

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Oregon City and West Linn could become only the nation’s 50th designated National Heritage Area after U.S. Congressman Kurt Schrader requested a feasibility study for such a designation last week.

“As the first incorporated city west of the Rocky Mountains, and the end of the ‘Oregon Trail,’ the Oregon City region is steeped in history and has drawn visitors from across the world,” Schrader said in a press release. “Establishing a National Heritage Area would not only preserve the unique history of the West Linn/Oregon City community but also promote tourism that will bring much-needed jobs to our region.”

A National Heritage Area is a site designated by Congress to encourage historic preservation of an area that has a rich historical, cultural, or social history to it. It also must include outstanding areas to conserve natural, cultural, and historical features as well as have exceptional opportunities to educate the general public.

The establishment of a National Heritage Area has shown to dramatically increase tourism to a designated location, according to Schrader’s office.

Such a designation could galvanize a number of local efforts, as Oregon City considers how to best promote its history after the closure of the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and the Willamette Falls Locks have been shut down for years.

"Creating a National Heritage Area in this unique and historic corridor would enhance, support and protect the Willamette Falls area, fulfilling a long-standing vision for our communities,” Oregon City Mayor Alice Norris said in the release. “I want to thank Congressman Schrader for beginning this process that has the opportunity to bring real benefits to our region.”

National Heritage Areas are administered by the state government, non-profits or private companies, according to Schrader’s office, and the federal government and National Park Service provide an advisory role.

Numerous groups have endorsed the effort, including the cities of West Linn and Oregon City, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, Clackamas Heritage Partners, Clackamas County, Oregon State Parks, the Ice Age Floods Institute, Portland General Electric, One Willamette River Coalition, the Clackamas County Arts Alliance, the West Linn Paper Company, the Blue Heron Paper Mill and the Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs department.