Clifton, Oregon | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 46°12′39″N 123°27′44″W / 46.21083°N 123.46222°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oregon |
County | Clatsop |
Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
Time zone | UTC-8 ( Pacific (PST)) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
GNIS feature ID | 1119023 [1] |
Clifton is an unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. [1] It is located north of U.S. Route 30, about nine miles northwest of Westport on the south bank of the Columbia River. [2] It is on Clifton Channel across from Tenasillahe Island. [2]
Henry Harrison Hunt, an Oregon Trail pioneer of 1843, established a sawmill in the Clifton area in 1845. [3] [4] By 1851 Hunt had moved on. [4] Later the site was an outpost for gillnetters. [5] In 1873 brothers James W. and Vincent Cook, pioneers of the Pacific Northwest salmon packing industry, established the second salmon cannery in Clatsop County there. [6] [7] [8] It is likely that settler Stephen G. Spear named his farm Clifton after the cliffs above the river before the land was owned by the Cook brothers. [6] Clifton post office was established in 1874, with Vincent Cook as the first postmaster. [6] The Astoria and South Coast Railway (later sold to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway) was built through the area in 1898. [5] [9]
The cannery employed Chinese workers, who canned the fish caught by Greek, Yugoslav, and Italian fishermen. [5] When the cannery closed in 1906, the Chinese left the town, leaving behind their bunkhouses (which no longer exist). [5] The other immigrants settled in different parts of town. [5] In its heyday, Clifton had two saloons, one with a combination skating rink and dance hall upstairs, two stores, a church, and a one-room schoolhouse. [5] The railroad tracks served as the main street. [5] In 1915 Clifton had a population of 200. [10] The dance hall burned down in 1921. [5] Clifton was not connected to U.S. 30 by road until 1937. [5] Instead, to leave town people either boated across the Columbia to Cathlamet, Washington, or took the train to Astoria or Portland. [5] In the early 20th century, there were five logging camps within three miles of Clifton and when the camps closed the loggers would move into town. [5] By 1930 all logging activity in the area had ceased. [5] Today Clifton is on the edge of the Clatsop State Forest. [2] Electricity did not reach Clifton until 1958. [5]
Author Ralph Friedman considers Clifton a "picturesque ghost town". [5] The town went into decline as the salmon runs were depleted. [5] One store closed in 1950, the other closed in 1960 and was turned into an office for the caretaker of the town, which was then owned by Bumble Bee. [5] As people moved out, the houses were dismantled for their lumber. [5] Other buildings, such as the first store and the church, fell to splinters, while some structures fell into the river. [5] The post office closed in 1966. [6] As of 1990, very few structures were left in Clifton. [5] The rail line that passes through the area is now operated by the Portland and Western Railroad (PNWR), who acquired it from the BNSF Railway. [2] [9] Clifton is still a PNWR station. [11] There was renewed interest in the area in the early 2000s because of the proposed Bradwood Landing project.
Clifton, Oregon | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 46°12′39″N 123°27′44″W / 46.21083°N 123.46222°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oregon |
County | Clatsop |
Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
Time zone | UTC-8 ( Pacific (PST)) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
GNIS feature ID | 1119023 [1] |
Clifton is an unincorporated community in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. [1] It is located north of U.S. Route 30, about nine miles northwest of Westport on the south bank of the Columbia River. [2] It is on Clifton Channel across from Tenasillahe Island. [2]
Henry Harrison Hunt, an Oregon Trail pioneer of 1843, established a sawmill in the Clifton area in 1845. [3] [4] By 1851 Hunt had moved on. [4] Later the site was an outpost for gillnetters. [5] In 1873 brothers James W. and Vincent Cook, pioneers of the Pacific Northwest salmon packing industry, established the second salmon cannery in Clatsop County there. [6] [7] [8] It is likely that settler Stephen G. Spear named his farm Clifton after the cliffs above the river before the land was owned by the Cook brothers. [6] Clifton post office was established in 1874, with Vincent Cook as the first postmaster. [6] The Astoria and South Coast Railway (later sold to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway) was built through the area in 1898. [5] [9]
The cannery employed Chinese workers, who canned the fish caught by Greek, Yugoslav, and Italian fishermen. [5] When the cannery closed in 1906, the Chinese left the town, leaving behind their bunkhouses (which no longer exist). [5] The other immigrants settled in different parts of town. [5] In its heyday, Clifton had two saloons, one with a combination skating rink and dance hall upstairs, two stores, a church, and a one-room schoolhouse. [5] The railroad tracks served as the main street. [5] In 1915 Clifton had a population of 200. [10] The dance hall burned down in 1921. [5] Clifton was not connected to U.S. 30 by road until 1937. [5] Instead, to leave town people either boated across the Columbia to Cathlamet, Washington, or took the train to Astoria or Portland. [5] In the early 20th century, there were five logging camps within three miles of Clifton and when the camps closed the loggers would move into town. [5] By 1930 all logging activity in the area had ceased. [5] Today Clifton is on the edge of the Clatsop State Forest. [2] Electricity did not reach Clifton until 1958. [5]
Author Ralph Friedman considers Clifton a "picturesque ghost town". [5] The town went into decline as the salmon runs were depleted. [5] One store closed in 1950, the other closed in 1960 and was turned into an office for the caretaker of the town, which was then owned by Bumble Bee. [5] As people moved out, the houses were dismantled for their lumber. [5] Other buildings, such as the first store and the church, fell to splinters, while some structures fell into the river. [5] The post office closed in 1966. [6] As of 1990, very few structures were left in Clifton. [5] The rail line that passes through the area is now operated by the Portland and Western Railroad (PNWR), who acquired it from the BNSF Railway. [2] [9] Clifton is still a PNWR station. [11] There was renewed interest in the area in the early 2000s because of the proposed Bradwood Landing project.