I love it when someone can take a subject of no interest to me and create a great investigative-documentary piece that engrosses me. Here I am late at night watching this beautifully produced TH-cam about something far away that I'd never heard of.
LOL! it's 2 am here in Salt Lake, and I just finished this video. I love oregon History (Roseburg born and raised) and I agree with you completely, very well done and engrossing.
I had the same reaction. I have no idea why TH-cam recommended this to me or even why I clicked on it but it was an excellent story. Good Job@@peterdibble !
I purchased a former park in southern Oregon. The land had been leased to Jackson county for a dollar a year. Even then , people drank alcohol there. It became a haven for drunks. Hundreds of people, learned to swim there. And kids jumped off the beautiful rock formations, into the cool deep river. I had jumped off those same rocks as a kid. I could not bare that park to fall into disrepair. I have been running the property as a private park, for 7 years. I get by with a little help from my friends.
Yeah, this illegal activity screams high school kids drinking to me, we used to go to quiet, dark river parks with unobtrusive parking for keggers. Old favorite was the woods by Staff Jennings under Sellwood Bridge. Course there could be a lot of other drinking and drug use too.
This is super rad! I would love to learn more about your private park and the process you went through to obtain it. I'm an Oregonian, living in the mountains of Oakridge. My family and I enjoy camping and it would be cool to check out your spot someday.
What a bizarre coincidence, TH-cam suggested this video to me, and I remember this park very vividly from when I was a young kid. My mother would take me here, and I would walk around the park and explore the riverside trails. I distinctly remember those giant empty buildings and asking my mom what those buildings had been for. She said they were part of a sawmill operation from a long time ago. I distinctly remember her parking at the NE corner of the park, and reading her book in the car, while I went exploring. It was very nice to see this documentary, it brought back good memories of my now deceased mother, and a piece of my childhood I had long forgotten. Thank you for this!
This is so awesome. I grew up in the 70s and 80s and these kinds of memories are the stuff of legends and campfire stories that live forever, thank you for this, I am an adventurer and appreciate it. I also hate how Weyerhaeuser, BLM, etc make it impossible to explore anymore. There’s miles and miles of wilderness mines, mills, bridges and amazing trails etc, swimming holes and fishing, I used to explore as a kid, that is entirely closed off and being overtaken by nature now..
It's not a coincidence. It was not the algorithm. Someone is 'essentially'...stalking you. It may be a friendly thing...but you are being studied and your life fed back to you.
@@funbrandi2603 About as much sugar as you're going to get from me: 'It may be a friendly thing' [unlikely]...Really, people need to wake up to the surveillance state.
I have no idea how I got here. But the fact that I watched this ENTIRE video about a park I've never heard of; in a state I've never visited; and a subject about its closure that I normally wouldn't be concerned about, says TONS about the quality of your work and your excellent delivery. You, sir, are an amazing TH-cam content creator!
Did you happen to call Oregon State Parks? Also, when you contacted us (Willamette Riverkeeper) we had no idea your question was related to a video/documentary. We could have provided quite a bit of context in regard to the Greenway and Water Trail. Ultimately, the issue with Coalca has more to do with the Railroad than anything else. In order to have vehicle access, there needs to be a closing gate given the tracks are right by the entrance. The Railroad does not want to pay for that, and it is cost prohibitive for OPRD to do that as well. All the same, you got some nice historical nuggets in there which is cool.
Interesting. I had a feeling that the crossing was a big part of the problem since that would require coordination between Union Pacific and presumably ODOT in addition to OPRD. Researching this video actually got me interested in diving deeper into the history of the Greenway, so let's chat again in the future as I imagine you'd have some helpful insight into that. 😊 Thanks for the help, Travis!
This is directly for Travis Williams, the original poster of this comment. Has there been any efforts or legal issues involving fund raising for a closing gate to be installed?
As a lifelong Oregonian, these videos are among the most compelling and stimulating glimpses into contemporary Oregon history I've ever come across. Great work.
I am a 5th generation Oregonian and have lived in Oregon city since 1994 and had no idea. I love history, and having it be local is a treat! This was so much fun.
Probably the biggest issue is that when the one house was built in the early 1990's they took over the railroad crossing, updated it and made it private. But looking at Clackamas County property records the crossing was not theirs to take. The property line for the Doerenberger Plant clearly shows that the crossing falls within their property (and therefore belongs to the state). Based on aerials it was used as a back entrance for logging trucks turning off 99E. Older houses south of the plant used the same crossing and simply drove across the dirt. So "someone" in Clackamas County Planning really blew it when they approved the zoning permit (between 1990-1994) for this house to be built and allowed them (or the county) to improve a rail crossing that was not theirs at all. Southern Pacific Railroad was not the best at ROW maintenance in the early 1990's due to their financial condition. Union Pacific took over SP in 1996 and they do manage their property lines very closely. They no doubt pulled the original surveys and records and found that the crossing is "illegal" because it was taken from the state improperly and therefore not registered with the Oregon DOT. I would say this is a very good reason no one wants to deal with Coalca Landing. It has a complicated legal problem on property easements. If you really want to dig, I would pull the records for the Clackamas County Committee of Zoning Appeals and see how that original property owner was able to swing that approval. Either the county surveyor or the private one they hired must have gotten paid a bundle.
I’m amazed at the amount of corruption involved. If the property maps show the state owning this part of the property then it should be an open and shut case, no questions asked. Another sticky situation might be that the railroads (to my knowledge) legally own the right of way therefore they have a say in it as well. Although I don’t see why the railroad would have a problem with it if they don’t have a problem with residents using the crossing.
@@_JanetLouise The video never explained what the illegal activity on the property was. I added the zoning/property line information to let people know that this park has some other issues that the state needs to resolve before they can decide its ultimate disposition. Most likely they will sell it to a private conservancy, but they have to get those property lines worked out first.
As an indigenous person to Oregon, thank you so much for including the tribal story & history. That’s a real traditional story about star crossed lovers
A 30min video about a tiny park on the other side of the country that I will never visit, will I watch it? YES! Did I end up being glued to my screen the whole time? YES!!! Why? Because Peter makes great stuff.
Nice video Peter! This is Will (and thank you for mentioning me and my photos in your video) who used to take care of it a decade ago. There was a huge lack of funding then as well as now and after about a year I was overwhelmed with the amount of work needed and I was the only one doing it. So it was permanently closed. Now in the past few years, after purchasing a house and living in Canby, I often think about adopting this park again. It has great potential. After Coalca Landing, I became an annual US Forest Service volunteer/ Mt Hood National Forest in the Clackamas River Ranger District in Estacada and subsequently adopted three Forest Service campgrounds as well as performed recreational duties throughout the district.
Wow, that's awesome! Thank you for your dedication to these natural areas. It's good to hear from you on this directly - I suspected the resources for Coalca were pretty minimal at that time.
I lived nearby as a teenager 1969-1971 and visited Rock Island and Coalca Landing from the river, and sometimes on my motorbike. I always wanted to climb up to the balanced rock. Thanks for the great video. I spent time on the log rafts and heard the trains coupling at night.
Wow I've driven past this so many times without any idea. The production and depth of investigation in this video cannot be overstated! It's unbelievable this is free content!
I grew up in canby and remember this park when there were still remnants of the mill. Specifically, there was a sawdust burner still there. We always watched for the balancing rock every single time we drove up hwy 99. At one point we had family friends that lived on this location in a trailer and we visited them periodically. Really nice to see this video. It took me down memory lane. Thank you
I grew up here but spent my early adult life in the Navy so some of your videos are answering questions about things that happened while I was gone. Like Pixieland. This one got me searching for information about the Doernbecher buildings. You said that they closed in the 50's yet I remember my Dad working there in the mid 60's. Turned out after some research and talking to family he worked at Barkers Furniture in the same building and they didn't close their doors until 1979 according to the Federal Register. So thanks for giving me the interest in finding out a piece of history. I see several other videos of yours I plan on viewing that will answer some of my old questions.
"Most people just figured it was easier to go to one of those spots." That is the value of a place like Coalca. The best places are the ones that are hardest to get to. Fewer people, more quiet, more solitude. It's too bad it closed. I hate going places where there are always crowded. The hardest places to get to are always the best places to visit.
@@travcollier I actually live in Iowa so I don't really know about specific places like what you are talking about. I am just talking in general I hate going out to places that are always crowded. I am actually planning on going to a state park this weekend. It is supposed to be super cold which is why I'm going. Nobody is going to go out in below 10-degree weather. I'll have the place all to myself!
@@travis303 I generally agree with you, but was just being snarky. Point Nemo is the middle of the South Pacific, farthest point from any land. Really hard to get to, but nothing there ;)
I have zero interest in a random closed park on the Willamette River, but I just watched a 30 minute deep dive into its history and closure. Great work, and it's so awesome to see the growth of your editing skills. Keep these videos coming, your channel definitely deserves to grow!
I was almost sure there was a "darker" side as to why they closed it permanently, as it is with most abandoned parks or roads within them. It is scenic. I bet there is great fishing spots. Nice video.
I passed by this place for my whole life and never knew this. Recently moving to Montana has got me all wrapped up in Native uses of land we now live on. This was a freaking AWESOME doc man! Thanks for doing this.
I live in the UK, a very very small country compared to the vastness of the USA. The idea of an abandoned public park is inconceivable here, and that many people living nearby know little/nothing about it is astonishing. A totally fascinating story, great research. I've subscribed, really glad to have found your channel & looking forward to watching more of your content.
I grew up in Portland and my family lives in Oregon city now, though Im in Medford. Its fascinating to see so much local history in this video. I had no idea that building on I84 used to be a furniture company even though Ive seen it hundreds of times
Incredible, thank you for making this. The details about doernbecher were fascinating-even having grown up in Portland, I only knew the name from the hospital.
I didn't grow up here, but I've lived her over 5 years and still never knew where the name came from. I'm also amazed by the fact that it answered a question I've had for years: the U-Store complex off I-84 in Sullivan's Gulch was *obviously* some kind of major industrial operation in the past, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't find anything about what the location had been historically. Thanks to this video, I now know that it was the Doernbecher Furniture factory, and I can't believe I never found that info during my research
Never stayed in Oregon longer than a day- but am now obsessively watching all these documentaries!! So well done, interesting and informative. Wish there was some for the historical perspective of where I grew up!
Peter, thanks for the video, you did a great job of taking us through the history in an interesting way. If you don't mind, just a couple of suggestions. First, you can take advantage of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) to request any documents that OPRD has on this or any other property in their system. They will charge you a fee to produce the documents and will likely drag their feet on getting the work done, but it is available. Second, it's good to keep in mind that OPRD is the current expression of what was an expansion of the State Highway Commission, now the Department of Transportation, authorization by the State Legislature in 1921 to allow the Highway Commission to acquire lands within 300 ft. of the center line of the highway for parks and parking areas for the travelling public. This was expanded in 1925 to allow for the acquisition of lands for camping and recreation. This came on the heals of the entire Oregon Coast being designated a state highway, which then was the basis for the Oregon Coast to be designated a public park. There is no mention of Coalca Landing as a state park in the book by L.C. Merriam JR. and David Talbot, published by OPRD in1992. I wouldn't be surprised if this parcel of land wasn't acquired by the state as part of the right of way expansion or via the county through tax foreclosure. In either case, it may have never been purchased with the intent of making it a park in it's own right, but rather as a part of the WR Greenway as you proposed. I'm doubtful about the lack of legal right of way because that would have been appurtenant to the land for the operation of the mill. As I have seen in other cases, the adjoining landowner that is also using the right of way is likely promoting this idea without any substance. (see earlier comment from "spuwho"). I would also encourage you to explore how OPRD is funded and to make mention of this in your future videos. 7.5% of all net lottery revenues are dedicated to OPRD (although they are currently required to pass 12.5% of that amount on to local park systems). This provides a very stable funding source for the department. Roughly half of the agency's biennial budget is funded from these lottery revenues, the remaining half comes from park user fees (think camping, parking, etc.). OPRD is not supported with state income tax revenues other than some planned debt service beginning on bond issuance for park facilities maintenance and upgrades.
When we lived in the west, my wife and I would love driving all over Oregon enjoying the many lovely parks. So, I had to watch this, and 30 minutes later you have told a beautifully paced and intriguing story of history and mystery revealed. Thank you.
It is incredible the amount of work you put into this. Not only do i have absolutely 0 interest in the entire area Coalca is in, but I live quite literally about as far as you can from Portland and still be in the lower 48. Yet you've captivated and intrigued me with the beautiful visuals and incredible depth of your story.
This park is awesome. Oregon has misplaced it's priorities regarding similar parks saying they do not meet the needs of enough people. You are correct there are similar small parks around the state and they are actually closed, it's just nobody from the state or local government maintains them. Many are maintained by those who go there.
Oregon native here born and raised. I have ridden and driven along this stretch of road since 1977 and I never knew there was a park there. Very interesting information that you have provided. Clicked on the video because of the title..grew up in mulino and went to molalla high school. I always love learning new things about the Willamette valley
The coverage of your research and insights into Coalca Landing is well done and interesting, even to a non-resident who doesn't have the wherewithal to visit. Thank you for taking the time to use your skills in this manner.
As a young lad living in 1950s Cottage Grove, my family visited the 'balancing rock' area more than once. In retrospect, I am personally glad that itself was not turned into a park. It looks like you had fun putting your research together. Well done.
Did you ever hear of any good mining stories, like lost gold mines, or things like lost logging camps? I live in Oakridge Or, and I used to hear stories from the way old folks about a guy name Pat Bailey who would walk from here to Cottage Grove and bring back gold that he found along the way. Hope all is well!
We are so spoiled with such incredible beauty in this country. The park and its history are so interesting and majestic but it's an insignificant drop in the bucket compared to the nearby beauty. Awesome doc really shows how fast nature will reclaim. No trace of the foundry that was once there and soon there will be no trace of that parking lot. Thanks for the video.
FASCINATING! Very well produced. I used to live nearby, and kayaked up to those rocky islands in the river next to the former park. And my son climbed up to the Balancing Rock a few years ago. I never knew ANY of this stuff, until a FB friend posted your video on FaceBook. Well done.
Oh wow, I just randomly stumbled upon this video. I grew up in canby, spent my first nearly 20 years there. I remember the ruins of the old saw mill, and wondering what they were. I also distinctly remember the park’s driveway. I feel like I remember noticing it change and get majorly cleaned up at one point, probably before 2010. I think that was when the house(?) next door was built (renovated?). I was too little to remember exactly. But I have never heard of Coalca park. I’m not all that surprised though, I was never taught ANYTHING about the history of canby, nor Oregon city. I learned more about my hometown from this video than I learned in nearly 20 years of living and going to school there. Thank you for sharing the story of this forgotten park, I spent my childhood car rides wondering about all the places beside the river, and now I finally know the story of one of them (two if you count the saw mill)
I'm very grateful I just found your channel, I drove down 99 today and passed this without even knowing! That area from Oregon City to Canby has so many abandoned structures.
I am not sure why, but this video, about a park (I never knew exsisted) being closed makes me deeply sad and feel a sense of loss of a long lost friend. I truly hope Oregonians will begin to prioritize our states natural areas with vigor and funding, before its too late. Thanks for the effort that went into making this video!
Absolutely fascinating. Having grown up in Canby and spending several decades there, I never knew about this park. Let alone the history of that area. I've learned so much. Thank you!
This required a lot of time and effort, as have your other postings I have seen and shared. OPB should should broadcast this and the rest of this work of yours. The production values thru your work is very good. Thanks for sharing!
Impressively researched and written, bringing just enough touches of history, mystery and scholarly respect for a location that is obscure. Thanks for making this a fascinating 30 minute journey. I live on the other side of the world from Coalca Landing, in all likelihood I'll never see it in person. This documentary made it possible for me to travel there just for awhile and immerse myself in its waters, to breathing in the cold, crisp air of its forgotten lakeside.
My wife and I camped out for a couple nights on rock island right near there once, we had no idea there was such cool history right around the corner! Another great video :-)
On my recent trip from California to Portland, the Amtrak Coast Starlight passes this park. It was interesting knowing the history as we passed such a neglected piece of property. Thank you for making such amazing videos! They've been outstanding; fun to watch, informative and very professional!
Thank You for the aerial view of the park. Have lived in Canby since 1980 and have used the park in the past. If you notice the two rail road tracks near the entrance(one is a side track),the trains would leave disconnected cars for hours there(blocking the entrance road access) and made it an inconvenient to get stuck there over the years.(just ask the property owners south of the park)
I grew up in Canby and have lived there most of my life, and I never knew this park existed (I’m currently 26 years old). I knew about the rock formation at the top of the cliff side. My dad pointed it out to me as a kid and I’d always looked for it when I’d drive by during winter when the trees were bare. In January of 2021, there was a nasty local ice storm that came through this area and tore trees and branches everywhere. ODOT went through that section of the highway afterwards and cut a bunch of the trees out that were damaged next to the rock formation. So it is much easier to see right now than I can ever remember. As for the park, it’s certainly a cool bit of history. I wish there was signs and markers put up when it was still there so more people could’ve known about it.
Not quite sure how I came across this, but I'm glad I did. Midwesterner here. I found this to be interesting because it is so well done. You clearly know how to research well, * and* how to pull it all together.
Thank you for making this. This is a lost gem and led to my favorite fishing spot. I went a few year ago to see it was closed. saw the bathroom was still in decent condition but locked obviously. the trail was overgrown again with brambles and i havent been back yet with a machete to get back into the trail. led us to those rock islands you see further towards the falls. also the biggest steamer explosion and death toll happened just up the river near the falls. the steamer ship was maybe two weeks old
A very fine video. It took a lot of work on your part to bring it to light in this new century of ours. Thank you for your hardwork and dedication to enlighten us all.
Absolutely amazing! I listened to just the audio while working and I must say you gained a new follower today. It's not often I can be at work and listen to a video with so much interest. Thank you 🙏
Nice video, my grandpa's family had one of those farms along the Willamette that was taken by imminent domain for that Willamette river park idea.. still never made a park on that part, its just been rented out as farmland for the past 40-50 years. I didn't know the plan for the park was so big, so it was neat to learn that.
Nice bit of research. I used to live in Medford and often thought Oregon a strange and, in many ways, wonderful place. Thanks for this. It was delightful.
Absolutely amazing the level of research! Being only a few miles from my house I remember seeing the state sign driving by but never stopped! Thank you for This can’t wait for the next one!
what a great piece! you spoke my mind for me, at the end when you said there were no losers, and that the park is closer to its natural state than it has been in over 100 years. I REALLY enjoyed hearing about the history of the area...fascinating!!! Thank You for this absolutely wonderful documentary. very VERY well done!!!!!!!
Excellent video! I've been by a few little waysides like this here in Minnesota. It some ways, it reminds me of Lookout Park, an abandoned scenic overlook next to Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie. Lookout Park was built in 1938 as a work relief project, and has typical architecture of Depression-era roadside parks. Rustic stone walls a few feet high surround a small gravel parking area, and one end has a stone frame for a sign that used to explain the history and importance of the place. And as the name suggests, it has wonderful views of the Minnesota River Valley below. At the time, Flying Cloud Drive in front of it carried US 169 & 212, and was the main road into Minneapolis from the southwest. But over time, highway traffic grew enough to make the turnoff hazardous. Flying Cloud Airport (a small general-aviation airport) opened nearby, and grew across the road from it. And Eden Prairie grew into a Twin Cities suburb with its own park system. At some point (1970s or 80s?), the Minnesota Dept of Transportation closed the park and left it to ruin. And freeway projects in the 1990s and 2000s rerouted first 169 and then 212 elsewhere, leaving Flying Cloud Drive as a southern extension of County Road 61 from about 2009 on. However, all is not lost. Flying Cloud Airport owns the property to protect a runway approach. The city of Eden Prairie designated the overlook as a city heritage site in the 2000s. And as of 2021, much of the brush has been cleared out, and new signs posted by Hennepin County say restoration is in progress. Though I'm not sure if that means prairie grass restoration, or the overlook itself, or both; I'll have to stop by in person (and not just Street View 🙂) to find out.
Thank you for this interesting story and history of the area and this specific place. I enjoyed watching this video and learning about this park and it's history. Thank you
I am a born and raised Oregonian, and my grandchildren are 3rd generation Oregonian.....Still I knew absolutely NOTHING about this park!! Thank you, for schooling this born and raised Oregonian, about our Oregon history!!
I remember planting trees here! It must have been like 15+ years ago. I can't remember if it was a boy scouts thing or something else. Its funny because despite driving by it probably hundreds of times the park and that experice was always fuzzy, and I wondered if it was just a weird dream.
I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Your videos are absolutely top notch. I love local history like this. If you’ve got any SW Washington stories, I’d love to see those, too!
I truly enjoyed watching this despite being sure I'll never ever ever ever be anywhere near this place. Greetings and salutations from the Netherlands.
Very interesting part of Oregon history. I had never heard of this previously. Thank you for the in-depth research that you worked hard to get. IYou are a natural presenter as well. This video, IMHO is on par with any PBS documentary I have watched over the years. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I think it would be pretty cool to see you explore the details of the SS Davy Crocket. I remember as a teen getting onto the freeway off of SE 192nd over in Camas, WA and glancing over to catch sight of something down in the river I had never noticed before. I went onto google maps later that day and saw a ship in that spot and was rather surprised since I haven't seen ships like that this far east of the sea on the Columbia. One day I went down to the old Evergreen Highway and drove to where 192nd would intersect the road were it not for a cliff there and I parked and hiked through a small green belt to get to the river. Sure enough, there was an old liberty ship just abandoned and not looking in great shape. I remember being fascinated with how it got there and how I had never seen it before. I couldn't find a lot of information about it at the time. I believe it was owned by Kiewit for a time and then I think it was sold to someone who wanted to scrap it. It just kind of remained a mystery to me for years. Later I tried to find more information about it and suddenly there was since the news was reported on how scrappers had been ripping the ship apart and polluting a bunch in the process and it ended up costing a fair bit of money to reclaim the site. Here is an artical that mentions some of these things, but I would imagine there is a lot more to it. www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2011/feb/08/crews-continue-cleanup-oil-ss-davy-crockett/ And here is where it roughly was in the river : www.google.com/maps/@45.5830678,-122.4740007,357m/data=!3m1!1e3 Regardless of if you pick this story up, I appreciate all the great content you are making. I love learning more about this area!
If opb doesn't get this on their channels they are doing so much wrong you've done very good and inserting videos that bring Oregon history to life once again great job
Lived in canby for years probably went by this area Tons of times and never knew! I’ve even gone fishing right around there off rock island. Love the video, very comprehensive!!
I used to go to this park all the time with my friends. It was beautiful, nobody else really knew about it and the old buildings on-site were fascinating from a historian's perspective. Thank you so much for putting this video together. I've wanted to know this history for 20 years now.
Hey thank you very much for this video. I seen that place for many years and been there a few times myself my friends and I would go there and smoke hookah on the picnic tables back in the mid-2000s. It's pretty cool though that you were able to dig up so much good stuff and share it thank you
I agree, never something I would've been interested in knowing about but he did a really interesting article video about this tiny park and it really tells you why other small parks around oregon may have disappeared. Well done. I enjoyed learning.
Very interesting video. I've seen photos of the pillar but I assumed it collapsed years ago. I never knew that the big self storage facility was the Doernbecher Furniture Co. I pass by it almost every day. Oregon has so much fascinating and obscure history.
Very nice video Peter Dibble. I live in Tualatin, Oregon. This some how came up on my TH-cam feed. The history of just one little lost park was so interesting.
There is an abandoned state campground a few miles from where I live in wa. State on the skykomish river. The only evidence is the overgrown in road , and the steel bar supports of a swing set, must have been a small play area. I get very strong vibes there, and very positive and joyous. It's really cool.
I’m 41 years old and ever since I could remember I always wondered what those cement block/remains were. I always wanted to go down there and check it out but I didn’t want to trespass. After decades I kinda accidentally stumbled across the answer Thank you for your research
As usual, a fantastic video. Thanks for putting the effort into this :) You rock! I love park history, I collect (read: hoard) historic park maps from British Columbia. Maybe I'll have to do some dives into park histories again.
Wow. Great work. Seriously, I live on the East Coast, never heard of this place, and you kept me intrigued and entertained by the story for the entire half hour. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much, Peter, for this fascinating documentary! I appreciate your zeal and tenacity in investigating hard-to-find historical documentation to piece together the story. I think this kind of "obscure history" has a wide appeal, and I am glad I "accidentally" found this (TH-cam recommendation). You do a fantastic job with your narration script, your due-diligence in citing the references, and in your video editing skills. I am curious: what video editing software do you use? I am genuinely interested in improving my own skills (at this time I am a novice), and I saved this video as an example of smooth, imaginitive, and thorough video editing. Once again, I thank you for creating this video, and I hope to hear from you with information about how you edited and produced this excellent video!
Thank you for the kind feedback, Stan! I use Adobe Premiere as the overall framework for editing my videos. The animations are created separately in Adobe After Effects. This video also used some aerial shots made with Google Earth Studio. Each of these has its own learning curve, especially if you're coming in fresh, but once you know your way around the basics you'll find that they are very powerful creative tools.
@@peterdibbleI’m boating by this park this weekend. I’m definitely going to try to access it from the river. I’m surprised that you never tried to go there despite making this video.
I love it when someone can take a subject of no interest to me and create a great investigative-documentary piece that engrosses me. Here I am late at night watching this beautifully produced TH-cam about something far away that I'd never heard of.
Thanks, glad you liked it!
LOL! it's 2 am here in Salt Lake, and I just finished this video. I love oregon History (Roseburg born and raised) and I agree with you completely, very well done and engrossing.
I had the same reaction. I have no idea why TH-cam recommended this to me or even why I clicked on it but it was an excellent story. Good Job@@peterdibble !
I live in the area for almost all my life and never heard of it either!
💯 agree
I purchased a former park in southern Oregon. The land had been leased to Jackson county for a dollar a year. Even then , people drank alcohol there. It became a haven for drunks. Hundreds of people, learned to swim there. And kids jumped off the beautiful rock formations, into the cool deep river. I had jumped off those same rocks as a kid. I could not bare that park to fall into disrepair. I have been running the property as a private park, for 7 years. I get by with a little help from my friends.
You're a cool dude.
Yeah, this illegal activity screams high school kids drinking to me, we used to go to quiet, dark river parks with unobtrusive parking for keggers. Old favorite was the woods by Staff Jennings under Sellwood Bridge. Course there could be a lot of other drinking and drug use too.
Awesome!
This is super rad! I would love to learn more about your private park and the process you went through to obtain it. I'm an Oregonian, living in the mountains of Oakridge. My family and I enjoy camping and it would be cool to check out your spot someday.
Way to be guy.
What a bizarre coincidence, TH-cam suggested this video to me, and I remember this park very vividly from when I was a young kid. My mother would take me here, and I would walk around the park and explore the riverside trails. I distinctly remember those giant empty buildings and asking my mom what those buildings had been for. She said they were part of a sawmill operation from a long time ago. I distinctly remember her parking at the NE corner of the park, and reading her book in the car, while I went exploring. It was very nice to see this documentary, it brought back good memories of my now deceased mother, and a piece of my childhood I had long forgotten. Thank you for this!
This is so awesome. I grew up in the 70s and 80s and these kinds of memories are the stuff of legends and campfire stories that live forever, thank you for this, I am an adventurer and appreciate it. I also hate how Weyerhaeuser, BLM, etc make it impossible to explore anymore. There’s miles and miles of wilderness mines, mills, bridges and amazing trails etc, swimming holes and fishing, I used to explore as a kid, that is entirely closed off and being overtaken by nature now..
It's not a coincidence. It was not the algorithm. Someone is 'essentially'...stalking you. It may be a friendly thing...but you are being studied and your life fed back to you.
@@patrickbuglass973 OK that might be true but try sugar coating it a bit. Your freaking me out!!! Lol
@@funbrandi2603 About as much sugar as you're going to get from me: 'It may be a friendly thing' [unlikely]...Really, people need to wake up to the surveillance state.
@@funbrandi2603 It's someone so vain they think they are going to play God in the person's life.
I have no idea how I got here. But the fact that I watched this ENTIRE video about a park I've never heard of; in a state I've never visited; and a subject about its closure that I normally wouldn't be concerned about, says TONS about the quality of your work and your excellent delivery. You, sir, are an amazing TH-cam content creator!
Thanks a lot! I appreciate that.
omg..exactly what you just said I was thinking to myself..how did I get here..then listened and watched the whole thing..lol
@@Makeitliquidfast This mofo prowling OLD comment sections and has the nerve to talk about someone having too much free time. LMAO!
Very impressive piece of eco investigative journalism, well done!
Ralph I'm a native Oregonian whose never heard of the place! Yet it's interesting!
Did you happen to call Oregon State Parks? Also, when you contacted us (Willamette Riverkeeper) we had no idea your question was related to a video/documentary. We could have provided quite a bit of context in regard to the Greenway and Water Trail. Ultimately, the issue with Coalca has more to do with the Railroad than anything else. In order to have vehicle access, there needs to be a closing gate given the tracks are right by the entrance. The Railroad does not want to pay for that, and it is cost prohibitive for OPRD to do that as well. All the same, you got some nice historical nuggets in there which is cool.
Interesting. I had a feeling that the crossing was a big part of the problem since that would require coordination between Union Pacific and presumably ODOT in addition to OPRD. Researching this video actually got me interested in diving deeper into the history of the Greenway, so let's chat again in the future as I imagine you'd have some helpful insight into that. 😊 Thanks for the help, Travis!
Thanks! This seems to be the best explanation of why the park is no more.
can I ask what type of illegal activities were going on?
@@austinthrowsstuff that would be union pacific claiming an illegal railroad crossing based on the context clues.
This is directly for Travis Williams, the original poster of this comment. Has there been any efforts or legal issues involving fund raising for a closing gate to be installed?
It's people like this guy that will carry humanity, remembering the forgotten, and having that curiosity to learn our history.
As a lifelong Oregonian, these videos are among the most compelling and stimulating glimpses into contemporary Oregon history I've ever come across. Great work.
I am a 5th generation Oregonian and have lived in Oregon city since 1994 and had no idea. I love history, and having it be local is a treat!
This was so much fun.
Probably the biggest issue is that when the one house was built in the early 1990's they took over the railroad crossing, updated it and made it private. But looking at Clackamas County property records the crossing was not theirs to take. The property line for the Doerenberger Plant clearly shows that the crossing falls within their property (and therefore belongs to the state). Based on aerials it was used as a back entrance for logging trucks turning off 99E. Older houses south of the plant used the same crossing and simply drove across the dirt. So "someone" in Clackamas County Planning really blew it when they approved the zoning permit (between 1990-1994) for this house to be built and allowed them (or the county) to improve a rail crossing that was not theirs at all. Southern Pacific Railroad was not the best at ROW maintenance in the early 1990's due to their financial condition. Union Pacific took over SP in 1996 and they do manage their property lines very closely. They no doubt pulled the original surveys and records and found that the crossing is "illegal" because it was taken from the state improperly and therefore not registered with the Oregon DOT. I would say this is a very good reason no one wants to deal with Coalca Landing. It has a complicated legal problem on property easements. If you really want to dig, I would pull the records for the Clackamas County Committee of Zoning Appeals and see how that original property owner was able to swing that approval. Either the county surveyor or the private one they hired must have gotten paid a bundle.
Clackamas country lost most of there Records in the 1996 floods.
oh, the 'illegal activity' is boring zoning and property issues .... not a kick butt herb operation or part of a 'cold case' ..... still a good story
I’m amazed at the amount of corruption involved. If the property maps show the state owning this part of the property then it should be an open and shut case, no questions asked.
Another sticky situation might be that the railroads (to my knowledge) legally own the right of way therefore they have a say in it as well. Although I don’t see why the railroad would have a problem with it if they don’t have a problem with residents using the crossing.
@@_JanetLouise The video never explained what the illegal activity on the property was. I added the zoning/property line information to let people know that this park has some other issues that the state needs to resolve before they can decide its ultimate disposition. Most likely they will sell it to a private conservancy, but they have to get those property lines worked out first.
You are brilliant. Thanks for the investigation.
As an indigenous person to Oregon, thank you so much for including the tribal story & history. That’s a real traditional story about star crossed lovers
Even I heard about their story and I live across the country
Think I heard the story too. Wait that's pocahontas nvamind
Well done video. Good research, good graphics. Thanks.
A 30min video about a tiny park on the other side of the country that I will never visit, will I watch it? YES! Did I end up being glued to my screen the whole time? YES!!! Why? Because Peter makes great stuff.
Two why don't u come visit us ore I mean? I'm planning on visiting fla because it's so far away from ore! Amtrak is cheaper than flying!
@@oldfogey4679Florida is a dump. Save more money, go to Montana.
You went down a rabbit hole with some real depth here- Thank you for this thorough journalism!
Nice video Peter! This is Will (and thank you for mentioning me and my photos in your video) who used to take care of it a decade ago. There was a huge lack of funding then as well as now and after about a year I was overwhelmed with the amount of work needed and I was the only one doing it. So it was permanently closed. Now in the past few years, after purchasing a house and living in Canby, I often think about adopting this park again. It has great potential. After Coalca Landing, I became an annual US Forest Service volunteer/ Mt Hood National Forest in the Clackamas River Ranger District in Estacada and subsequently adopted three Forest Service campgrounds as well as performed recreational duties throughout the district.
Wow, that's awesome! Thank you for your dedication to these natural areas. It's good to hear from you on this directly - I suspected the resources for Coalca were pretty minimal at that time.
I lived nearby as a teenager 1969-1971 and visited Rock Island and Coalca Landing from the river, and sometimes on my motorbike. I always wanted to climb up to the balanced rock. Thanks for the great video. I spent time on the log rafts and heard the trains coupling at night.
Wow I've driven past this so many times without any idea. The production and depth of investigation in this video cannot be overstated! It's unbelievable this is free content!
I just found this you tube and I loved learning this.
I find remote history like this fascinating!
Only a year late but seriously impressed by all the research this needed. awesome
I grew up in canby and remember this park when there were still remnants of the mill. Specifically, there was a sawdust burner still there. We always watched for the balancing rock every single time we drove up hwy 99. At one point we had family friends that lived on this location in a trailer and we visited them periodically. Really nice to see this video. It took me down memory lane. Thank you
Did you know the Burdetts?
I grew up here but spent my early adult life in the Navy so some of your videos are answering questions about things that happened while I was gone. Like Pixieland. This one got me searching for information about the Doernbecher buildings. You said that they closed in the 50's yet I remember my Dad working there in the mid 60's. Turned out after some research and talking to family he worked at Barkers Furniture in the same building and they didn't close their doors until 1979 according to the Federal Register. So thanks for giving me the interest in finding out a piece of history. I see several other videos of yours I plan on viewing that will answer some of my old questions.
That's pretty interesting, glad it helped you out!
"Most people just figured it was easier to go to one of those spots." That is the value of a place like Coalca. The best places are the ones that are hardest to get to. Fewer people, more quiet, more solitude. It's too bad it closed. I hate going places where there are always crowded. The hardest places to get to are always the best places to visit.
Point Nemo is amazing...
@@travcollier I actually live in Iowa so I don't really know about specific places like what you are talking about. I am just talking in general I hate going out to places that are always crowded. I am actually planning on going to a state park this weekend. It is supposed to be super cold which is why I'm going. Nobody is going to go out in below 10-degree weather. I'll have the place all to myself!
@@travis303 I generally agree with you, but was just being snarky. Point Nemo is the middle of the South Pacific, farthest point from any land. Really hard to get to, but nothing there ;)
@@travis303 I'm in Nebraska, my dad and I go out in freezing weather sometimes. He tries to tent camp at least twice a month.
Until the Bigfoot arrives!
Peter Dibble does an incredible job making these short documentaries! Fantastic.
I have zero interest in a random closed park on the Willamette River, but I just watched a 30 minute deep dive into its history and closure. Great work, and it's so awesome to see the growth of your editing skills. Keep these videos coming, your channel definitely deserves to grow!
I was almost sure there was a "darker" side as to why they closed it permanently, as it is with most abandoned parks or roads within them. It is scenic. I bet there is great fishing spots. Nice video.
So do I ! I'm note even american ! And Still I watched it ! XD
I passed by this place for my whole life and never knew this. Recently moving to Montana has got me all wrapped up in Native uses of land we now live on. This was a freaking AWESOME doc man! Thanks for doing this.
Watching this from N. Colorado (-3 degrees right now...) and want to say how much I enjoyed your research and video. Thank you very much.
when i found this post i thought i would give it 5 mins. i was so wrong, i could not walk away from it .great job and thank you so much LonnieRay Ca.
I live in the UK, a very very small country compared to the vastness of the USA. The idea of an abandoned public park is inconceivable here, and that many people living nearby know little/nothing about it is astonishing. A totally fascinating story, great research. I've subscribed, really glad to have found your channel & looking forward to watching more of your content.
As an American I'm shocked as well lol Obviously there has to be a reason for the open, closed, unknown status of park. I'd love to know the truth.
I grew up in Portland and my family lives in Oregon city now, though Im in Medford. Its fascinating to see so much local history in this video. I had no idea that building on I84 used to be a furniture company even though Ive seen it hundreds of times
Incredible, thank you for making this. The details about doernbecher were fascinating-even having grown up in Portland, I only knew the name from the hospital.
I didn't grow up here, but I've lived her over 5 years and still never knew where the name came from. I'm also amazed by the fact that it answered a question I've had for years: the U-Store complex off I-84 in Sullivan's Gulch was *obviously* some kind of major industrial operation in the past, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't find anything about what the location had been historically. Thanks to this video, I now know that it was the Doernbecher Furniture factory, and I can't believe I never found that info during my research
Same comment ... lifelong Portlander, only knew Doernbecher from the children's hospital, had not idea about the history of the U-Store site off I-84.
Never stayed in Oregon longer than a day- but am now obsessively watching all these documentaries!! So well done, interesting and informative. Wish there was some for the historical perspective of where I grew up!
Peter, thanks for the video, you did a great job of taking us through the history in an interesting way. If you don't mind, just a couple of suggestions. First, you can take advantage of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) to request any documents that OPRD has on this or any other property in their system. They will charge you a fee to produce the documents and will likely drag their feet on getting the work done, but it is available. Second, it's good to keep in mind that OPRD is the current expression of what was an expansion of the State Highway Commission, now the Department of Transportation, authorization by the State Legislature in 1921 to allow the Highway Commission to acquire lands within 300 ft. of the center line of the highway for parks and parking areas for the travelling public. This was expanded in 1925 to allow for the acquisition of lands for camping and recreation. This came on the heals of the entire Oregon Coast being designated a state highway, which then was the basis for the Oregon Coast to be designated a public park.
There is no mention of Coalca Landing as a state park in the book by L.C. Merriam JR. and David Talbot, published by OPRD in1992. I wouldn't be surprised if this parcel of land wasn't acquired by the state as part of the right of way expansion or via the county through tax foreclosure. In either case, it may have never been purchased with the intent of making it a park in it's own right, but rather as a part of the WR Greenway as you proposed. I'm doubtful about the lack of legal right of way because that would have been appurtenant to the land for the operation of the mill. As I have seen in other cases, the adjoining landowner that is also using the right of way is likely promoting this idea without any substance. (see earlier comment from "spuwho").
I would also encourage you to explore how OPRD is funded and to make mention of this in your future videos. 7.5% of all net lottery revenues are dedicated to OPRD (although they are currently required to pass 12.5% of that amount on to local park systems). This provides a very stable funding source for the department. Roughly half of the agency's biennial budget is funded from these lottery revenues, the remaining half comes from park user fees (think camping, parking, etc.). OPRD is not supported with state income tax revenues other than some planned debt service beginning on bond issuance for park facilities maintenance and upgrades.
😊👍👍...great info
Never even been to Oregon but I found this documentary to be incredibly enjoyable. Keep up the great work and research
Being a native Oregonian, I love the history of obscure place around the state. Your video is PBS quality stuff
When we lived in the west, my wife and I would love driving all over Oregon enjoying the many lovely parks. So, I had to watch this, and 30 minutes later you have told a beautifully paced and intriguing story of history and mystery revealed. Thank you.
I have been binging all of your vides over this Sunday. Thank you for the unique content
It is incredible the amount of work you put into this. Not only do i have absolutely 0 interest in the entire area Coalca is in, but I live quite literally about as far as you can from Portland and still be in the lower 48. Yet you've captivated and intrigued me with the beautiful visuals and incredible depth of your story.
This park is awesome. Oregon has misplaced it's priorities regarding similar parks saying they do not meet the needs of enough people. You are correct there are similar small parks around the state and they are actually closed, it's just nobody from the state or local government maintains them. Many are maintained by those who go there.
Oregon native here born and raised. I have ridden and driven along this stretch of road since 1977 and I never knew there was a park there. Very interesting information that you have provided. Clicked on the video because of the title..grew up in mulino and went to molalla high school. I always love learning new things about the Willamette valley
this was great. it's always fascinating how things close down, since there's always more to uncover in a story than just "Oh, it shut down."
The coverage of your research and insights into Coalca Landing is well done and interesting, even to a non-resident who doesn't have the wherewithal to visit. Thank you for taking the time to use your skills in this manner.
As a young lad living in 1950s Cottage Grove, my family visited the 'balancing rock' area more than once. In retrospect, I am personally glad that itself was not turned into a park. It looks like you had fun putting your research together. Well done.
Did you ever hear of any good mining stories, like lost gold mines, or things like lost logging camps? I live in Oakridge Or, and I used to hear stories from the way old folks about a guy name Pat Bailey who would walk from here to Cottage Grove and bring back gold that he found along the way. Hope all is well!
We are so spoiled with such incredible beauty in this country. The park and its history are so interesting and majestic but it's an insignificant drop in the bucket compared to the nearby beauty. Awesome doc really shows how fast nature will reclaim. No trace of the foundry that was once there and soon there will be no trace of that parking lot. Thanks for the video.
FASCINATING! Very well produced. I used to live nearby, and kayaked up to those rocky islands in the river next to the former park. And my son climbed up to the Balancing Rock a few years ago. I never knew ANY of this stuff, until a FB friend posted your video on FaceBook. Well done.
Neat! Glad you enjoyed it.
Oh wow, I just randomly stumbled upon this video. I grew up in canby, spent my first nearly 20 years there. I remember the ruins of the old saw mill, and wondering what they were. I also distinctly remember the park’s driveway. I feel like I remember noticing it change and get majorly cleaned up at one point, probably before 2010. I think that was when the house(?) next door was built (renovated?). I was too little to remember exactly. But I have never heard of Coalca park. I’m not all that surprised though, I was never taught ANYTHING about the history of canby, nor Oregon city. I learned more about my hometown from this video than I learned in nearly 20 years of living and going to school there. Thank you for sharing the story of this forgotten park, I spent my childhood car rides wondering about all the places beside the river, and now I finally know the story of one of them (two if you count the saw mill)
This is a masterpiece of niche local history research. Thank you so much!
I'm very grateful I just found your channel, I drove down 99 today and passed this without even knowing! That area from Oregon City to Canby has so many abandoned structures.
People like you should be managing our Parks & Greenways.
I love this! I’m Oregon born and raised as well as currently live in Gresham. I’m impressed with this documentary.
I am not sure why, but this video, about a park (I never knew exsisted) being closed makes me deeply sad and feel a sense of loss of a long lost friend. I truly hope Oregonians will begin to prioritize our states natural areas with vigor and funding, before its too late. Thanks for the effort that went into making this video!
Made me sad too
You put REAL work into this. Great job. Not finished watching but so far I've seen excellent research and visuals.
Absolutely fascinating. Having grown up in Canby and spending several decades there, I never knew about this park. Let alone the history of that area. I've learned so much. Thank you!
I felt the same way. My family moved when I was 13 but I grew up in canby and learned more about the area than I had before
This required a lot of time and effort, as have your other postings I have seen and shared.
OPB should should broadcast this and the rest of this work of yours.
The production values thru your work is very good.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! 😊
Very well done sir! I'm a geek for stories like this. I live 2000 miles away but have worked in Oregon and it is a beautiful place.
This is what I love about TH-cam finding videos about obscure topics and they turn out to be great and you learn something new.
I love finding and investigating relics of times past! Nice video! 👍👍
Cool to find you here
@@railfanphill 😁
Also cool to find you here. Apparently the mention of railroads sent it through railfans notifications
Just want add my voice to those who appreciate the work you put into this, a truly noble effort. Thank you.
Impressively researched and written, bringing just enough touches of history, mystery and scholarly respect for a location that is obscure. Thanks for making this a fascinating 30 minute journey. I live on the other side of the world from Coalca Landing, in all likelihood I'll never see it in person. This documentary made it possible for me to travel there just for awhile and immerse myself in its waters, to breathing in the cold, crisp air of its forgotten lakeside.
My wife and I camped out for a couple nights on rock island right near there once, we had no idea there was such cool history right around the corner! Another great video :-)
Thank you so much for this very informative content. I'm definitely subscribing. I appreciate your investigative heart and calming voice.
On my recent trip from California to Portland, the Amtrak Coast Starlight passes this park. It was interesting knowing the history as we passed such a neglected piece of property. Thank you for making such amazing videos! They've been outstanding; fun to watch, informative and very professional!
Thank You for the aerial view of the park. Have lived in Canby since 1980 and have used the park in the past. If you notice the two rail road tracks near the entrance(one is a side track),the trains would leave disconnected cars for hours there(blocking the entrance road access) and made it an inconvenient to get stuck there over the years.(just ask the property owners south of the park)
Interesting. As if the location didn't have enough problems!
Very well done piece. I appreciate your enthusiasm and exhaustive research. Your piece shows the extent of efforts in creating this documentary.
I grew up in Canby and have lived there most of my life, and I never knew this park existed (I’m currently 26 years old). I knew about the rock formation at the top of the cliff side. My dad pointed it out to me as a kid and I’d always looked for it when I’d drive by during winter when the trees were bare.
In January of 2021, there was a nasty local ice storm that came through this area and tore trees and branches everywhere. ODOT went through that section of the highway afterwards and cut a bunch of the trees out that were damaged next to the rock formation. So it is much easier to see right now than I can ever remember.
As for the park, it’s certainly a cool bit of history. I wish there was signs and markers put up when it was still there so more people could’ve known about it.
Not quite sure how I came across this, but I'm glad I did. Midwesterner here. I found this to be interesting because it is so well done. You clearly know how to research well, * and* how to pull it all together.
Thank you for making this. This is a lost gem and led to my favorite fishing spot. I went a few year ago to see it was closed. saw the bathroom was still in decent condition but locked obviously. the trail was overgrown again with brambles and i havent been back yet with a machete to get back into the trail. led us to those rock islands you see further towards the falls. also the biggest steamer explosion and death toll happened just up the river near the falls. the steamer ship was maybe two weeks old
Thank you for this thoughtful view of one small natural area and the making of this gem of a documentary.
A very fine video. It took a lot of work on your part to bring it to light in this new century of ours. Thank you for your hardwork and dedication to enlighten us all.
Wow. I’ve been to Oregon once and now I’m fully invested in reopening this tiny little park. Thanks for the great docu
Absolutely amazing! I listened to just the audio while working and I must say you gained a new follower today.
It's not often I can be at work and listen to a video with so much interest. Thank you 🙏
Nice video, my grandpa's family had one of those farms along the Willamette that was taken by imminent domain for that Willamette river park idea.. still never made a park on that part, its just been rented out as farmland for the past 40-50 years. I didn't know the plan for the park was so big, so it was neat to learn that.
Nice bit of research. I used to live in Medford and often thought Oregon a strange and, in many ways, wonderful place. Thanks for this. It was delightful.
Absolutely amazing the level of research! Being only a few miles from my house I remember seeing the state sign driving by but never stopped! Thank you for
This can’t wait for the next one!
what a great piece! you spoke my mind for me, at the end when you said there were no losers, and that the park is closer to
its natural state than it has been in over 100 years. I REALLY enjoyed hearing about the history of the area...fascinating!!!
Thank You for this absolutely wonderful documentary. very VERY well done!!!!!!!
Excellent video!
I've been by a few little waysides like this here in Minnesota. It some ways, it reminds me of Lookout Park, an abandoned scenic overlook next to Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie.
Lookout Park was built in 1938 as a work relief project, and has typical architecture of Depression-era roadside parks. Rustic stone walls a few feet high surround a small gravel parking area, and one end has a stone frame for a sign that used to explain the history and importance of the place. And as the name suggests, it has wonderful views of the Minnesota River Valley below.
At the time, Flying Cloud Drive in front of it carried US 169 & 212, and was the main road into Minneapolis from the southwest. But over time, highway traffic grew enough to make the turnoff hazardous. Flying Cloud Airport (a small general-aviation airport) opened nearby, and grew across the road from it. And Eden Prairie grew into a Twin Cities suburb with its own park system. At some point (1970s or 80s?), the Minnesota Dept of Transportation closed the park and left it to ruin. And freeway projects in the 1990s and 2000s rerouted first 169 and then 212 elsewhere, leaving Flying Cloud Drive as a southern extension of County Road 61 from about 2009 on.
However, all is not lost. Flying Cloud Airport owns the property to protect a runway approach. The city of Eden Prairie designated the overlook as a city heritage site in the 2000s. And as of 2021, much of the brush has been cleared out, and new signs posted by Hennepin County say restoration is in progress. Though I'm not sure if that means prairie grass restoration, or the overlook itself, or both; I'll have to stop by in person (and not just Street View 🙂) to find out.
Native Oregonian here…interesting story! I had never heard it before. Well done on your video. Thank you!
It’s crazy I grew up 10 mins from this area and had no idea
Thank you for this interesting story and history of the area and this specific place. I enjoyed watching this video and learning about this park and it's history. Thank you
I am a born and raised Oregonian, and my grandchildren are 3rd generation Oregonian.....Still I knew absolutely NOTHING about this park!! Thank you, for schooling this born and raised Oregonian, about our Oregon history!!
@@mrcolin2u Proudly born and raised!! My children are second generation and my grandchildren are third generation Oregonians!!!! 😊
Excellent work, there are not many 30 min videos like this I'll watch all the way through. Keep doing what you're doing
I remember planting trees here! It must have been like 15+ years ago. I can't remember if it was a boy scouts thing or something else. Its funny because despite driving by it probably hundreds of times the park and that experice was always fuzzy, and I wondered if it was just a weird dream.
better make a trip and check up on those trees!
Amazing what we don't know about history only ten years ago. That's why your videos are so valuable. Shame no pictures of the rock pillar.
I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Your videos are absolutely top notch. I love local history like this. If you’ve got any SW Washington stories, I’d love to see those, too!
Good info, great content... if we searched and really dug deep, perhaps it's the raspy voice idk just thinking outloud
I truly enjoyed watching this despite being sure I'll never ever ever ever be anywhere near this place. Greetings and salutations from the Netherlands.
Beautiful native American historic area. Would love to see it restored with an emphasis on the history of the rock as well!
The music in this is absolutely beautiful.
Very interesting part of Oregon history. I had never heard of this previously. Thank you for the in-depth research that you worked hard to get. IYou are a natural presenter as well. This video, IMHO is on par with any PBS documentary I have watched over the years. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Love native/local history and stories. Well researched. Lived in Or. City when younger and never knew.
I think it would be pretty cool to see you explore the details of the SS Davy Crocket. I remember as a teen getting onto the freeway off of SE 192nd over in Camas, WA and glancing over to catch sight of something down in the river I had never noticed before. I went onto google maps later that day and saw a ship in that spot and was rather surprised since I haven't seen ships like that this far east of the sea on the Columbia. One day I went down to the old Evergreen Highway and drove to where 192nd would intersect the road were it not for a cliff there and I parked and hiked through a small green belt to get to the river. Sure enough, there was an old liberty ship just abandoned and not looking in great shape. I remember being fascinated with how it got there and how I had never seen it before.
I couldn't find a lot of information about it at the time. I believe it was owned by Kiewit for a time and then I think it was sold to someone who wanted to scrap it. It just kind of remained a mystery to me for years. Later I tried to find more information about it and suddenly there was since the news was reported on how scrappers had been ripping the ship apart and polluting a bunch in the process and it ended up costing a fair bit of money to reclaim the site. Here is an artical that mentions some of these things, but I would imagine there is a lot more to it. www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2011/feb/08/crews-continue-cleanup-oil-ss-davy-crockett/
And here is where it roughly was in the river : www.google.com/maps/@45.5830678,-122.4740007,357m/data=!3m1!1e3
Regardless of if you pick this story up, I appreciate all the great content you are making. I love learning more about this area!
Vancouver has a lot of interesting quirks, especially regarding the old evergreen highway!
@@jordansean18 Nice! We love responsible exploring and it’s getting SO hard to do with gates and signs everywhere😰
I hate how vandals always ruin it for respectful explorers😰 and Weyerhaeuser and BLM!
If opb doesn't get this on their channels they are doing so much wrong you've done very good and inserting videos that bring Oregon history to life once again great job
Lived in canby for years probably went by this area Tons of times and never knew! I’ve even gone fishing right around there off rock island. Love the video, very comprehensive!!
I used to go to this park all the time with my friends. It was beautiful, nobody else really knew about it and the old buildings on-site were fascinating from a historian's perspective. Thank you so much for putting this video together. I've wanted to know this history for 20 years now.
Hey thank you very much for this video. I seen that place for many years and been there a few times myself my friends and I would go there and smoke hookah on the picnic tables back in the mid-2000s. It's pretty cool though that you were able to dig up so much good stuff and share it thank you
I agree, never something I would've been interested in knowing about but he did a really interesting article video about this tiny park and it really tells you why other small parks around oregon may have disappeared. Well done. I enjoyed learning.
Very interesting video. I've seen photos of the pillar but I assumed it collapsed years ago.
I never knew that the big self storage facility was the Doernbecher Furniture Co.
I pass by it almost every day. Oregon has so much fascinating and obscure history.
Very nice video Peter Dibble. I live in Tualatin, Oregon. This some how came up on my TH-cam feed. The history of just one little lost park was so interesting.
There is an abandoned state campground a few miles from where I live in wa. State on the skykomish river. The only evidence is the overgrown in road , and the steel bar supports of a swing set, must have been a small play area. I get very strong vibes there, and very positive and joyous. It's really cool.
I’m 41 years old and ever since I could remember I always wondered what those cement block/remains were. I always wanted to go down there and check it out but I didn’t want to trespass.
After decades I kinda accidentally stumbled across the answer
Thank you for your research
As usual, a fantastic video. Thanks for putting the effort into this :) You rock! I love park history, I collect (read: hoard) historic park maps from British Columbia. Maybe I'll have to do some dives into park histories again.
Wow. Great work. Seriously, I live on the East Coast, never heard of this place, and you kept me intrigued and entertained by the story for the entire half hour. Thanks so much.
Amazing series. We live near here and would love to see a video on the old (ferry?) that was located not to far north of Coalca.
Thank you so much, Peter, for this fascinating documentary! I appreciate your zeal and tenacity in investigating hard-to-find historical documentation to piece together the story. I think this kind of "obscure history" has a wide appeal, and I am glad I "accidentally" found this (TH-cam recommendation). You do a fantastic job with your narration script, your due-diligence in citing the references, and in your video editing skills. I am curious: what video editing software do you use? I am genuinely interested in improving my own skills (at this time I am a novice), and I saved this video as an example of smooth, imaginitive, and thorough video editing. Once again, I thank you for creating this video, and I hope to hear from you with information about how you edited and produced this excellent video!
Thank you for the kind feedback, Stan! I use Adobe Premiere as the overall framework for editing my videos. The animations are created separately in Adobe After Effects. This video also used some aerial shots made with Google Earth Studio. Each of these has its own learning curve, especially if you're coming in fresh, but once you know your way around the basics you'll find that they are very powerful creative tools.
@@peterdibble Thank you for your speedy reply...I appreciate it! This is helpful information, for sure!
@@peterdibbleI’m boating by this park this weekend. I’m definitely going to try to access it from the river. I’m surprised that you never tried to go there despite making this video.