Below: Sketch of Kalapuya man drawn by Alfred Agate, a member of the Wilkes Expedition in 1841.
Below: Joe Meek was a famous local fur trapper, mountain man and Oregon's first Sheriff.
Washington County in a Nutshell For Kids
Native Americans
The Native Americans who lived here in Washington County were known as the Atfalati. They were a band of the Kalapuya tribe who lived all over the Willamette Valley. What do you think their clothes were made of? They were often made out of cedar bark. Cedar bark does not absorb water, and that is important around here because it rains a lot, right? Cedar is a soft bark that was peeled off of the tree and made into clothing that was very resistant to water. They also used cedar on their houses for the same reason. The Native Americans in this part of the county had a very large trade network. That means that people who lived on the coast had goods that could have come from hundreds of miles away.
What do you think the Native Americans in this area ate? One of the things they ate a lot of was wapato. Wapato is a starchy root that is a lot like a potato it grows in swampy areas such as Sauvie’s Island. It was the woman’s job to harvest the wapato. She would wade out into the swampy water, dig into the muck with her toe and flick it to the surface. Another plant they often ate was camas. Like wapato, they ate the camas bulb. There is also a white variety of camas that is very poisonous, so they had to know how to tell them apart. What about fishing? They did eat a lot of fish. Salmon and sturgeon were two of the most common types of fish that they would catch with nets and river traps.
Fur Trappers and Traders
Have you studied the Oregon Trail? Well, before people came over on the Oregon Trail, fur trappers and traders came to this area. They were commonly called mountain men and made a living by trapping beavers and selling the pelts. Joseph Meek was a very famous fur trapper in the Oregon Territory and was Washington County’s first Sheriff.
Early Settlers
Early settlers came from many countries to Oregon such as England, Germany, Holland, Scotland, Switzerland, Hungary, and Scandinavia. Later, many came from Japan and Mexico. Many came from across the plains of the United States in wagon trains on the Oregon Trail from all over the United States. Does your family have a good story about moving to Oregon?
Economy
When people came to Oregon what do you think they did for work? Most of them were farmers. They came to Oregon because the government was giving away free farm land to those who would settle the area. Agriculture was and still is an important part of the economy. People also logged, worked making bricks or lumber, and bred cattle. Later on, high technology industries became an important part of Washington County's economy.
Schools
Student Rules, 1860
- Boys and girls shall file into classroom in separate lines and be seated quietly on opposite sides of the room.
- Boys shall remove their caps when entering.
- Children must sit up straight at all times.
- Children must not squirm, fidget or whine.
- Children must be clean and tidy in clothing.
- There will be a daily inspection of neck, ears and fingernails prior to class to ensure cleanliness of person.
- Young ladies must never show a bare ankle; girls’ and boys’ clothing should cover arms and legs completely.
