Gladstone

History

Prior to European settlement, there were several Native American groups living in the area that was to become Gladstone. In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory and beyond. Although the expedition passed only near the Gladstone – Oregon City locality on their way to and from the Pacific Ocean, via the Columbia River, natives such as the Kalapuya and the Clackamas people told them about the area. In the subsequent years, successive waves of explorers and traders would introduce epidemics of cholera and smallpox, which would take a heavy toll on the native peoples and contributed to a substantial reduction in population. , the only extant remnant of the bygone natives is a large maple tree called the Pow Wow Tree, which is listed as an Oregon Heritage Tree. The tree still stands at Clackamas Boulevard, and is said to have marked the place where the different native tribes, mainly Clackamas and Multnomahs, met to make trading agreements, settle community affairs, and conduct wedding ceremonies. In 1860, the Pow-Wow Tree was the location set for the first Clackamas County Fair. The following year, it was used as a parade ring for the first Oregon State Fair and marked the entrance. In 1937, the tree itself was celebrated with the Gladstone Pow-Wow Festival. Before Gladstone was formally founded, several small settlements were established in its vicinity. However, due to various natural disasters, such as fires and floods, few survived to become incorporated cities of today. One such community was Linn City (originally named Robin's Nest). Settled in 1843 by Robert Moore, Robert himself built four flour and lumber mills along the banks of the Willamette. Warehouses, homes, and mills were…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of . Although the above cities are generally considered part of the much larger Portland metropolitan area, Gladstone, Oregon City, West Linn, and Milwaukie each possess the population and production of a micropolis in their own right and this relatively dense sub-region contains a combined population exceeding 100,000 people. Despite Gladstone's proximity to the city of Milwaukie, at no point do the two share political boundaries.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  82,240
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  81,786
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  71,403
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  63,374
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  59,649
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  57,506
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  53,806
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  53,695

Largest nearby schools

• Oregon City Senior High School
  High · Oregon City · 1,931 students · 25.1:1 ratio
• West Linn High School
  High · West Linn · 1,905 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Adrienne C. Nelson High School
  High · Happy Valley · 1,382 students · 27.1:1 ratio
• Wilsonville High School
  High · Wilsonville · 1,269 students · 19.8:1 ratio
• Lake Oswego Senior High School
  High · Lake Oswego · 1,245 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• Lakeridge High School
  High · Lake Oswego · 1,234 students · 20.2:1 ratio
• Clackamas High School
  High · Clackamas · 1,224 students · 25:1 ratio
• Putnam High School
  High · Milwaukie · 1,106 students · 25.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.75 — 2026-09-05
  20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
• M 2.61 — 2026-07-31
  18 km NE of Amboy, Washington
• M 3.18 — 2025-11-23
  5 km SE of Amity, Oregon
• M 2.66 — 2024-08-30
  14 km ESE of Molalla, Oregon
• M 2.99 — 2024-01-05
  33 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
• M 3.09 — 2023-11-24
  4 km WSW of Deer Island, Oregon