Not Quality, nor Twality

  This has been a very wet week.

  I live in a bowl known as the Tualatin Valley, and a lot of water falls into it. Surrounded on all sides by low mountains, these plains are drenched by moisture from the Pacific Ocean. To the east is the Tualatin Mountains (Portland's West Hills), which divert the Columbia River to the north after it has carved it's way through the Cascade Mountains (forming the Columbia Gorge). These hills are a spur of the Northern Oregon Coast Range (where they branch away from each other is the northern border). The NOCR is the little brother of the Cascade Range further inland. While the Cascades form a rain shadow over central Oregon, the NOCR does not protect us from the heavy downpours generated by the worlds largest ocean. Closing off the valley in the south are the Chehalem Mountains.

  The Tualatin Valley is a sub-sub-basin, with the Tualatin River flowing into the Willamette, then into the Columbia. The valley is the northern portion of the much larger Willamette Valley (separated by the previously mentioned Chehalem).

  The borders of Washington County very closely parallel these same mountain ranges. In fact, when looking at the western border of the county, it seems the very basin I'm mapping served as a guide.This is not the only time this happens either, it seems that county planners are very hydrologically aware in many cases.

  Long before the Tualatin Valley became the blueprint of counties though, it was the home of the Atfalati people. It is their name that now graces the valley, it's plains, river, highway, and many other features. Not the same word? Well, early settlers had a hard time pronouncing the name of the tribe, other common mispronunciations include Twality (the original name for the county) and Quality. However, the influx of European and Eastern-American immigrants, as is often the case, introduced disease and competition that drove the indigenous population to nil. Thanks to the Oregon Trail, the valley started filling up with settlers during the mid to late 19th century.

  The saturation that this valley receives from rain fall turned it into a veritable Garden of Eden. The plains were fertile grounds for the hunter/gatherer Atfalati for thousands of years, who would burn it annually to refertilize the land and keep it largely tree-free. For the incoming White population, plentiful farm lands were a big draw. Also, with the soaked NOCR to the west, the timber industry was flourishing as well. The growing and thriving population was to prove instrumental in making Portland what it is today, the largest and most powerful city in the state.

  As the number of citizens grew, various towns and cities were incorporated in the Tualatin Valley during the 1870's. Their booming industries fed an ever increasing economy. The first major transportation in the area, and thus the method of moving the goods to make the money, was by boat. Steamers traveled up the Tualatin river and lower parts of some of its tributaries. But the Tualitin enters the Willamette near Oregon City, which, thanks to it being the "official" end of the Oregon Trail, was quickly becoming the powerhouse of Oregon. As the California Gold Rush was coming to an end, politics were shifting in Oregon.

  Movers and shakers were investing heavily to make Portland the new "it" location of Oregon. The Oregonian news paper was founded to preach this new sermon. And money was found to create a plank road between Beaverton and Portland through the Tualatin Mountains (now largely covered by the Sunset Highway 26 and Canyon Rd). The success of this road brought the goods of the Tualatin Valley to Portland, rather than any other city, thus contributing to its success as the deep-water port of the Columbia River. From Portland, the goods would be shipped largely to San Francisco to where former miners of the Gold Rush were settling.

  While the main river of the Tualatin Valley is the river by the same name, these plains are criss-crossed by a number of creeks, streams, and other waterways. The plank road, though the easiest, shortest path through the West Hills, was a a soaking mess. Beaverton itself gained its name due to the number of beaver dams that had flooded portions of the valley. Despite the amount of rain and running water, there are no real lakes in the valley. About one third of one percent is considered to be "water" as opposed to "land".

  While the initial financial success of the Tualatin Valley was due to lumber and farming, it has not fallen behind the times. Indeed, the area is referred to as the Silicon Forest (to mirror the Silicon Valley of California). High-tech industries are major employers in the area, with big names like Intel, Tektronix, XEROX, H-P, and Yahoo leading a long list of others. Additionally, the population boom has not ended. Hillsboro and Beaverton are the fifth and sixth largest cities in the state.

  The name for the Tualatin River is often translated as "sluggish" or "slow". The Tualatin Valley or Plain is very flat and low, not a lot of areas for water to pick up speed. For the most part (not including the mountains that makes up its borders) the area is below 200 above sea level. Although closer to the North Pole than the Equator, snow is relatively rare on the valley floor.

  Next, I will share another incomplete project of mine that ties in with this subject.

Happy hunting,
Brett