THE WILLAMETTE MERIDIAN
We have drawn the inspiration for our name from the Willamette Meridian, the point or principal meridian from which land surveying in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades began. Under the guidance of John B. Preston, the first Surveyor General of Oregon, the meridian was adopted in 1851 and is located on Skyline Boulevard four miles northwest of Portland, Oregon. The Willamette Stone State Park is the site of a monument marking the meridian.
The text on a plaque at the Willamette Stone says:
"Beginning here, the Willamette Meridian was established, running north to Puget Sound and south to the California border, and the baseline was established running east to the Idaho border and west to the Pacific Ocean. From these surveyed lines, the lands of the Northwest were divided into townships six miles square beginning at the Willamette Base Line numbering north or south and given a range beginning at The Willamette Meridian numbering east and west. Each full township is divided into 36 sections of land 1 mile square which are numbered starting at the northeast corner of each"
The best source that we've found regarding the history of the Willamette Meridian is in the 1973 Treasures of the Oregon County, the first of several volumes on Oregon by Maynard C. Drawson. The book is out-of-print but is still easily available through sources like Powell's Bookstore and AMAZON.COM.
Last Updated: 03/04/2008
Willamette Meridian
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