McLoughlin Boulevard & Fifth Street
River View Plaza on August 19, 2006
River View Plaza is a recent addition to Oregon City, but the three plaques at this viewpoint indicate the location of two pieces of Oregon City history.
River View Plaza Plaque on August 19, 2006
Before Oregon was officially a part of the United States, the provisional legislature realized the need for currency in the Oregon Country. In 1849, the Oregon Exchange Company opened the Beaver Coin Mint just upstream from where River View Plaza sits today. This mint created five- and ten-dollar gold coins from gold dust brought from California. These coins were easily identified, as they were stamped with a beaver on one side, leading them to be called "beaver money" or "beaver coins." These coins remained in widespread use until 1854, when the U.S. Mint in San Francisco bought up all the coins at a premium price, as they contained more gold than the official United States five- and ten dollar coins.
River View Plaza Plaque on August 19, 2006
In the 1850s, the first steamboat on the Willamette River docked just north of what is now River View Plaza. Steamboats would remain an important mode of transportation on the river until the 1930s.
River View Plaza Plaque on August 19, 2006
River View Plaza was designed by Darla Cole-Bowen and was built using funds, materials and services provided by Sisul Engineering, Inc., ADaPT Engineering, Inc., Earth Crusaders, Clackamas Landscape Supply, Glacier Northwest, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the City of Oregon City Urban Renewal Agency. The plaques were unveiled and the plaza dedicated at 8:00 AM on Friday, May 31, 2002.
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