Willamette Stone State Heritage Site

On a snowy December day in 2019, I was surprised to learn there was a Oregon State Park within a mile of my house. So I bundled up and went out on an adventure. And so interesting to learn that this iconic Willamette Stone marker is the origin point of Oregon & Washington's land survey system.

This little jaunt would spark my interest into discovering and learning about as many sites as possible. Then in Jan. 2020, I was diagnosed with an aggressive HER2-Positive breast cancer … and then during my chemotherapy treatment, COVID hit in March. It has been a crazy year indeed, and I am super happy that I am finally through my cancer battle … and staying healthy during COVID.

Nonetheless, I am all the more motivated to achieve my mission to adventure locally this year.

Then, I will work on my 2020 goal of hitting all 50 States by my 50th Birthday, which was postponed during the global pandemic (the travel, not the birthday). And I’ll attempt to see as many of the 419 National Park System as possible along the way.

And lastly, I will attempt to visit all 195 countries in the world.

#lifegoals and #traveldreams

Explore more at www.traveloregon.com … With the exception of portions of the eastern United States and Texas, the United States is divided into a grid of six-mile squares called Townships and Ranges, commonly known as the rectangular survey system. The Willamette Meridian is one of 37 Principal Meridians in the United States, each of which is named, that define the rectangular survey system.

The Willamette Stone is the "Initial Point" or Point of Beginning of the Willamette Meridian. All land surveys and property descriptions in Oregon and Washington are referenced to this point. Established in 1851 under the direction of John B. Preston, the first Surveyor General of the Oregon Territory, the surveys completed from this location promoted settlement of the Northwest and began the transfer of land from government ownership to private ownership.

After a short walk down a hill in the park, you can see, touch and read about this important marker.