Tualatin Hills Nature Park is a habitat mosaic where all the animals, plants, people, and their environments are connected. Within this unique area you will find marshes, ponds, creeks, meadows, forested wetlands, and forested uplands. There are many paved trails and unpaved secondary trails for you to enjoy. To stroll this 222-acre park is to take a step back in time. The history of this land is as diverse as the plants and wildlife you will find living within its boundaries.
The human history of the Tualatin Hills Nature Park began about 9,000 years ago when the "Atfalati" tribe (also known as the "Tualatin" tribe) lived in this area. These people survived as hunters and gatherers. In 1804-1806, the Lewis & Clark Expedition undertook its trail-blazing journey from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Several years after Lewis and Clark returned home, the first of many Europeans journeyed into the Oregon Territory to find land to call their own.
From 1788 to 1843, the Nature Park site was part of the land claimed by the United Kingdom. In 1843, the property became part of what was known as the "Oregon Provisional," which was followed by the 1846 land acquisition by the U.S. through Treaty. It was not until 1848 that the land became part of the U.S. Territory. As part of the U.S. Territorial Acts, the government created Donation Land Claims. In 1850, the land became part of the original donation land claim of pioneers John & Lydia Elliot and their 10 children. The Elliot family came from Lincoln County, Maine. This family followed the call and excitement of the largest migration of people in the history of the United States, joining thousands of other pioneers on their journey west along the Oregon Trail. The remnants of the Elliot homestead garden can still be seen, as evidenced by four old apple trees located along the trail named for the Elliot family in this park.
In 1854, the Elliot land was sold to T.B. & T.S. Trevett, father and son Portland storekeepers/speculators, for $2,000. In 1861, the Catholic Church, through Father Blanchet, acquired the property. It was referred to as St. Mary's Woods. It was purchased for the astounding price of $5,000!
It was not until 1975 that the land was identified by the City of Beaverton as a regional park site. Initially, it was hoped the property would become a state park. In 1976, the Land Acquisition Committee of the Park District designated the existing site for procurement. In 1977, a citizens committee was formed to promote acquisition of the site and in 1978, the State Parks Advisory Committee approved funding for St. Mary's Forest State Park. However, budget reductions at the state level eliminated this hope for funding. In January of 1980, the THPRD Board of Directors voted to pursue acquisition. The citizens committee promoted a bond issue for the purchase of the site and in June of that year was successful in its passage.
The initial park proposal was for 220 acres. Subsequent negotiations with the Archdiocese of Oregon resulted in the purchase of 180 acres for $7.5 million in January of 1981. Funding for the park was accomplished through a $5.5 million bond issue, $1 million from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, $500,000 from the state parks budget, and $500,000 in matching funds from the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, for a grand total of $7.5 million. In March of 1984, the final draft of the master plan was presented to the THPRD Board of Directors. In June of that same year, a public hearing was conducted for formal adoption of the plan. The park was formally named the "Tualatin Hills Nature Park" at that time. In August 1995, 15.5 acres were acquired from PGE, bringing the total acreage of the park to 195.5 acres.
The most recent addition to the park came in April 2000. Through the efforts of concerned citizens, the Park District, the City of Beaverton and Metro, the Nature Park was expanded by 22 acres in the southeast corner along Beaverton Creek.
Through the successful 1994 bond levy, Park District residents approved the funds for the Nature Park Interpretive Center to be built, along with trail improvements and interpretive signs. The Interpretive Center buildings consist of two classrooms/meeting rooms, a kitchen, fireplace room, interpretive display room, and the center's offices.
The history of the park and its journey through time does not end here. The park and the life within it will continue to change and evolve. Join us in this amazing journey as we celebrate Tualatin Hills Nature Park and Interpretive Center, its beginnings and its future!
