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Canby Ferry, Dahlia and Tulip Farms
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BRIEF HISTORY OF CANBY
Even the earliest settlers to Oregon couldn’t resist the livability of Canby. Situated on a high plateau, bordered by the Willamette and Molalla Rivers, Canby was once the seasonal meeting place for tribes of local Indians and was well known for its annual crop of wild strawberries.
James Baker arrived in the region in 1838 with a cattle drive from California. Baker and his Indian wife “squatted” on the land that lies just north of Canby. Other settlers arrived, including Philander & Anna Lee in 1848 who bought squatters rights on what is now SE First Avenue. The Lee’s began growing apples on 80 acres of land and shipped them to gold miners in California. In 1850, the Lee’s gained title to their 647 acres through the Donation Land Claim Act, which brought many more settlers over the Oregon Trail. Philander Lee Elementary School is named after this early settler.
Joseph Knight and his four sons moved to the Baker Prairie in 1868 and were instrumental in Canby’s early development as they opened one of the first general stores, built many local buildings, served as postmaster, school clerk, sheriff, druggist, blacksmith and carpenter. William Knight’s 1874 home still stands at 525 Fourth Avenue, as does the 1890 Knight building on NW First, the original meeting place for the City Council. William Knight Elementary School is named for this early citizen.
Major General Edward R.S. Canby, hero of the Civil War and Indian Wars, arrived in Oregon city in August of 1870 to assume command of the US Army’s Department of the Columbia. It was from this military leader that the town of Canby took its name.
The Willamette River served as the main source of transportation with steamboats taking produce to markets in Oregon City and Portland. While pushing the Oregon and California Railroad line from Portland to San Francisco, promoters approached Philander Lee for the land in 1870. Lee sold 111 acres for $2,960. The Knight family sold an additional 300 acres to the railroad. Canby’s city plot was filed in Oregon City on August 9, 1870.
Prior to 1920, the "Road of 100 Wonders", now NW First Avenue, was the main route through Canby, running northeast to Oregon City and west to Barlow and up the valley. That year marked the arrival of the Pacific Highway (Hwy 99E) to the south of the railroad tracks, making the beginning of yet a new era of transportation and development in Canby. Canby has grown from 998 people in 1940, to 1,286 residents by 1945. Now Canby boasts a population of over 13,000, and the city covers a three-square mile area. Many of the early buildings and homes in the original 24-block town site still exist and the city is surrounded by early farmhouses and barns, reminders of Canby's early pioneer, railroad and agricultural heritage.
Canby was incorporated on February 15, 1893, making it the second oldest city in Clackamas County. Herman A. Lee, Philander's second son, served as the first mayor. By 1890 Canby boasted three hotels and a bank, and by 1910, the population was 587. The railroad tracks were quickly lined with warehouses as the agriculture industry grew in the Canby area. Local crops included grain, hay, potatoes, dairy products, turkeys, flax, prunes, rhubarb, asparagus, berries, nuts, livestock, lumber, bulbs, flowers, and nursery stock. For many years, three covered bridges crossed the Molalla River from Canby and in 1914, local businessmen established ferry service across the Willamette River.
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