Willamette Stone State Heritage Site

Every once and awhile you come across a little gem tucked away that just takes your breath away and leaves you speechless. This is that type of place. I could tell you about the incredible staircase that leads to the tiny platform that IS the park, or the awe inspiring three benches that circle said platform, or the majestic survey marker in the center of that tiny platform but why bog you down with details. Instead, I want to focus on the FEEL of this place. You can literally hang here and feel yourself one with the essence of Portland, no, the essence of the entire WEST. Wow. Spell bound. I wish there were more parks like this back east. Beautiful views… Who needs them? Amenities… not here. No, this place is as raw as they come, and make no mistake, by raw I most certainly mean you should only come here if you have unbounded time to waste, are lost or are hoping to bump into befuddled trekkers wondering «where the rest of the park is.» Don’t miss it!

This is small park is an interesting place to visit and sit among the trees, you will probably have it to yourself as I never see cars in the parking areas
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The place is important because in 1850 when the US wanted to settle the Oregon Territory president Fillmore named a surveyor general for Oregon and he drove a stake here in 1851 (later replaced by a stone marker that then was stolen and now is marked by a steel marker on a stone plaque) to mark the spot that the survey grid for Oregon and Washington is drawn from. The grid is still in use.
If you are a trivia geek like me the stake is where the base line running east and west and the meridian line running north and south meet. the base line is where Baseline Road in washington county and other counties gets its name.

Every business, institution and home sits on land. The land is divided into lots, with lines drawn by surveyors and a whole chain of legal documents. How did those lines get there? I learned about this from my surveyor
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They got there from here.
The entire Oregon Territory, which includes Washington, was surveyed from this single point set June 4, 1851. Why the surveyor did not choose Council Crest is a mystery.
The Willamette Stone State Heritage Site has a parking lot on the South, wooded side of Skyline. There is a paved path with steps at the end to a concrete pad. Set in the center is a stainless steel marker for the Willamette Meridian — the North — South line, and the Willamette Baseline, the East — West line.
There are a few benches, some inset lines and a plaque explaining the surveying system devised by Thomas Jefferson and used throughout the country, including here.
You might think with GPS we would not need surveyors. Not so, surveyors work to an accuracy of ¹⁄₁₀ inch and GPS is 50 – 1000 times less accurate. So no, you cannot survey your land with your Garmin. And yes, current laser survey equipment is very accurate. Those laser measurements are based off this marker.
Think about this, every property line, building location, road, pipe, utility pole, every elevation, anything built by humans in Oregon and Washington is legally defined by this marker.
This is not the most exciting park. The Masons would totally vibe on this spot. If children take an interest in surveying or the geometry behind it, maybe there is a teaching moment here. Of if children become interested in land use law, this is part of that. Certainly it is an historic location.
Not the most wheelchair accessible spot. The paved path is a moderate grade with a few bumps caused by roots under the asphalt. There are a few steps right above the marker pad, which can be viewed from there. There is a gravel path which bypasses the stairs.
The Willamette Stone is where the lines we draw on land began. It’s Oregon and Washington’s belly button. No rush to visit, it will be there as long as we are here.