Mike Schmeer
Posts by Mike Schmeer:
German Methodist Camp Plat 1894
Located at the S.W. corner of River Rd. & Courtney Ave. the plat consisted of about 7.3 acres. Parts of it were sold immediately after its purchase. The theory that the camp extended all the way down to the Willamette River has yet to be supported by evidence.
German Methodist Church
The Oak Grove German Methodist Church originated in Milwaukie. But in 1894 they purchased property on the S.W. corner of River Rd. & Courtney Ave. on property they had purchased in 1890. On July 31, 1913, the Oregon City Courier reported that the church building was under construction.
Churches / Religion
The archives in this category relate to churches and church history in the Oak Lodge area.
Abstracts of Title
Prior to the computer age Abstracts of Title (AOT) were given by Title Companies to buyers of property to certify that their title to the property was “free and clear”. The abstracts were a chain of ownership to the property documenting every transaction related to the property from the time it was owned by the Federal Government, identifying every transaction through the time of the recent purchase. AOT document every deed by date, book and page where it was recorded, include a detailed description about the transaction, and sometimes included divorces, quitclaims, lawsuits, etc. They are a treasure trove of history. AOT became obsolete with the coming of the computer age, and today those original reports that have survived are generally only found in museums, attics, closets or basements. They are also generally in rough shape.
Oak Lodge Community Council 1977
OLCC (OLCPO a community planning organization) was formed as a community planning organization in 1977 in response to state legislation that named citizen participation as Goal 1 in Oregon’s ground-breaking statutes. At its formation it adopted the same label as the overlapping service districts in the area – namely the Oak Lodge Water District and Oak Lodge Sanitary District. Jennings Lodge started its own CPO in 1996-1997.
Fred Meyer Store Opens 1960
The Fred Meyer store opens in Oak Grove, forever altering the business dynamics in the community.
Trolley Service Ends 1959
Oregonian newspaper documents the last run of “Old No. 4012”, ending the trolley service between Portland and Oregon City.