Western Oregon\'s Willamette Basin, once a vast wilderness, became a thriving community almost overnight.
Authors Elizabeth and William Orr bring to life the changes that sculpted Oregon\'s beloved Willamette Valley..
As cities rose, people like Portland architect Edward Bennett and conservationist governor Tom McCall worked to contain urban sprawl.
Dams were built to harness the once free-flowing Willamette River and provide power to the growing population.
Heralded as fertile with a mild climate and an abundance of natural resources, the Valley enticed farmers, miners and loggers, who were quickly followed by the construction of rail lines and roads.
When Oregon territory was opened for homesteading in the early 1800s, most of the intrepid pioneers settled in the valley, spurring rapid changes in the landscape.
Western Oregon\'s Willamette Basin, once a vast wilderness, became a thriving community almost overnight
