The land that is occupied today by Multnomah County was
inhabited for centuries by two bands of Upper Chinook Indians. The Multnomah
people settled on and around Sauvie Island, and the Cascades Indians settled
along the Columbia Gorge. These groups fished and traded along the river and
gathered berries, wapato, and other root vegetables. The nearby Tualatin Plains
provided prime hunting grounds. The later settlement of Portland started as a
spot known as either "Stump town" or "the clearing", which
was on the banks of the Willamette, located about halfway between Oregon City
and Fort Vancouver. In
