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Welcome To Tillamook County Oregon
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MENU OF WEB PAGES The Indians of Tillamook were of the Chinookan tribe which lived on the coast both north and south of the Columbia River. But each group south of the river became known by where they lived, as in Konope, Neacoxy, Neahkeluk, Niakewankih, Neahkstowt and Necotat. Unlike natives further east, these Indians lived in permanent wooden houses built of plank slabs.
The first group of three found by by Lewis and Clark were Clatsop who numbered about 200 and lived in 14 large wooden houses. They spoke the Chinook language as did the Indians of Tillamook. Tillamook were formerly known by other names, like Calamoxes for one example. They lived between Nehalem and the Salmon River and from the crest of the coast range to the sea. The word tillamook is said to mean 'land of many waters.' The anthropologist Franz Boas said it means 'people of Nekelim, or Nehalem' Source Also of the same general group of Indians included Nestucca, Siletz, and Nehalem, each group known by where they lived. The Salish tribe was southernmost of the tribe and lived on the Salish River in Lincoln County. Resources: Confederated Tribes Of Siletz Indians In 1875 the Indians were rounded up and moved to Grande Ronde. Side Interests to history:
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Huge forest fires known as the "Tillamook Burn" destroyed 240,000 acres of timber in 1933. Subsequent fires brought the total to 355,000 acres with an economic loss in excess of $600 million. Steep hillsides, formerly blanketed in Douglas firs, cedars, and hemlocks, stood barren and covered in ash. The devastation challenged the local communities and the state to respond. What followed was remarkable as groups of children from Tillamook County, Portland, and elsewhere gathered to replant seedlings. Over time, more than 72 million trees were planted. Now, the Tillamook forest supports wildlife habitat, timber, and recreation. (Source: www.tillamookforestcenter.org) History: Tillamook County, the twelfth county in Oregon, was established December 15, 1853, when the Territorial Legislature approved an act to create the new county out of a large area included in Clatsop, Yamhill and Polk Counties. The county was named after the Tillamook Indians who occupied the areas around the Tillamook and Nehalem Bays. Tillamook County is located in the northwestern portion of the state and is bordered by Clatsop County on the north, Washington and Yamhill Counties on the east, Polk and Lincoln Counties on the south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. Boundary changes were enacted with Clatsop County (1855, 1870, and 1893), Lincoln County (1893), Washington County (1893, 1898), and Yamhill County (1887). The area of Tillamook County is 1,125 square miles. The 2000 population of 24,262 represented an increase of 12.48% since 1990. During the first ten years following the organization of the county, the county court met at the homes of its members. From 1865 to 1875 court sessions were held in various schoolhouses in the district, the exact place being determined by the incumbent county judge. In 1866 the town of Lincoln was renamed Tillamook in order to stay consistent with the post office's name of Tillamook. An election in 1873 chose Tillamook as the county seat. In 1875 the county rented an office in the general store to house government. In 1889 a courthouse was built but was destroyed by fire in 1903. Only the county clerk's vault and its stored records were saved. A new courthouse was built at the same site in 1905 and replaced again in 1933. County government offices that were already in place upon statehood were the three county commissioners (including the county judge), a probate judge, sheriff, clerk, treasurer, assessor, school superintendent, and coroner. Subsequent officers and/or boards were established as follows: surveyor (1860); stock inspector (1895); school district boundary board (1899); veterinarian (1910); health officer (1912); fair board (1913); agricultural agent (1915); dairy herd inspector (1917); dog control districts (1919); and an engineer (1925). The major physical features of Tillamook County consist of the rocky and irregular coastline that forms the county's western boundary, stretches of coastal lowlands, and heavily timbered interior parts, which comprise the main span and several spurs of the Coast Range. Principal industries are agriculture, lumber, fishing, and recreation. Dairy farms dominate the county's fertile valleys providing milk for the well-known Tillamook cheese. Logging and lumbering are becoming a significant economic force due to the reforestation of most of the "Tillamook Burn" area. With seventy-five miles of coastline, four bays, and nine rivers, recreational and tourist facilities are numerous.
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