Philip Foster Farm is a historic site in Eagle Creek, Oregon

Eagle Creek, Oregon

Eagle Creek is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located seven miles southwest of Sandy, seven miles north of Estacada, and five miles southeast of Carver, at the junction of Oregon Routes 224 and 211, on the Clackamas River.-Background and history:The...

, United States, near the city of Estacada

Estacada, Oregon

Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about 30 miles southeast of Portland. The population was 2,695 at the 2010 census. -History:The Estacada post office opened in February 1904 and the city was incorporated in May 1905...

. The farm is on a 640 acres (259 ha) land claim

Donation Land Claim Act

The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...

 purchased in 1847 by American pioneer

American pioneer

American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...

 Philip Foster

Philip Foster

Philip Foster was one of the first settlers in Oregon, United States. The farmstead he established in Eagle Creek in 1847 became the first outpost of civilization after 2,000 miles of travel for pioneers heading west along the Oregon Trail. Approximately 10,000 emigrants are believed to have...

. Foster built a store, house, and barn at the farm. The farmhouse and barn still stand, and a replica of the store has been built at the site.

The house is located on the last leg of the Barlow Road

Barlow Road

The Barlow Road is a historic road in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was built in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster, with authorization of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon, and served as the last overland segment of the Oregon Trail...

, and was an important rest stop for travelers on the Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...

.

The interior of the farmhouse, store replica, and field are open to the public. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1980. The Jacknife-Zion-Horseheaven Historical Society that runs the site jokes that Foster Farm is the "First destination resort in the Oregon Territory

Oregon Territory

The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...

."

External links

• Philip Foster Farm (official website)