Speaker

Ben Williams, a resident of French Prairie and President of Friends of Historic Butteville, will present on the history of Butteville and the Historic Butteville Store. Once a thriving port town and the "Hops capital of Oregon," Butteville faced decline with the arrival of the railroad around 1907, while Wilsonville benefitted from new transportation routes. The Butteville Store, the longest continuously operating retail establishment in Oregon, remains a significant landmark. Ben will explore the factors that fueled Wilsonville's success and contributed to Butteville's downturn, highlighting the region's past and ongoing preservation efforts.