Willamette Stone

Willamette Stone is a stainless steel marker with a bronze plaque positioned at the intersection of the Willamette meridian and baseline in a forested area. The site sits in Northwest Portland and marks the exact reference point for a surveying system that extends across two states.

John Preston, the first Surveyor General of Oregon Territory, placed a wooden stake at this location in 1851 to establish a surveying system. This original point was later replaced by the current stone marker, which preserves the legacy of that early measurement work.

The marker serves as the origin point for property measurements across two states and shapes how land is surveyed in the region today. Visitors can see how this central position influenced the way communities and farmland were organized over time.

The site is accessible via Northwest Skyline Boulevard with parking available nearby and interpretive trails for walking around the area. A visit works well at any time of day, and the walk to the marker is straightforward.

The meridian runs from Canada to California while the baseline stretches from Idaho to the Pacific Ocean. These two lines form the foundation for all land surveying in the entire region and reveal the scale of an early surveying project.