Canby's History
By Peggy Sigler & Myra Weston

Even the earliest settlers to Oregon couldn't resist the livability of Canby. Situated on a high plateau, bordered by the Willamette and Molalla Rivers, Canby was once the seasonal meeting place for tribes of local Indians and was well known for its annual crop of wild strawberries. Today Canby is still noted for its strawberries.

James Baker arrived in the region in 1838 with a cattle drive from California. Baker took an Indian wife and "squatted" on land that lies just north of Canby. Other settlers arrived, including Philander and Anna Lee in 1848 who bought "squatter's" rights on what is now SE First Avenue. The Lee's began growing apples on 80 acres of land and shipped them to gold miners in California. In 1850, the Lees gained title to their 647 acres through the Donation Land Claim Act which brought many more settlers over the Oregon Trail. Philander Lee Elementary School is named after this early settler.

Joseph Knight and four sons moved to Baker Prairie in 1868 and were instrumental in Canby's early development as they opened one of the first general stores, built many local buildings, served as postmaster, school clerk, sheriff, druggist, blacksmith and carpenter. William Knight's 1874 home still stands at 525 SW Fourth Avenue as does the 1890 Knight Building on NW First, the original meeting place for the city council and first home of Carlton and Rosenkrans, "Clackamas County's largest department store." William Knight Elementary School pays tribute to this early citizen.

The Willamette River served as the main source of transportation with steamboats taking produce to markets in Oregon City and Portland. While pushing the Oregon and California Railroad line from east Portland to San Francisco, promoters approached Philander Lee for land in 1870. Lee sold 111 acres for a price of $2,960 for a 24-block city. The Knight family sold 300 acres to the railroad. Hence, Canby's city plot was filed in Oregon City on August 9, 1870.

Two weeks prior to that, Major General Edward R.S. Canby, hero of Civil and Indian Wars, arrived in Oregon City to assume command of the U.S. Army's Department of the Columbia. The new town assumed this hero's name.

Rails were laid in 1870 and in 1873 the train depot was built near what is now NW First and Grant. The depot has since been moved to 888 NE Fourth Avenue and turned into a museum. By 1890 Canby boasted three hotels and a bank. As the railroad tracks were quickly lined with warehouses, the agriculture industry grew. Local crops included grain, hay, potatoes, dairy products, berries, nuts, livestock, lumber, bulbs, flowers and nursery stock. Canby became officially incorporated as a city on February 15, 1893 and just a few years ago the community celebrated its Centennial anniversary. For many years, three bridges crossed the Molalla River from Canby, until local businessmen established ferry service across the Willamette River in 1914. Today the Canby ferry is just one of three ferries still operating in the state.

In 1910 the population of Canby numbered just under 600. By 1940 the community numbered nearly 1,000 and was up to nearly 1,300 by 1945. Today, Canby's population has topped the 13,000 mark and covers a three-square mile area. Many of the early homes and buildings still exist and the surrounding farmland is still speckled with early farmhouses and barns that serve as a reminder of Canby's early pioneer, railroad and agricultural heritage.

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