Well before visits by explorers and frontiersmen, the Portland area and its rivers were home to trading among the many native people who lived in the lush valleys bordering Mount Hood and the Cascade Mountains. Legend tells that the Native Americans who thrived here used to hunt at Elk Rock and meet at Council Crest, the city’s highest point. Tribal lore reaches in all directions, including the Bridge of the Gods, where Mother Nature provided the perfect place for a man-made bridge that now links Oregon to Washington near Bonneville Lock & Dam. Much of the vibrant culture of local tribes can be experienced at The Museum at Warm Springs.

Ordered by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Pacific Northwest in 1804, state park namesakes Lewis and Clark made their famed journey through the Columbia River Gorge, which remains among the most scenic areas in the U.S. Take in the expansive view from the historic Vista House. The arrival of the explorers brought a new wave of trade and culture to the city. With military camps at nearby Fort Clatsop and Fort Vancouver, as well as historic Officers Row, U.S. military personnel mixed with settlers, fur trappers and seamen who came to Portland primarily from Astoria. The coastal town itself has a bountiful past that lives on in the Astoria Column and Columbia River Maritime Museum.

Drawn west by the California Gold Rush, a number of pioneers decided to head north for Oregon and Portland. Their arduous journey can be revisited at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center as well as other museums. Among pioneers who came to the city in the 1840s were two early settlers from Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine. The two gentlemen bet the name of the city on the toss of a coin, which can still be seen today at the Oregon History Center. The City of Portland was actually chartered in 1851 and historic City Hall and Pioneer Courthouse—both still in use—are testaments to Portland’s dedication to its past.

Other key figures of Portland’s past include the original publisher of The Oregonian Henry Pittock, whose Northwest Portland mansion provides an incredible view of downtown and can be toured. Another father of the city is lumber baron Simon Benson, whose water fountains known as the Benson Bubblers still offer cool drinks today. The Benson Hotel is also named after this head of industry and is considered among the top accommodations in town.

Benson and Portland prospered through the harvest of timber, which is more closely examined at the World Forestry Center and Magness Memorial Tree Farm. Shipping along the banks of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, as well as fishing helped drive growth of the city. When times became more difficult with the Great Depression, the area saw one of its biggest government projects with the New Deal construction of historic Timberline Lodge.

The history of downtown Portland is rich with culture and color. The centuries old buildings of the Pearl District and Chinatown mix with newer aesthetic attractions such as the Classical Chinese Garden. Stories of the city’s boisterous past, when sailors and shipyard worker mixed in places like the White Eagle and Buffalo Gap saloons, include tales of men getting shanghai’d—taken away drunk and forced to work aboard the ship of a cruel captain. The city’s darker side can also be seen at the Portland Police Historical Museum, where both criminals and heroes of the city’s past live on.

Also known as the City of Bridges, part of Portland’s history spans the Willamette River, which passengers can tour on the Willamette Shore Trolley. The Hawthorne Bridge—one of the oldest elevation bridges still operating—is often the setting of movie filming, races and walks in Portland. It connects the downtown area to East Portland, which in the early days of the city was connected only by ferry. Today, Portlanders have a choice of many bridges, including the Steel Bridge, which is a one of-a-kind, double-decker elevation bridge, and the Broadway Bridge, which connects downtown to the Rose Quarter and Northeast Portland. The city is also linked by the Interstate Bridge to Vancouver, Washington, which carries its own history in a small, rejuvenated downtown area. Rivaling Portland’s numerous, historic bridges are the city’s parks, which are never far and offer the perfect place to play, walk, relax or picnic. It would not be hard to spend a day at Forest Park, which is the largest city park in the United States. A visit to Portland would not be complete without seeing Washington Park, the International Rose Test Garden and other attractions of the urban forest. Here you will see and smell the reason Portland is called the Rose City.

One of Portland’s largest examples of history is the renovated PGE Park. Formerly known as Civic Stadium and renovated in 2001, this is one of the oldest downtown ballparks in the U.S. The outdoor park still hosts Portland Beavers baseball as well as other sporting and musical events. Other landmarks connecting Portland’s past and future include Powell’s Books, which chronicles the local history and the Portland Brewing Tap Room, where the new twist of microbrew adds flavor to the old art of brewing.