Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea below, then step up to the general, across to peers or down to the specific.
Physical
Kelley Point Park
Kelley Point Park is a city park in north Portland at the tip of the peninsula where the Willamette River meets the Columbia River.
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The idea
Kelley Point Park is a city park in north Portland, Oregon. It sits at the very tip of a peninsula, at the spot where the Willamette River flows into the Columbia River. The Columbia River runs along the park's north side, the Willamette River along its west side, and the Columbia Slough along its south side. Because of this, the park has water on three sides.
A place where two rivers join is called a confluence. Below a confluence, the water of both rivers flows on together in one channel toward the sea. The land at the point is low, and its highest ground is only 39 feet (12 m) above sea level.
The park also sits beside working marine terminals, where ships load and unload cargo. Marine Terminal 6 of the Port of Portland lies just east of the park along the Columbia, and Terminal 5 lies along the Willamette a little to the south. Across the Willamette to the west is Sauvie Island, and Hayden Island lies a short way upstream on the Columbia.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 3
Which two rivers meet at Kelley Point Park?
Composition
what it's made of
- The point — The tip of the peninsula, where the Willamette River joins the Columbia River.
- Columbia River shore — The park's north edge runs along the Columbia River.
- Willamette River shore — The park's west edge runs along the Willamette River.
- Columbia Slough edge — The Columbia Slough forms the park's south boundary.
- Marine terminals next door — Port of Portland Terminal 6 lies to the east, and Terminal 5 lies to the south along the Willamette.
Connection
how it relates
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- During a brief visit to Oregon in 1834, Hall Jackson Kelley tried unsuccessfully to establish a city at the confluence. In 1926, a group of Portland citizens persuaded the United States Board on Geographic Names to name the point after him. In 1984 the city acquired the park site from the Port of Portland, which had covered much of the peninsula with sand and mud dredged from the Columbia River.
- Now
- The park has paved and unpaved paths, picnic tables, public art and a vista point, where visitors can watch ship traffic on both rivers.
- Next
- The park will likely stay a green space beside the working port, though changes in river levels and shipping could affect how people use it.