Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea below, then step up to the general, across to peers or down to the specific.
Physical
Sauvie Island
Sauvie Island is the largest island along the Columbia River, a flat stretch of farms and wildlife land near Portland, Oregon.
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The idea
Sauvie Island is a large, flat island in the U.S. state of Oregon, approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown Portland. At 24,000 acres, it is the largest island along the Columbia River and one of the largest river islands in the United States. The Columbia River lies to its east, the Multnomah Channel to its west, and the Willamette River to its south.
Most of the island is in Multnomah County, but its northern third belongs to Columbia County. It was originally called Wapato Island. Its present name comes from Laurent Sauvé dit Laplante, a French-Canadian who managed a dairy for the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1830s and 1840s.
A large portion of the island is protected as the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area. Sturgeon Lake, in the north-central part of the island, is its most prominent water feature. Only 1,078 people lived on the island year-round at the 2000 census, yet it is a popular place for picking pumpkins, hunting geese and kayaking. Cyclists come as well, because the flat land and long, quiet roads make it ideal for riding.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
Which waterway forms the western edge of Sauvie Island?
Composition
what it's made of
- Farmland — Much of the island is farmland, and it is a popular place for picking pumpkins.
- Sauvie Island Wildlife Area — A large portion of the island is set aside as a wildlife area.
- Sturgeon Lake — The island's most prominent water feature, in its north-central part.
- Surrounding waters — The Columbia River to the east, the Multnomah Channel to the west and the Willamette River to the south.
- Wapato Bridge — The bridge across the Multnomah Channel from U.S. Route 30, completed in June 2008 and given its present name in 2022.
Connection
how it relates
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- Its first bridge to the mainland opened on December 30, 1950, and the Sauvie Island Ferry, the last ferry in the Portland area, closed. A new bridge replaced it in 2008, and in 2022 Multnomah County renamed that bridge the Wapato Bridge.
- Now
- The island is mostly farmland and wildlife refuge. Since 2018, alcohol has been banned on part of its beaches from May 1 to September 30 each year.
- Next
- Sauvie Island will likely stay a mix of farms and protected wildlife land on the edge of the Portland-Vancouver area. Balancing visitors, farming and wildlife will probably remain an ongoing task.