Springwater Corridor

The Springwater Corridor is a former rail corridor; the Springwater Division Line was developed for rail service in 1903. By 1906, under a joint ownership with Portland General Electric and the Portland Railway Light and Power Company, the line reached its peak usage. By 1910, the company had six electric plants and 161 miles of rail, carrying 16,000 passengers each year on a citywide system. In addition to passengers, the rail hauled farm produce to Portland markets. It was at this time it acquired the name Springwater Line, probably because of the planned connection to the community of Springwater on the Clackamas River. It was also known as the Portland Traction Company Line, the Cazadero Line, and the Bellrose Line.

Many communities developed along the Springwater Line including Sellwood, Waverley Heights, Eastmoreland, Woodstock, Errol Heights, Lents, Powellhurst-Gilbert, and Pleasant Valley. Towns that developed along the line include Milwaukie, Gresham, Boring, Eagle Creek, Estacada, and Cazadero. During the peak of the railroad era, the Springwater Line was the linkage between these communities. To encourage weekend use, the rail corporation developed destination parks along the line such as Oaks Amusement Park on the banks of the Willamette River in Sellwood. These parks became major attractions, drawing thousands of passengers each weekend.

Passenger service was discontinued in 1958. Much of Springwater Corridor was acquired by the City of Portland in 1990, with additional acquisitions by Metro in the following years. Master planning for the Corridor began in 1991 and included input from community members, agencies, organizations, and municipalities, including Portland Department of Transportation; Oregon Department of Transportation; the cities of Gresham and Milwaukie; Metro; Clackamas and Multnomah counties; the 40 Mile Loop Land Trust; and the Johnson Creek Corridor Committee.

Construction of the initial Portland segment was completed in September 1996. The trail through Gresham was built in 1996 and an additional mile east of Gresham was built in 2000. With the completion of a 3-mile segment from SE Ivon to SE Umatilla Streets (known as Springwater on the Willamette) in 2005, the part of the trail within Portland is nearly complete.