Molalla, Oregon
Molalla is a small community in the foothills of the Cascade Range and a gateway to the Mt. Hood National Forest. It is located 15 miles south of Oregon City and 13 miles from I-5 with good access to both Portland and Salem. The surrounding area is rich in recreation opportunities such as fishing in the Molalla River, hunting, and hiking. Molalla is surrounded by farms and rural residential development. The community offers full urban services, good schools, an excellent airport, a scenic golf course, and moderate housing and land costs. Major employers include Molalla School District, Avison Lumber Company and Electronic Controls Design Inc. Molalla is the proud host of the over 70 year old Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo, the Apple Festival and a miniature steam train at Shady Dell Park.

History: By the mid-1800s the Molalla tradition of hunting and fishing became seriously threatened by encroaching white settlers and it would not be long before their very lifestyle was under siege. As more pioneers pushed westward, Native hunting grounds began shrinking, causing Indian/settler tensions to mount in Molalla Country.
Dwindling Native resources combined with settler prejudice and fear of Indian retaliation further escalated the strain and in 1846 the peace between the two communities was nearly lost. It was preserved only by last minute negotiations.
But two years later inevitable violence broke out near Abiqua Creek, in present day Silverton. Although falsely called a "war" by many non-Indian historians, Native peoples have a different story to tell.
"The real story," says Olson, "is that during that same period 1848, it was about six months after a Cayuse attack on the Whitman Mission and the settlers in the Willamette Valley were afraid there would be an Indian uprising." She says that when a horseback mailman happened across Klamath travelers camping with their Molalla hosts, he sounded the alert that the group was preparing to attack. But Olson says what pioneers thought was an army of male warriors "was really a group of women, Elders and children." She notes the mailman probably thought he saw a band of Indian men because Molalla men, women and children traditionally wore deer-hide trousers.
(Savage's records also confirm that while Molalla women occasionally wore hide skirts, they most often wore buckskin pants and shirts distinguished only by the beads that might decorate the female attire and the feathers that might be donned for ceremony or by chiefs.)
Blinded by fear and ignorance, the settlers took arms and attacked the group killing about 13 and wounding one. Olson says the Elders, women and children fled as the aggressors pursued them to around Abiqua Creek.

Population:
Click here to see population numbers from the latest census for Molalla and other Oregon cities.