Portland Women's Forum State Park is located at Chanticleer Point, on the north side of Scenic Columbia River Highway, approximately 22 miles east of Portland and one mile west of the Vista House at Crown Point in Multnomah County.

The 3.71-acre tract was a gift from the Portland Women's Forum by deed dated October 19, 1962. Preservation of the viewpoint at the west entrance of the Columbia River Gorge was the motive.

This property is the site of the old Chanticleer Inn which many years ago was located at a vantage point overlooking the great Columbia River, its magnificent canyon and the beautiful, green timbered mountains far to the north. The Inn was destroyed by fire nearly 40 years ago.

As a condition of the gift, the Forum requested that the area be named Portland Women's Forum State Park, and the Commission approved. On the level ground near the car parking area, the Forum installed a memorial with arrows pointing to various landmarks and a bronze plaque inscribed with names of life members of the organization. The remainder of the land is a sloping hillside, covered with low-growing brush indigenous to the area. An old roadway is used as a car parking area.

At the entrance to this park another monument has been placed to the memory of Samuel Hill, through whose efforts and influence the first road through the Gorge was constructed.

No count of the visitors to the area has been made."


Source:    Chester H. Armstrong (compiler), 1965, "History of the Oregon State Parks: 1917-1963, published by Oregon State Parks.