Alexander Ross camped in the Washougal vicinity on July 24, 1811 and referred to the location as "Wasough-ally Camp".

In 1838 Richard Ough (Howe) arrived in the area. Ough married the daughter of a local chief.

In 1844 the Washougal area was settled by George Bush and Michael Simmons and his wife. In April 1845 the Simmons son, Christopher Columbus Simmons, was born, making him the first American child born north of the Columbia River. In October 1845 Bush and the Simmons left the Washougal area and headed to Puget Sound.

In 1846 David C. Parker arrived via a wagon train party which rafted down the Columbia River from The Dalles, Oregon. Parker squatted on land just downstream (west) of today's Washougal.

Other settlers followed David Parker. Joseph Gibbons arrived in 1847, Joseph Duncan in 1850, and J.E.C. Durgan in 1854.

In April 1849 pioneer Richard Ough "squatted" on public land on the upstream (east) side of Parker’s land, and in 1850 he claimed the 633.91 acres he occupied.

In 1850, with the coming of the Donation Land Claim (DLC) system, David C. Parker claimed the nearly 582 acres he occupied, and started the community of Parkersville, the first American town north of the Columbia River. Parker constructed a dock which he called Parker’s Landing.

In 1854 Parker platted out the town of Parkersville, which consisted of a couple stores, a hotel, bar and a house.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office (GLO) Records database (2016) shows Ann Bruner, Ann Parker, and the Heirs of David C Parker being granted title to 520.22 acres of T1N R3E, parts of Sections 11, 12, 13, and 14, on August 27, 1871 (1850 Oregon-Donation Act).

In 1879, Joseph Durgan, founder of Washougal (located just upstream of Parkersville), bought the fairly new Carpenter store at Parkersville which included a post-office. Durgan moved to its new location in Washougal. Fritz Braun, who had started building a hotel and bar in Parkersville moved his building to near Durgan’s store. This location eliminated the wet land problems in the Parkersville area and low water times for ship docking. A roadway, bridge and new dock at Washougal gave Captain Love year-round docking facilities and provided local farmers a new way in and out to the world.

In 1880 Richard Ough sold twenty acres of his claim to Joseph E.C. Durgan and steamship captain and owner Lewis Love. These two men platted the town of Washougal, named after the Indian name for Rushing Water.

Today, Parkersville is the location of the Washougal Marina, and Parkers Landing is now Parkers Landing Historical Park.

In 1976 the "Parkersville Site" was added to the National Register of Historic Places (Pre-historic, Native American, Exploration/Settlement, #76001880).

• Chinook Plaza ...
• Interpretive Panels ...
• National Register of Historic Places ...
• Parker Landing Post Light ...
• Parker's Landing Historical Park ...
• Rose Arbor ...
• Rose Arbor ... (winter)
• Van Vleet Historical Plaza ...

"The Chinook Plaza, as well as the Tayi rock, the native planting bed, the interpretive panels, and the pondless waterfall surrounded by native plants, are the fulfillment of the original intent of those who were involved in planning the development of Parker’s Landing Historical Park when it was dedicated and opened on June 1, 1986. In addition to relating local history, one of the wishes of those early members, as well as current members, was to commemorate the Chinook Indians who had inhabited this area, who had left behind many artifacts, some of which are still being found today, and who deserve to be honored, remembered, and imitated for their respect for Mother Earth.” [From the September 12, 2009 Dedication Ceremony.] " Source:    Port of Camas/Washougal website, 2016.

THE LOCAL CHINOOKAN ROYAL FAMILY "THE CHINOOKAN PEOPLE have always been united by language and family ties. The local tribe, the Washougalles, lived at Catlipoks, a small village a short distance up the Washougal River. The river was an important salmon spawning ground. In 1800, Chief Schluyhus was part of a large royal family that included his wife, Running Fawn, Running Fawn's mother, and their children White Wing, Wa-ba-na-ha, Morning Star, and Owl Feather. Chief Schluyhus was form the royal lineage and had been chief at The Cascades, and had also been head of all Chinook fisheries. Running Fawn's ancestors had lived at Catlipoks for a very long time. Wa-ba-na-ha became chief at the Clahclellah village below The Cascades of the Columbia. His wife was Wa-ca-boole, sister-in-law of Chief Chen-o-wuth. The two families were very close and traveled together seasonally to pick huckleberries, fish for salmon, and socialize. They spent winter months with Clackamas Chinook relatives at the fork of the Clackamas and Multnomah Rivers. Wa-ba-na-ha worked for the Cascades Portage Railroad and railroad warehouses. He led his Cascades Chinook villages through relocaiton after 1858 to the White Salmon, and later to the Yakama Indian Reservation. White Wing married Richard Ough, who was a seaman and fur trader for the Hudson's Bay Company. He renamed her Betsey, and they enjoyed a long and fruitful life together, with a large family. Richard was naturalized and filed for a 640-acre waterfront donation land claim in 1849, part of which he later sold for the development of the city of Washougal. Betwey was known for her hospitality and medical expertise. She died in 1911 in Washougal, exact age unknown (96-106). Her youngest son, John Thomas Ough, also died in Washougal in 1917, as did his daughter, Gracia Ough Jones, in 1995 at age 91." Source:    Chinook Plaza information panel, Parker's Landing Historical Park, Washougal, Washington, visited November 2016.