When travelers arrived at the End of the Oregon Trail, they found Willamette Falls, a natural wonder that attracted both those early settlers and the Native Americans who settled here centuries earlier. For the traditional peoples, the main attraction was fishing, as the falls were an ideal place to harvest salmon - a mainstay of their diet. For new arrivals, making a fresh start in the Oregon country, the Falls represented a potential source for industry.
For both cultures, the Falls created a natural trading area. Many Native Americans tribes came here to fish, harvest lamprey eels and trade with one another. For the new arrivals, since the Falls blocked ship travel, this was the head of navigation, and aspiring traders and shop owners located here to serve the rest of the Willamette Valley.
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