Jury’s Out On Aurora Jail

On By Roy WidingIn Aurora Colony, Aurora Oregon, Aurora Oregon History, Aurora Oregon News, Aurora Oregon Public SafetyLeave a comment

This is the Aurora, Oregon jail, located just behind Aurora’s city hall. Passing by, you might not give it a second thought. Like what’s the big deal about an old gray building no longer being used? That is, unless you start asking questions. Any building this old must have a story. Like who built it? And if the walls could talk, what kinds of things would you learn?

Aurora, Oregon’s Old Jail

The door of this jail remains open, in more ways than one…and it’s also smaller than you might guess. Once inside, it seems tiny. And it is, about the size of a large garden shed.

It features a decorative exterior, three individual cells and a narrow corridor to enter and exit. Three bumps above the entry make for a classy flourish on a building meant to lock people inside. Imagine spending a night in this jail…not as a willing visitor, but as someone held against your will. No privacy. No way out.

With no insulation, comfort was clearly not a consideration. That’s one good reason jails are sometimes referred to as “the cooler.” Those bars over the windows stress what was far more important.

Aurora Oregon Jail Window With Bars
Aurora, Oregon Old Jail Window

Looking around, rust on the interior walls indicate a century of Oregon weather, each season adding another faint layer. Exposed metal rebar is randomly visible through the concrete, underscoring how time and the elements can soften even the toughest material, sometimes even a hardened criminal. A single toilet with zero privacy sits in full view for all and the extra heavy steel door ensures you don’t leave.

Aurora Oregon Jail Interior
Aurora, Oregon’s Jail Interior

Jails strike legitimate fear in many of us. They’re a place virtually no one wants to go.
So what’s the story behind this place…and was it really so bad?

Jailhouse Rocked
But this jail’s story takes an unexpected turn…because Aurora’s old jail, the place that once struck fear, more recently has had an appointment with the wrecking ball. With the walls themselves closing in on those four walls, it’s ironic that this once threatening place is now itself threatened.

The Threat
That’s because in August 2024, an Aurora committee met to determine if the deteriorating structure was too far gone to keep. A consensus determined the old building wasn’t feasible to move, so the decision was made to take it down. A plan was devised to save the door, the bars, one cell and take the rest down. That discussion didn’t choose complete erasure, but selective preservation. There’s something sincere in that compromise, yet something sad about it, too. A door alongside photos in a display case can show what a jail looked like. But this century old structure is the real deal.

Aurora Oregon Jail Interior
Aurora, Oregon’s Jail Interior

Closing The Door
Remembering Aurora’s past, including structures like this, gives a truer perspective of Aurora long ago. And once it’s gone, it’s gone. Then, there’s no way to experience the reality of just how truly small this jail was, what it felt like to be inside and how confining the sensation. That’s when once living history turns into photographs and fading memories. It’s curious how the century old jail sits steps away from Oregon’s first historic district designation, yet the jail itself was never included. History, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder.

True Mystery
For starters, a little digging reveals the Aurora, Oregon jail is older than anyone thought. That’s because one old newspaper clipping from 1893 leaves this tantalizing clue:

“Ground has been leased and the contract let for the building of a city jail…C. Zimmerman being the contractor. Work will commence on the building in a few days, weather permitting. The council deserves much credit for the prompt action taken in this matter.” That phrase “prompt action” hints the town of Aurora needed a jail sooner, rather than later. Aurora’s apparent jail builder, Christian Zimmerman, was a longtime Aurora resident. Assuming he built the jail when referenced, in 1893 Mr. Zimmerman was then 55 years old.  

The Inmates
As with any old building, history leaves clues and here are a few. Dramatic stories survive in old newspapers. We even know a few things about some of the prisoners held here, though years apart. They include a chicken thief and two men traveling through town after burglarizing a neighboring community.

Aurora Lawman Eyes Trouble
Among the earliest records is from 1921, when two men aboard a local freight train stopped in Aurora one Saturday morning, while the train loaded water for the train’s steam engine. Aurora’s own Marshal George Fry recognized them as the pair he helped arrest in Woodburn a few days earlier, taking them immediately to the Aurora jail. Marshal Fry’s instincts were correct that the men were escapees and he returned the two men to the Oregon City jail, where the fugitives had escaped on a charge of burglarizing a home between the two towns.  

From the Henhouse to the Hoosegow
Another Aurora jailbird was held in 1935 on a charge of stealing chickens. He was given a bail of $250, then lodged here when he wasn’t able to pay. That alleged poultry pilferer had been found guilty on a morals charge the year before, leading to him to spend 30 days in the jail. Yet he was eventually cleared of the chicken thievery charge by a grand jury, a few months after his later arrest.

What to do with a jail like this is often considered settled. But in this case, not yet. It seems the term ‘doing time’ cuts a little differently for jails. That’s because when it comes to this century old building, there’s no firm agreement yet on what the appropriate sentence is. But first, why does it even matter? Some might say it’s an old building….Time to make room for something new and relevant.

Determining the fate of a historical building with a mindset of ‘newer is better’ misses the entire point, especially in this town itself older than the state of Oregon, with a historic district and a stream of events celebrating Aurora’s early origins. And given Aurora’s small size, even seemingly minor decisions like what to do with an old jail, get inflated.

Why It Matters
Aurora’s old jail matters for at least three reasons: History, identity, and stewardship. History shows how the community operated. Identity says something about how Aurora sees itself now. Stewardship shows Aurora’s priorities.

Possible Reprieve
The old Aurora jail still stands and that’s really the story for now. Between the 2024 deliberations by town leaders and the wrecking ball, the jail is receiving at least a temporary reprieve. That’s because a 2025 town meeting underscored the consideration being given by Aurora’s leaders for the old jail, even inviting input from the Aurora Colony Historical Society, an institution that truly knows the importance of Aurora history. It’s been said that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. And by all appearances, Aurora’s leaders remain open to dealing with their town’s past…even if it’s an old jail.

Ideas have ranged from preservation to tourism use to partial reconstruction—but no final direction has been set. As a possible tourist attraction, visitors taking photos around the jail, then posting them on social media could be another unique way to help promote Aurora.What some may see as a town’s delay in deciding the fate of this old jail is frustrating. For others, it’s a chance to get it right, with a real shot at resolving an issue deferred for decades. Sometimes a town’s monetary balance sheet is exceeded by its ample historic ‘balance sheet,’ of less tangible assets. Beauty, history, education and even an old jail can provide benefits in addition to monetary considerations.

Aurora’s jail and cemeteries have something in common, because their presence makes a statement about the treatment given to those that each facility holds. Here’s a related story about one Aurora, Oregon hero to remember with that video below.

So for now at least, the door to Aurora, Oregon’s old jail remains open…both literally and figuratively.

Doing Time
whether the jail’s future ultimately involves preservation, adaptive re-use, relocation, documentation, or demolition, its story will always be part of Aurora’s history.

So what’s lost when a place like this disappears—not a cathedral, not a battlefield, just a one-room jail behind a small-town city hall? Maybe just the fact that something happened here, against this wall, beneath a scalloped roofline someone once thought worth the extra concrete. So after an initial vote for demolition, the historic Aurora jail remains. For now.

Aurora Oregon Old Jail Door
Aurora, Oregon’s Old Jail Door

The Slammer
A salvaged jail door shows you what a jail door looked like. Yet you won’t know what it felt and sounded like, while closing on those being held under the force of law

Aurora Oregon Jail, Aurora Oregon History, Aurora Oregon
Aurora, Oregon’s Old Jail Reimagined

Boones Ferry…or Booze Ferry?

On By Roy WidingIn Aurora Oregon History, 97002, Aurora Oregon, Boones Ferry, Charbonneau, French PrairieLeave a comment

Aurora, Oregon Is Shaken, But Not Stirred

It’s a story with all the workings of a well hidden caper. That’s because under the cover of night, this true event featured an elaborate undercover operation…with a secret hideout near Boones Ferry Road on the outskirts of Aurora, Oregon, including a unique transportation hub to evade detection. The stakes are also high and law enforcement is hot on the heels of criminals and actively working to track them down. Except this is one story you’ve never heard before.

The Setting: 1930’s Aurora, Oregon
It’s the evening of October 3, 1936 and federal authorities are readying a criminal takedown. But this isn’t a misdemeanor sting on a few two bit punks. The men on these outskirts of Aurora, Oregon, are smugglers, with their center of operation a short strip of land between current day Charbonneau and nearby Boones Ferry Landing. It’s the length of maybe a few football fields. From there, they move their contraband across the Willamette River, north to Wilsonville and on to greater Portland.

Law Enforcement: On The Case
The information given to law enforcement involves a liquor distillery on the periphery of Aurora, with that liquor traveling across the Willamette River to Wilsonville. With this tip, officers begin their surveillance from the Wilsonville side of the river. Their surveillance pays off big-time, as the lawmen notice a heavily loaded truck cross the ferry to Aurora’s backyard known as French Prairie on the north end of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

French Prairie Oregon Map In The Willamette Valley

French Prairie
Located south of the Willamette River, the area was settled in the 1800’s by French-Canadian frontiersmen and trappers. It became a strategic crossroad for smuggling contraband. That’s because roads and rivers have long been plentiful around Aurora. The old Pacific Highway — now called Highway 99E — passes through town, connecting Portland to Salem. Boones Ferry Road has also long connected both of those major cities. As for waterways, both the Pudding and Willamette rivers meander past Aurora. Each route gives moonshiners options to evade government detection. For lawmen trying to intercept illegal hooch, it becomes a ‘cat and mouse’ game.

Getting the Lay of the Land
After a few nights of watching, law enforcement spots the same truck again crossing from Wilsonville on Boones Ferry Road. It then takes Boones Ferry across the Willamette River. Officials follow it to the old Wagner farm, now part of present day Charbonneau, but then the site of a distillery and storage facility.

Boones Ferry Road, Boones Ferry Landing, Wilsonville, Willamette River

Hide & Seek
As officers watch from a nearby field, one early distillery giveaway is the smell of fermenting mash. Sounds emanating from a water pump also revealed what was for that time a state-of-the-art mechanized well. Law enforcement then observes trucks leaving with lights off. It’s then a short drive from the distillery to Boones Ferry Landing, then across the Willamette River, back to Boones Ferry Road on the Wilsonville side and north to Portland. Minimal road exposure means little risk of being spotted by passing lawmen on a main highway. And by operating without lights, it’s clear the smugglers know their way around…even in the dark. 

Secret Sauce
Over multiple nights, officers observe even more heavily loaded trucks, plus a car driving in and out of the Wagner farm property. Further surveillance finds men unloading bulky items at the distillery, then loading what appear to be containers of liquor. The crooks are clever to avoid detection on the road…and in hiding their distillery, too. That’s because their distillery is located within a separate enclosure, surrounded by a high fence of chicken wire. It also has an early warning system, plus a yard gate, approachable only through the Wagner residence.

Law Enforcement Takedown
Fast forward To the night of October 3,1936, when just before the bust, federal officials hear the perpetrators comment “We’ll run the mash tomorrow night,” with mash a key ingredient for making moonshine liquor. One officer then notices a still and related paraphernalia, including an industrial size 25 pound package of yeast, another component of home brewing. But to these federal officials, most noteworthy is the bottle containing an amber colored fluid, classic for whiskey, with no revenue stamps attached. This is the felony act.The entire operation is soon disrupted for good. Federal agents move in with their raid when one defendant walks out of the building to retrieve yeast, returns to the building and is arrested while entering his car. Several other men on the Wagner farm are then arrested.

Distillery device also known as a liquor still

White Lightning
What’s significant isn’t so much that this arrest happened, but WHEN. That’s because it occurred AFTER Prohibition, once alcohol use had again been legalized. That irony is deep as the nearby Willamette River. So what gives? One word: Taxes. So the men running liquor through the hinterlands of Aurora weren’t violating Prohibition laws. Instead, given their possession of four gallons of moonshine whiskey, they were violating federal tax law, the liquor tax act. The actual charge was the removal, concealment and transportation of non-tax paid liquor, the same kind of federal tax beef that sealed mafia kingpin Al Capone’s fate when government couldn’t make his other mob-related charges stick.

Prohibition Over
The case is decided years after Prohibition’s 1933 repeal. By then, the public had largely moved on from arguments about alcohol. Bootlegging arrests began as front-page news during the 1920’s, because that was part of a national discussion on Prohibition. Yet by 1937, that argument was settled. This meant that a moonshine bust around Aurora was now more of a tax evasion case, not a referendum on drinking alcohol.

What Happened To The Distilling Defendants?
District Judge James Fee renders his decision on March 22, 1937, giving the ringleader four years of hard labor at McNeil Penitentiary in Washington State. His associates were given lesser sentences and the farmowner received a suspended sentence, but required to pay a hefty fine for the unpaid tax value of all the liquor accounted for.

Sentence Appealed
The main character’s four year sentence is later appealed on Fourth Amendment grounds about unwarranted search and seizure, but that challenge fails, finding officials had sufficient probable cause for search and seizure of alcohol without the payment of required federal tax. History lives on. That’s because the Wagner farm was later annexed into Wilsonville’s Charbonneau neighborhood on the Willamette River’s south bank. The district traces its name to Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, a son of Sacagawea who traveled with his mother on the Lewis and Clark Expedition as an infant. 

Old Wagner well in Charbonneau located at Wilsonville, Oregon

The Site Today
Even now you can observe an existing remnant at the center of this distillery drama near the former Wagner farm site. Passing through Charbonneau’s northern section on the appropriately named French Prairie Road, you’ll see a tall wooden structure. That’s the old Wagner farm well location, sitting on the same land where a hidden distillery operated behind a chicken wire fence, as trucks ran without lights on their way to Boones Ferry Landing…and where federal officers smelled fermenting mash, as they monitored the scene from a neighboring pasture. Ironically, those same grounds are now part of a posh golf community.

Charbonneau neighborhood near Aurora Oregon

Part of that same Wagner farm was once owned by someone with a storied Boone connection, since it was once part of the Boone family’s long held land claim. So Chloe Boone, great granddaughter of Daniel Boone, married Oregon’s last territorial governor, George Curry. Part of that Curry House land later became the Wagner farm where the takedown occurred. So the next time you’re driving on the outskirts of Aurora near Charbonneau, consider taking a pleasant detour and observe what remains of this interesting local history. You can also learn about the origins of Aurora, Oregon’s historic Boones Ferry in the video below.



Aurora, Oregon’s Confusing Daniel Boone Connection

On By Roy WidingIn Daniel Boone, 97002, Aurora Oregon, Aurora Oregon History, Aurora Oregon NewsLeave a comment

You’re driving one of Oregon’s oldest roads. Not a freeway, not a bypass, but a road with a story, stretching back nearly two centuries.

But here’s what most people miss.

Many assume this road was named for Daniel Boone — the famous frontiersman. And they’d be wrong. Daniel Boone never set foot in Oregon…but his grandson, Alphonso Boone, did.

Like his grandfather Daniel Boone, Alphonso looked west.

Through brutal terrain, river crossings, the constant threat of illness and hostile territory, the Boones made it across the Oregon Trail in 1846 with ten kids in tow, settling along the Willamette River, not far from the town of modern day Aurora.

When Alphonso and his family arrived in Oregon in 1846, they saw what was needed: A way to cross the river.

By 1847, Alphonso Boone and his eldest son Jesse built a ferry crossing on the Willamette, appropriately named Boones Ferry.

The Boone family insisted the ferry run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — in a time with no electricity, no engines, and no guarantee of traffic. This meant manual labor using oars.

But a ferry alone wasn’t enough. To make the crossing useful, you also needed a road to get to it.

So as the ferry moved people across the river, Daniel Boone’s great grandson Jesse began clearing the path to make a road connecting Portland to Salem.

Driving Boones Ferry Road today, no one pictures the challenge of what building a road then and there meant, without today’s machinery. Plus when rains hit, ground turned to mud. The need was real.

So logs were split in half lengthwise, then laid flat-side up across the road surface — creating a continuous wooden mat over soft ground.

As a result, the labor intensive, corduroy constructed log road ran north toward Portland and south toward Salem, passing through Marion, Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah Counties. That road became Boones Ferry Road.

So why does all this matter today?

Because Boones Ferry and the road leading to it were the commercial and cultural spine of Oregon. Boones Ferry Landing and the road connecting to it became the first viable land link between Oregon’s key cities, including Salem, our state capital and the booming Portland/Vancouver region.

Farmers, merchants, government officials — everyone moving goods and transacting business passing through here used Boones Ferry Road. So the road you’re driving right now, was once the busiest corridor in the territory, literally bringing the state together.

So what does that mean to you and me?

Fast forward to now, nearly two centuries later and Boones Ferry Road is still doing what it was built to do: Move people. Interstate 5 runs right alongside it, almost exactly where the Boone family cleared the trail now known as Boones Ferry Road.

First came Boones Ferry Road and then the I-5 highway. Boones Landing is where it all started. The community that grew up around it was named Wilsonville in 1880, after the town’s first postmaster.

But if you think that’s surprising, consider this:

The ferry itself operated for an extraordinary 107 years and shut down in 1954 with the completion of Interstate 5 and Boone Bridge, a literal stone’s throw from the original ferry landing.

The Oregon Trail spirit — move west, build and connect people — runs directly beneath your tires every time you take Boones Ferry Road…and Aurora is at the heart of it.

So the next time you’re on Boones Ferry Road, you’re basically driving the same path a family began in the Aurora, Oregon wilderness in 1846. If you want to learn about another side of Boones Ferry Road few know about, check out that interesting feature article here or its companion YouTube video below…about ‘Booze Ferry.’

Aurora, Oregon’s Little Known Olympic Double Win

On By Roy WidingIn Aurora Oregon, Aurora Oregon News, Aurora Oregon ReservoirLeave a comment

One secret to Aurora, Oregon’s Olympian achievements is hiding in plain sight on the edge of town. In the fact-filled video below, learn how this small Oregon community dreams big in ‘going for gold.’

Aurora Oregon Goes For Olympic Gold, Swimmingly
As an Olympic bronze medalist in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Aurora, Oregon native Jackie Wiles has given Aurora an Olympic-sized claim to fame. Her success brings to mind an Olympic-sized feat of a different kind, right here in town.  

Aurora Oregon Water Reservoir

It’s Big
That’s because Aurora’s new water storage facility includes a massive 1.2 million gallon reservoir. The Olympic connection? That’s enough water for nearly two Olympic-sized swimming pools. The project comes with an Olympic sized price tag, too.

It’s Expensive
That’s because in late 2024, the city awarded a construction contract for more than 6 million dollars to an Oregon-based firm. The reservoir is now in place and expected to begin operation later in 2026. Constructed from long lasting, pre-stressed concrete, the reservoir has an expected lifespan of at least 40 years.

It’s Futuristic
As one of Aurora’s biggest public works projects in history, this new reservoir is designed to secure the city’s future water supply far into the future. But it’s more than a giant tank. It also includes a new high-capacity booster pump station, including a powerful 1,500-gallon-per-minute fire pump to strengthen Aurora’s fire-fighting capability.

Why It Matters
Why does this all matter? With concerns about Aurora’s water storage capacity and emergency preparedness, the need was real and Aurora’s new reservoir should dramatically improve water reliability throughout the city. Plans include several thousand feet of new water pipeline too, along Cole Lane and Ehlen Road, connecting with Aurora’s water system. The configuration takes Aurora into the modern age, with electronic controls, fiber-connected monitoring, emergency backup power and an on-site stormwater pond.

But Wait, There’s More
If that isn’t enough, a new well is also in the planning stages on the reservoir’s Cole Lane property to replace an older well near the city park causing interference with other wells.

This Small Town Has Big Plans
What makes this project especially significant is its scale. Given Aurora’s relatively small size, this is a sign city officials are planning not just for today, but for our future growth and resilience. In the end, Aurora Olympian Jackie Wiles and the City of Aurora, Oregon have something very special in common — both dream big as they reach for the gold. And with this significant investment in Aurora’s future, imagine what we’ll look like in the next few decades!

Aurora Oregon

Aurora, Oregon’s Kasel Court: Today’s Peaceful Neighborhood Was Once A War Zone

On By Roy WidingIn Kasel Court, Aurora Oregon, Aurora Oregon History, Aurora Oregon Homes, Aurora Oregon Neighborhoods

Kasel Court is one of Aurora, Oregon’s most desirable neighborhoods — spacious homes, large lots, quiet cul-de-sac living and easy I-5 access. In some ways, Kasel Court resembles Aurora’s popular Keil Park neighborhood, with more information about Keil Park here. Yet the peaceful streets of Kasel Court are unique in hiding a surprising past. When developer Rudy Kasel proposed building Kasel Court, the town of Aurora, Oregon pushed back. The city’s historic district designation — earned in 1974 — placed rules on any new development near Aurora’s most cherished landmarks. Kasel’s proposed site sat adjacent to the venerable Keil homestead, home of Aurora’s founder Dr. Wilhelm Keil, making the battle even more charged.

What followed was a clash between one developer’s vision and a city determined to protect its historic identity. Aurora’s mayor stepped in, seeking compromise and convening workshops to find common ground between Rudy Kasel and the city’s preservation interests. Aurora, Oregon also has a connection with battle of a different kind. Learn more about Aurora, Oregon’s forgotten war hero here.

In the end, Kasel Court was built — and speaks for itself, with quality construction and a desirable location that makes this one of Aurora, Oregon’s finest neighborhoods. Available homes here are rare, so if you see an available Kasel Court home for sale, it may not last for long. Learn the ‘6 Alarming Things Homebuyers Don’t Know About Aurora, Oregon’ here.

Aurora, Oregon Antique Hunting!

On By Roy WidingIn Aurora Oregon AntiquesLeave a comment

Many who are familiar with Aurora, Oregon have come to know about Aurora through our long history of wonderful antique stores. Many visitors are also surprised to learn that Aurora’s antique heritage is tied to a much deeper local history, including the story of Aurora’s Forgotten Hero featured here.

Here’s an insightful video celebrating Aurora’s antique heritage. Enjoy!