What you’re looking at is more than a decaying old pier. It’s part of Aurora’s past, sitting beside the Willamette River for generations. Yet looking at submerged structures like this from the riverbank is akin to the limited prospects of an angler with no boat, given such limited access…if you can see much at all. But there’s something else hidden here.

What we uncovered early on borders on startling. That’s because Aurora’s Butteville Landing isn’t merely a dilapitated old dock. Instead, the State of Oregon has formally recorded it as archaeologically important, with a code all its own: 35MA394. In other words, the Butteville Landing is archaeologically documented as a significant historical site.

When we think about history, it’s easy to imagine museums, dusty books or old black and white photographs. Now imagine delving into a historical mystery…by going where others haven’t…and few have dared. So while books and museums give a limited view of the past, what if you could travel where our area’s history isn’t normally seen to examine what’s usually hidden? This brings us to Aurora’s historic Butteville Landing,…where much of our local history began.