When you think about Tigard, Oregon, history, you might picture a quiet suburb of Portland. But this city has a story that stretches back to Oregon Trail pioneers and a farming family who gave the town its name. What started as 320 acres of borrowed dreams became one of the most vibrant communities in Washington County.
One Man's Name, One Town's Legacy
The history of Tigard, Oregon, begins with Wilson McClendon Tigard, who arrived in the Tualatin Valley in 1852 after crossing the Oregon Trail with his wife, Mary Ann, and their young son. Wilson's original surname was actually Tygart, but by 1853, he was signing documents as Tigard. With nothing but determination and two Spanish cows borrowed from a local farmer named George Richardson, Wilson purchased a 320-acre land claim and got to work.
The area was originally called Butte, then East Butte in 1876, when the election precinct wa...
