Gresham’s History and Why We’re Proud to Serve the Gresham Community
Gresham occupies land once used by an upper branch of the Clackamas Chinook for seasonal hunting and camping. Diseases introduced by Europeans devastated these villages before settlers arrived in large numbers. Brothers Jackson and James Powell established adjoining land claims in 1851 at a crossroads linking Portland to the Oregon Trail; their farmstead became the nucleus of downtown Gresham.
The settlement initially known as Campground/Powell’s Valley received a post office in 1884 and was renamed Gresham after U.S. Postmaster General Walter Quintin Gresham. Early Gresham was surrounded by dense Douglas‑fir forests; sawmills dominated the economy until land was cleared for farms, which produced corn, potatoes and berries. Japanese immigrants, including Miyo Iwakoshi and Andrew MacKinnon, settled east of town in 1897 and helped build the Orient sawmill, though their community suffered internment during World War II.
The Springwater Division rail line arrived in 1903, leading to rapid growth, and Gresham incorporated in 1905. Postwar highways transformed the farming town into a suburb; annexations of Rockwood, Powell Valley and other communities tripled its population between 1960 and 1990.
Today Gresham is Oregon’s fourth‑largest city with about 114,247 residents in 2019. Its economy includes healthcare, retail, manufacturing and education; Mt. Hood Community College, founded in 1966, employs nearly 1,300 people. We’re proud to provide plumbing services across Gresham’s neighborhoods, old and new.