Wilsonville in Clackamas County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

Norris Young Machine Shop

Photographed By Douglass Halvorsen, December 5, 2018

1. Norris Young Machine Shop Marker

Inscription. Built at the turn of the 20th Century, the Norris Young Machine Shop served the farming community. Young, an accomplished machinist and inventor, repaired farm machinery and logging equipment.

Young was an enterprising businessman who along with his brother started the Young Electric Co. in 1915, making Wilsonville one of the first communities to have its own power system. In 1917, they added a 2300 volt generator on Coffee Creek, transmitting enough electricity to light single bulbs in 12 different homes.

Norris Young was also a hobbyist and railroad buff who built a miniature railroad at his farm home just west of the railroad tracks. His “Great Western Pacific Railway,” built to the scale of one inch to the foot, chugged along a thousand-foot-long railroad through flower gardens and over a long, high trestle, much to the delight of Wilsonville children who rode the miniature flat cars.

Erected by Wilsonville-Boones Ferry Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.

Location. 45° 17.879′ N, 122° 46.457′ W. Marker is in Wilsonville, Oregon, in Clackamas County

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. Marker is at the intersection of SW Boones Ferry Rd and SW 5th St, on the left when traveling south on SW Boones Ferry Rd. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wilsonville OR 97070, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Drug Store and Lodge Hall (a few steps from this marker); Site of the Train Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cottage Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The “Old Church” (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of Bill Flynn’s Saloon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Boone’s Landing (approx. ¼ mile away); Tauchman House (approx. ¼ mile away); Wilsonville Baseball (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilsonville.

Also see . . . Wilsonville History in Photos. (Submitted on December 8, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Photographed By Douglass Halvorsen, December 5, 2018

2. Norris Young Machine Shop Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 8, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 192 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 8, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.