The 16-ton Willamette Meteorite is the largest meteorite ever found in North America. Scientists believe it originally crashed into a glacier in Montana. 15 to 13 thousand years ago an iceberg containing the Meteorite calved off the glacier into Glacial Lake Missoula. This lake was formed by a glacial ice dam on the Clark Fork river in Montana. When the ice dam ruptured, a massive flood carried the iceberg with the Meteorite down the Columbia River and up the Willamette River leaving it near the current Fields Bridge Park. The iceberg eventually melted, depositing the Meteorite on the ground. These floods, known as the Missoula floods, occurred repeatedly during the end of the last ice age. They are the largest floods known to humanity having a depth of 400 feet in the Portland area.
Known as “Tomanowos” to the Clackamas, who lived in the Willamette Valley before the arrival of European settlers, the Meteorite is revered by the Clackamas and their descendants. According to the tradition of the Clackamas, Tomanowos has healed and empowered people in the Willamette Valley since the beginning of time. The Clackamas believe that Tomanowos came to the valley as a representative of the Sky People and that a union occurred between the sky, earth, and water when it rested in the ground and collected rainwater in its basins. The rainwater served as a powerful purifying, cleansing, and healing source for the Clackamas and their neighbors. Tribal hunters, seeking power, dipped their arrowheads in the water collected in the Meteorite’s crevices.
In 1902 Ellis Hughes “discovered” the Meteorite on Oregon Iron and Steel Co. property 3/4 of a mile from his property. Eventually, he cleared a path to the Meteorite, winched it onto a wagon and dragged the wagon to his property. He then built a gazebo over the Meteorite and started charging 25 cents a head (about $9 in today’s money) to see it. The Meteorite became a sensation. Rumors started to circulate that Hughes had not found the Meteorite on his own land. After investigating, Oregon Iron and Steel Co. sued Hughes and won back the Meteorite. Hughes appealed the decision to the Oregon State Supreme Court and lost. In 1905, Sarah Dodge, a wealthy philanthropist, purchased the Meteorite for $20,600. displayed it at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, and then donated it to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
In 1999, the Grand Ronde filed a lawsuit against AMNH to have the Meteorite returned to the tribe. In 2000, the two parties reached an out-of-court agreement, allowing the Meteorite to remain at the museum with Grand Ronde tribal members being able to conduct a private ceremony around the Meteorite once a year. In 2019, a piece of the Meteorite which had been cut off the Meteorite’s crown was returned to the Grand Ronde. The Meteorite is now on display at the AMNH in New York City. There is a 1/5 size replica at Field’s Bridge Park.
Credit: American Museum of Natural History, ForestGrove NewsTimes July 2023
