Contrary to popular belief, Cooper Mountain is not an ancient volcano, but was formed by Columbia River Basalt flows and shaped today by millions of years of fracturing, folding, uplifts, erosion and weather. Today these layers can be discovered in the local area rock quaries.
Discovering Cooper Mountain...
The mountain was officially mapped as far back as 1852, with indications that prior to the arrival of early Settlers, the Atfalati Indian tribes conducted controlled burns on the South side of Cooper Mountain, making it easier to hunt deer and grow camas (bulb from a wild Lily). They harvested Indian potato, acorns, hazelnuts and tarweed seed as well. With the arrival of Pioneers in the late 1840's conflicts eventually displaced the Atfalati as ranchers and farmers began to settle the area. Perry Cooper made his land claim on the slopes of the mountain in March of 1853 -- and the Cooper Mountain name was born.
Historic people form the basis of local road names and more...
Cooper Mountain was settled by early Pioneers with efforts in sawmills, farming, and cattle -- despite its lack of water resources on top. The Catholic Church erected Sts. Peter and Paul Church on Cooper Mountain in 1902 with property donated by the Gassner family, and construction by A. Gassner, Nick Kemmers, A. Burkharts, and T. Meehams. Altar necessaties were provided by Mrs. Rigert and the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. The church eventually fell into disrepair and was torn down in 1931. The attached cementery exists there today.
Frank Livermore cut old growth trees and operated a sawmill from 1890 to 1897 near their home on Weir Road, originally located at what is now 185th and Hart Road, then after a fire, moved to what is now 170th and Farmington.
Cooper Mountain School District was established in 1892 and was located 2/3 of a mile West from Cooper Mountain Elementary today (now at 170th and Hart Road). The original one-room schoolhouse had fewer than 20 students attending in its first 20 years of existence.
There are two cemeteries on Cooper Mountain; A) Cooper Mountain Catholic Cemetery, circa 1902, site of the church, located at 190th and Kemmer Road, and B) Cooper Mountain Evangelical Cemetary, Est. 1899, located between 190th and Miller Hill Road.
Bottom image:
Cooper Mountain Class, April 1905. Front row, left to right: Ivy Livermore, Clem Kemmer, Susie Kemmer, Fred Reusser, Eva Kemmer, and Edna Reusser. Back row: (name unknown), Ivy Peterson (teacher), (name unknown), Bertha Reusser.
Sources:
ftp://tbg5.co.washington.or.us/CooperMt/history.pdf
http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/washington/cemeteries/coopmtcc.txt
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/OREGON/2000-04/0956373679
http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/community/historicphotos/larger_image.cfm?id=235
http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/community/historicphotos/larger_image.cfm?id=176
http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/community/historicphotos/search.cfm
(Use names from this article to discover more. I.e. "Livermore," "Cooper," "Weir," "Kemmer," etc.)
Life on top of Cooper Mountain
One of the interesting things new homeowners often discover at 770+ feet up, is just how different the climate can be. Often waking to gorgeous morning sunrises above the cloud and fog layer, occasionally socked right in the thick of the sweeping clouds.
Often windy, and certainly more harsh in the winters, temperatures usually are 3 to 7 degrees cooler than on the valley floor. If there is a threat of snow, you'll usually find it here first. And when there is snow at the valley floor, you can expect 2 to 4" more at the top.
Summers are less intense often cooled with a gentle breeze, Spring starts a couple weeks later, and Fall starts a little sooner on the mountain, but one thing is for sure... the four mountain views (Mt Rainier, Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt Hood) are fantastic to look at year-round!
Looking for some fun indoor Kemmer View fun?
See our collection of puzzles and mazes »