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Tualatin History
In 1853, Samuel Galbreath began a ferry service crossing the Tualatin River from a village he called "Galbreath". The town's name was changed to "Bridgeport" when Galbreath built the first bridge across the Tualatin River in 1856. Located along one of the first "improved" roads, Boone's Ferry Road, Bridgeport thrived by attracting business from Portland throughout the Willamette Valley. The Community's accommodations were simple: a blacksmith shop, boarding house, general store, and saloon.
In 1886, the Portland & Willamette Railway Company purchased a right-of-way through John Sweek's land on the Tualatin River's west bank opposite Bridgeport. Profiting from the sale, Sweek took advantage of the railroad's location and platted a town around the depot - he called the new town Tualatin.
Tualatin expanded rapidly. The new railroad brought frequent service from Portland. Ben Cummins, a shopkeeper, was the first to set up business in the new town. He purchased land across from the depot - building a large home for his family, a two-story store and post office. Soon a livery stable, hotel, and two saloons were added to the community.
In 1890, John L. Smith moved to Tualatin and established a sawmill close to the river. With other investors, Smith also incorporated the Tualatin Mill Company and quickly monopolized local logging and lumbering. Smith's mill, and its payroll, provided impetus for Tualatin's growth.
As Tualatin's population grew, attracted by the town's reputation for offering work, shrewd investors platted subdivisions. With newcomers arriving from various parts of the country, and the trip into Portland now just a comfortable hour's train ride, Tualatin was no longer an isolated rural town.
In 1906, the Oregon Electric Railroad's Portland-Salem line came to town and changed the city's center again. This railway ran south along Boone's Ferry Road in front of the Sweek House. By 1910, businesses boomed, the school expanded to offer a four-year high school curriculum, and the first automobiles arrived.
The City of Tualatin was incorporated in 1913 at which time an official government was formed.
