Sight #1: Bison Coffeehouse

Bison Coffeehouse

Image courtesy of https://www.bisoncoffeehouse.com/

No journey through Multnomah County's history can start without acknowledging the original inhabitants, forcibly removed from their homes by European and American settlers. The Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other tribes and bands. These groups created communities and summer encampments along the Columbia and Willamette rivers and harvested and used the plentiful natural resources of the area for thousands of years.

Oregon’s population was largely Native American until relatively recently. The Oregon Donation Land Act of 1850 and accompanying legislation removed tribes and offered free land to white settlers, who laid claim to 2.5 million acres of tribal land — including all of what is now Portland — over the course of just seven years.

The Bison Coffee House symbolizes resilience and strength. Native peoples had their land stolen, their culture disrupted, and their lives taken and still have maintained their lifeways and integrated them successfully into the broader culture. "In reflecting on her original inspiration, Loretta feels a deep connection to being of service to the Native people in fostering a sense of pride. 'In my creation, I wanted a place for Natives to come,' owner Loretta Guzman says. 'I wanted to create a positive environment, something they identify with, a place where they can come in and be proud.'" (text courtesy of Travel Portland and Bison Coffee House)