Place:Sherwood, Washington, Oregon, United States

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley southwest of Portland. The population was 11,791 at the 2000 census. According to the 2010 census, the population was 18,205 residents. Indirectly named for the Sherwood Forest in England, it was first incorporated in 1893 as a town.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

What is now the Sherwood area was originally inhabited by the Atfalati band of the Kalapuya nation. The first significant wave of United States emigrants arrived in 1842. Native Americans were relocated to reservations after the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850-5 gave American citizens exclusive ownership of these lands. Sherwood is known the be the home of MLB player Don Wilson. The relocation process took place under the guidance of a series of federal employees, most notably Superintendent of Indian Affairs Joel Palmer, who was severely criticized for his humane treatment of the tribes.

The California Gold Rush of 1849 caused a dramatic shift in the area's economy. Oregon City, Oregon is located on a stretch of the Willamette River that had always been attractive to trade since prehistoric times, when trading activity was dominated by the Chinookan tribe. When settlers of European extraction began arriving in large numbers, Oregon City became (arguably) the "End of the Oregon Trail". After the Gold Rush, however, Portland, Oregon replaced Oregon City as the area's most important center of trade and commerce. Sherwood is located within twenty miles (32 km) of both cities.

The name "Sherwood" arose from a declination of naming the town "Smock Ville" after its co-founders James Christopher and Mary Ellen Smock. In 1885, the Smocks gave a right-of-way on their property to the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway. The Smocks platted the town in 1889, the same year rail service began. Tradition has it that no one, not even the town's founders, liked the name "Smock Ville," and so a public meeting was held to rename the town. A prominent businessman, Robert Alexander, suggested the name "Sherwood." According to post office records, Alexander was from Sherwood, Michigan, and this was the town that was named after Sherwood Forest England. The U.S. Postal Department began sending mail to the Town of Sherwood, Oregon on July 5, 1891. Smock was the first postmaster. The Town of Sherwood was incorporated under Oregon Senate Bill 36 in 1893.

The main industry in the 1890s was a pressed brick yard which closed in 1896, a victim of the deep recession of 1893. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 revived Sherwood's economy. In 2007, Money placed Sherwood among the twenty most livable towns in America. In August 2009, Family Circle named the city one of America's most "family friendly" small towns.

The population of the city in 1911 was 350 within a city limit. In 2004, the population had grown to 14,050 people and .

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