Seniors Stop In Camas

Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington. Senior travelers find Camas in the Portland – Vancouver metropolitan area. Camas, with a population of 12,534, lies along the Washington side of the Columbia River, across from Troutdale, Oregon.

Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the Camas Lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb. My PhD botanist brother would have loved that plant, and me, a Master Gardener, as well. That local edible root, the Camassari quamash, was a staple food item for native inhabitants along the Columbia River.

An early name for the Camas Post Office was “La Camas”, a name given to the local Camas plant by the French-Canadians employed by the Hudson Bay Company. In 1894 the Post Office switched to “Camas” to avoid confusion with “La Center” and “La Conner”, two other Pacific Northwest towns.

 Seniors Enjoy Parks, A Lake And Lily Fields

Camas and nearby attractions include Lacamas Lake, Rocket City Neon Advertising Museum, Heritage Park Camas-Washougal Community Recreation Center and the Lacamas Campground. Lacamas Park includes Round Lake and trails that go around the lake and the park. The trails lead to Camas Potholes and Camas Lily fields.

Heritage Park provides facilities for boating at Lacamas Lake. It has many open spaces and a playground for kids. The city also has a popular skate park. Portland Community College, Mt. Hood Community College, and Clark College provide facilities for higher education.

One of the major geographical features of the city is Prune Hill, where a great portion of the residential area of the city is located. Prune Hill is an extinct volcanic vent and is part of the Boring Lava Field of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.

 Seniors Enjoy This City On Columbia River

Camas originated as a paper-mill town in the 1880s when LaCamas Colony Company selected this area for their new paper mill. The first post office and school were established in 1884. It was officially incorporated as a town in June 1906.

Back then the commercial base of the city was almost solely the paper mill; however, the diversity of industries has been enhanced considerably in recent years by the influx of several white-collar, high-tech companies including Hewlett-Packard, Sharp Microelectronics, Linear Technology, WaferTech and Underwriters Labs. A local hero in Camas is Michael R. Barratt, NASA astronaut.

The local High School is home of the “Papermakers.” I love that name. Don’t you wonder what their school mascot looks like.

Camas on the banks of the mighty Columbia River has annual events that include the summer “Camas Days” featuring bathtub races. Seniors, set your GPS for Camas, Washington and enjoy all that the city has to offer. -jeb