St. Paul

History: St. Paul was founded in 1901 and named by the Archbishop Francis Norbert Blanchet for the apostle Paul. The area in which the town is located was settled in the 1830s by French Canadians and the area became known as French Prairie. The center of St Paul has been designated a national historic district. The area called Champoeg, four miles north of St. Paul, was settled first by Hudson Bay Company trappers. Even before St. Paul had much activity, Champoeg was the site of the formation of the Oregon provisional government (1843).