At the time the tribe lived in 12 villages located from the lower Columbia River to an area what is now called Oregon City.

[1] The Clackamas signed a treaty in the fall of 1851, which Oregon Superintendent Anson Dart failed to ratify.

The tribe subsisted on fish and root vegetables, and constructed large cedar platforms to dip their nets in over Willamette Falls to harvest salmon.

The Clackamas women dried and smoked the salmon, which they then combined with mixtures of berries and nuts, preserving it in woven baskets for winter.

Adult Clackamas historically wore leather leggings and tunics, and made skirts and bedding from cedar bark.

A typical canoe was 20 to 30 feet long, which they used to travel along the rivers, transporting trade goods and people.