Native American oral history taught that the falls were placed there by the ancient hero T'allapus (Coyote) so that their people would have fish to eat all winter.

These lands were ceded to the United States Government under the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (signed on January 22, 1855; ratified on March 3, 1855).

[5] The abundance of salmon brought tribal communities from all over to fish, trade, and interact at the falls - creating an economic and cultural hub for the region.

John McLoughlin established a land claim at the falls in the name of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1829.

With the falls representing the end of the line for boat traffic, river boat captains were forced to choose a side of the river on which they would dock to unload their passengers and goods; some of which would continue their upriver journey on winding portage toll roads.

During construction of the locks, channels were blasted from the rocks that formerly supported the town of Linn City.

[8][9] In 1895 Portland General Electric built a second generation station on the west side of the falls.

The milling facilities were sold to a Canadian investment firm, NRI Global, Inc., which has begun work removing the old machinery and cleaning the grounds of contamination.

The industrialization of the area led to diminishing salmon and steelhead runs, prompting the construction of a fish ladder in 1882.

[20] As of 2017, a process to redevelop the Blue Heron Paper Mill site and provide public access to the area, including a river walk, is underway.