By Living Room Realty, February 28, 2018
Back in 1792, British naval officer William Robert Broughton, commander of the Royal Navy HMS Chatham came upon the island. He named the island Menzies, after the botanist of his ship Archibald Menzies, and named what is present-Vancouver after his commander George Vancouver. In 1805, Lewis and Clark named the island Canoe Island after a large canoe carved with images of men and animals emerged from the opposite side of the island.
Hudson’s Bay Company called it Vancouver Island. And in the early 19th century it was called Shaw Island for Colonel W. Shaw who owned land on the island. In 1851, the island was renamed for the Oregon pioneer and early settler of the Pacific Northwest, Gay Hayden. He took ownership of the island upon hearing of the Donation Land Claim Act a year after it was passed. Hayden built a grand home and lived on the island for five years his with family. Today Hayden Island is located within Portland city limits, and is recognized as one of its 95 neighborhoods.
