Barlow
Clackamas County, 97013
Barlow is a quiet little town on the flood plain near the confluence of the Molalla and Pudding rivers. It has no commercial center except for a cluster of industrial uses along the railroad and Hiway 99E. The most prominent sight is town is the historic Barlow house which is visible from Hiway 99E. Restored in the mid-1990's with government grant funds it is open to the public one day each year (good luck on that one). Even from the outside though it is quite a sight. Perhaps the high point of the year for Barlow is the great pumpkin weigh off. Huge jack-o-lantern pumpkins are grown through out the Northwest by fanatical people who actually belong to a club. Each year the pumpkins (I think the big ones are actually squash) are brought to Barlow for the competition. This year's winner exceeded 1000 pounds! Yes, that is the correct amount of zeros. This event is usually in early October. We will post the schedule next year so everyone can show up.
I used to know the mayor of Barlow. Name was Mike Barnett. My son played baseball with his son. With only 150 residents it did not take a lot to get elected. In fact I can't remember anyone ever running against him. This town is named for the son (William) of the original Sam Barlow who pioneered the building of the Barlow Trail over Mt. Hood. The town is quite small. They just use Canby's zip code and weather report.