In 1850, Socrates Hotchkiss Tryon, Sr., pioneer settler, established a donation land claim at the south end of the canyon. Five years later, he died, leaving the land to his wife, Frances. The land then passed to other relatives, including Socrates Tryon, Jr., who sold the in 1874 to the Oregon Iron Company. For nearly 25 years, the company logged virgin cedar and fir to use in its foundry in Lake Oswego. Its logging road later became Old Iron Mountain Trail in the state park. In 1900, fire in the upper canyon left charred snags still visible along the park's Center and Big Fir trails.