John Harlow planned a town west of the Sandy River delta during the mid-19th century. Since he raised trout in ponds on his farm, he thought it fitting to name the town Troutdale. Troutdale farmers became known especially for the celery and gladiola bulbs they grew in the sandy rich soil.

In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, logging companies floated logs down from the top of the Sandy River. Tens of thousands of logs at a time careened downstream when the water was high.

Salmon and steelhead runs to the Sandy River were already dropping by the 1870s. By 1887, people were taking fish eggs from the Sandy River to hatch, and soon built a rack across the river for taking eggs.

In the mid-1940s, an aluminum plant was built on the west side of the delta. Toxic emissions entering the water affected local agriculture and ended the gladiola business.