In 1946, a small group of men with a love for boats, speed, and water formed the Newberg Boat Club.  In the beginning the members built a boat ramp each year as the winter's high waters would wash the previous year’s ramp away.  With the Oregon rains generally not stopping until July, the ramp and surrounding area were pretty much a mud hole on Memorial Weekend.  The club members eventually poured a cement ramp and built a dock and each year improved the park area.  In more recent years Yamhill County has taken over management of the ramp and park and have vastly improved the area.

The first couple of years the club ran a marathon race from Newberg to Salem and back.  Then in 1948 they decided their event needed improvement and became affiliated with the American Power Boat Association.  This on going affair has run every year since except for one year when the water was too high to safely conduct a boat race.