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James Jory probably would have appreciated granite countertops and a refrigerator with an ice maker as he and his family finished their long and weary journey along the Oregon Trail in 1854.

A recreation center, playgrounds and nature paths surely would have been nice too.

He could have scarcely imagined such amenities, of course, let alone that they would appear 158 years later in apartments bearing his name. Nor could he have imagined that the very soil he was homesteading would be named in his honor.

The new Jory Trail apartment complex in Wilsonville comes with history. Part of it is in the soil just east of Interstate 5 and north of the Family Fun Center. Jory soil, native to Oregon, consists of very deep, well-drained clay formed from loose bodies of sediment.

It is a rich and fertile soil, said Blaise Edmonds, manager of current projects for the city of Wilsonville. Developers at Holland Partners Group took the name for their project because of the land.

鈥淭hey are very proud of that soil,鈥� Edmonds said.

The name also refers to the Jory family. English immigrants James and Mary Jory traveled along the Oregon Trail with their children in 1847. They may have passed what is now Wilsonville, but they settled just south of Salem, where the Jory Pioneer Cemetery exists now.

The Jory family lived a rugged pioneer existence, but the Jory Trail dwellers certainly won’t, said Josh McDonald, a spokesman for . The apartments are designed for middle-class tenants who may work in Wilsonville industrial complexes such as Xerox and Mentor Graphics.

McDonald said Jory Trail should be finished by the end of next month. Its 324 units are part of a much more ambitious project known as the Grove. Jory Trail at the Grove will be followed by Terrene at the Grove with 288 additional apartments. Following the soil theme, terrene is a French word for ground.

Terrene at the Grove is scheduled for completion in December 2013. In between the two apartment complexes, the former location of the Thunderbird Mobile Club, Holland is planning to build a 30-lot subdivision of single-family homes. The entire project is estimated to cost $44 million.

Wilsonville already has a lot of apartments, but with its burgeoning industrial and commercial development, McDonald said more are needed.

鈥淭his is directly answering the housing needs of Wilsonville,鈥� he said.

McDonald said Holland hopes to have the first wave of apartments, designed by of Portland, ready by the end of October. Edmonds said he wishes them luck.

鈥淭hey’re trying to beat the rains,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey’re going to have to push hard.鈥�

Edmonds added that the apartments should prove popular.

鈥淭hey’re adjacent to a mix of uses,鈥� he said.

That’s the idea, said Tom Parsons, who is in charge of Holland’s Pacific Northwest region. 鈥淗olland has focused its development efforts around employment centers and transportation hubs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚ncreased density that is well planned and executed makes housing more affordable and takes advantage of the infrastructure that communities have invested millions of dollars in building.鈥�