When This Oregon Lake Dried Up In 2015, The Relics Of An Eerie Ghost Town Emerged

it's 2015 in America's western coast is in the grip of a severe drought that's being felt far and wide over in Marion County Oregon for example Detroit Lake is the lowest level that it's ever been and yet as the reservoir slowly dries up the waters recede to reveal a stunning sight rising from the lake are the relics of an old railroad town one that's been hidden from sight for over 60 years located in the famously picturesque area of America known as the Pacific Northwest Oregon is renowned for its magnificent landscapes from the state's golden sandy beaches to the lush green expanses of its parks this is a place that delights millions of visitors every year now one of Western Oregon's most popular attractions is Detroit Lake a reservoir on the North Santiam River that lies near to the small city of Detroit in Marion County at nine miles long Detroit Lake boasts some 32 miles of shoreline and the water there also provides local residents with plenty of opportunities for fishing swimming boating and other recreational activities on top of this Detroit Lake supplies water to neighboring communities such as the city of Salem which sits some 46 miles to the northwest this state of affairs hasn't always been the case though that's because the reservoir was only created in 1953 when a dam got built to control flooding of the nearby William at River and although Detroit Lake was constructed for practical reasons it's since become arguably one of the region's most valued recreational sites with sunbathers and swimmers enjoying the cool waters on hot summer days that said as with similar bodies of water the weather can greatly affect the reservoir factors such as rainfall and snowmelt can cause the water levels to change for instance a lack of precipitation can drastically change the state of the reservoir to UC in 2011 Marion County along with many of America's Western coastal states began suffering from a terrible so it was that by the start of the 2015 summer season Detroit Lake was already some 60 feet below its normal capacity and shockingly over the coming weeks the level of water present would drop by a further 83 feet at just 1426 feet the water was in fact at the lowest level it had ever been or put in more context it was at a point that it only been recorded once before in January 1969 and even though the lake had dropped to similar levels on three other separate occasions this record low would end up revealing something fascinating that had remained hidden for generations yes in the fall of 2015 a startling sight confronted local residents there exposed at the lake bed where the remains of old Detroit a remnant of times long since passed after all the town had been abandoned and swallowed up when the North Santiam River was dammed back in 1953 founded in 1880 old Detroit had started life as a camp meant to house men working on the Oregon Pacific Railroad apparently the plan was to carry trains from Salem across Central Oregon to connect with the Transcontinental Railroad that scheme was ultimately unsuccessful however and so the line came to a halt just outside of town at one point old Detroit was a thriving community that played host to a number of cafes along with a cinema a church a hardware store and a school however for farmers living further down the valley life was often a struggle the North Santiam River passed through the nearby Cascade Mountains swelling with rainfall and snowmelt as it went and eventually it would come crashing through the nearby towns wreaking havoc along the way then in 1938 Congress recognized that a dam would provide a solution to the problem of the North Santiam River flooding and yet it wasn't until the early 50s that this plan got put into motion the Detroit dam was proposed eventually though and the residents of old Detroit therefore prepared to leave their town behind by June of 1950 too many residents had purchased landed a new site on a hill above the town there they reestablished the community of Detroit even keeping the same name in fact some families simply dismantled their buildings piece by piece and relocated them to the new area in 1953 the dam subsequently went into operation and at the time it was the fifth biggest of its kind in the country meanwhile the river in turn and XAR ibly swallowed the rooftops of old Detroit and yet when the waters of Detroit Lake were at their lowest you can sometimes catch a glimpse of the ruins that remain what's more those lucky enough to see relics from old Detroit in October 2015 were in for a particularly spectacular sight why well the receding waters not only revealed remnants of the old town but they also exposed a 19th century wagon this vehicle had been incredibly well preserved thanks to the low levels of oxygen inside the lake I went on a treasure hunt down along the river figuring I'd find foundations or something like that Dave's on a Marion County sheriff's deputy told The Statesman Journal in 2015 then I saw a piece of old history right there the wagon which dates back over a hundred 40 years was most likely used to carry goods and it had emerged from the lake bed lying on its side furthermore a plaque on the vehicle declares that it was produced by the Millburn wagon company based in Toledo Ohio said company was the biggest manufacturer of wagons on the planet at the time and according to Kara Kelly an archaeologist with the u.s. Forest Service this particular example may have played a part in the construction of the local railroad at least before it was left to its watery fate interestingly though the cart wasn't all that eagle-eyed observers managed to spot in Detroit Lake no the low waters also revealed a type of octagonal shaped pit coated with cement but even though the mysterious hole stood out sharply against the cracked dry reservoir bed experts were unable to determine what its original purpose might have been meanwhile all those on was delighted to be among the few people lucky enough to glimpse the wagon he was nevertheless worried that vandals might destroy the historical find and apparently Kelly shared is concerned so she requested that residents keep details of the wagons whereabouts to themselves I don't think people realize that they aren't supposed to collect items off public land the archaeologists explain to the Statesman Journal but wants someone remove something nobody else will get to see that piece of history amazingly - Kelly believes that this could be the wagons first appearance since having been swallowed up by the lake over 60 years ago although she does think that it may have traveled from elsewhere this might not have been the wagons original resting place the u.s. Forest Service employee claimed it could have come from anywhere in the town of Detroit the flood of 1964 moved a lot of things and even brought the houses down Kelly also thinks the wagons time above water may have caused more deterioration than it's six decades been emerged perhaps luckily for the vehicle then it's wheels were destined to disappear beneath the surface once more as Detroit Lake has since recovered from its drought and hopefully the reservoir will continue to safeguard its relics for many years to come you you you

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Keywords: 19th century, Cascade Mountains, Detroit Dam, Detroit Lake, drought, flood, ghost town, lake, Marion County, North Santiam River, Old Detroit, oregon, oregon pacific railroad, Pacific Northwest, Salem, transcontinental railroad, wagon, Willamette River, Anthropology and History

Id: hmtGI2UGDqw

Length: 7min 57sec (477 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 05 2019