Oak Grove Powerhouse

 production, hydroelectric power station/plant

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Travelers upriver from Estacada are often surprised to come upon a multi-story edifice with Palladian windows perched on the banks of the Clackamas. Oak Grove Powerhouse, built at the time in a road-less and heavily timbered forest, has a long and interesting history.

Portland Railway, Light and Power Company, a predecessor of PGE, built it in sections between 1921 and 1931. Power from the project was intended for an Oregon electric railway system. A rail line was built between Estacada and Harriet Dam to transport materials and workers. In June 1923, over 1,700 men were working on the job. The Three Lynx village was constructed to house the plant operating staff in traditional cottages and, later, in Aladdin “kit houses.”