Property near Shedd will become newest state park in Oregon

By Alex Paul
Albany Democrat-Herald

SHEDD — As Doug Crispin runs his hand over the hand-hewn wooden beam, he thinks about Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery in 1862.

By that time, the Boston Mill had already operated for four years, burned to the ground and was being painstakingly rebuilt — beam by beam — held together not with steel bolts, but with handmade wooden pegs. The beams clearly show where the workmen’s sharp axes peeled away layers of Douglas fir, squaring round logs into structural beams.

On Dec. 9, the 149-year-old water-powered mill will begin a new chapter of life. That’s when it will again open to the public on weekends, now as Oregon’s newest state park. (For details, see information box on A6.)

“There’s been a flurry of activity in the last two months,” said Crispin, who is the park ranger. “It’s turned out even better than we had thought. It’s going to be an excellent way to tell the story of the mill and the pioneers who settled here.”

The 21-acre site — originally believed to be more than 30 acres — was purchased in May 2004 for $856,547 from Marlene Danahare and Dave Babits. Other personal property, including an antique rolltop desk, was also purchased for $15,000. Oregon State Parks has spent $1.2 million to renovate the facility, which is fully operational. Funds came from the Oregon State Lottery.

The mill sits 14 miles south of Albany and 1½ miles east of Shedd on Boston Mill Road. It is powered by the Calapooia River. Linn County’s other state park is Cascadia State Park, east of Sweet Home.

The history of Thompson’s Mills fits hand-in-glove with the settlement of Oregon as a whole, since the Oregon Territory did not become a state until 1859. It is an example of outstanding mechanical engineering of the 19th century whose principles still hold true today.

The original mill was built in 1858 by Richard Finley and two partners from the East Coast near the small settlement they called Boston. It was platted for 88 city lots and a New England-style square. But in 1871, the small community died when the Oregon and California Railroad bypassed it, instead running through Shedd 1½ miles to the west.

Three generations of the Thompson family — whose descendants remain in Linn County — owned the mill from 1891 until 1974. During that time, the property was added onto, including two more stories in 1904. Also that year, a Queen Anne-style home was constructed west of the mill.

In 1917, the first four concrete silos constructed in western Oregon were added to the west side of the building. They were needed because of the demand for flour during World War I and the mill ran around the clock. During World War II, the mill began producing animal feed, and continued that line of business, at least part time, until 1987. From 1986 until 2005, the turbines were used to produce electricity.

Much work has been done, Crispin said, but with historical authenticity in mind. The buildings have been wired to modern codes. A fire sprinkler system was installed. Workers are building handicapped access ramps this week. Support beams have been added in the basement, concrete poured to reduce erosion and interpretive displays will soon help parks staff and volunteers tell the story of how settlers came to Oregon, toiled from sunup to sundown and created new lives.

There are numerous handwritten comments throughout the building — detailing where certain feeds are to be placed, bag sizes and even a humorous drawing or two.

“This park is unique in that it will offer a living history. But even though it isn’t in a forested area, it is beautiful here,” Crispin said. “People can come for the day, or stop by after work and have a picnic. The sound of moving water is here pretty much all year. There are bald eagles to watch in the winter and many other birds the rest of the year.”

Visitors will be able to see the intricate mixture of leather belts, steel turbines with their wooden cogs, grain diversion chutes and augers used throughout the six-level building.

They will also learn that the mill was tied to the state’s most famous shipwreck. On Oct. 25, 1906, the four-masted steel barque Peter Iredale ran aground near Fort Stevens, about four miles south of the Columbia River channel. The ship was en route to Portland, where it was to pick up flour — some of it produced at Thompson’s Mills — to be delivered to China. No sailors were lost, but a portion of the wreckage remains on the Oregon coast.

In addition to its historical value, the state’s purchase of Thompson’s Mills included valuable water rights on the Calapooia River. The water rights were purchased for $75 in 1858 and remain today. Oregon State Parks is working with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Calapooia Watershed Council, the National Marine Fisheries Services and Oregon Water Trust to ensure adequate water flows to support spring chinook and winter steelhead rehabilitation programs.

Volunteers from the Boston Mill Society have been integral in preserving the property and its development as a state park.