Ellendale, Oregon
History
James A. O'Neil built the county's first gristmill at the confluence of La Creole Creek (now Rickreall Creek) and O'Neils Creek over the winter of 1844–1845. The site was chosen for its proximity to water power for the mill, timber and a rock quarry that could provide millstones. A community formed around the mill as it was one of only two gristmills on the west side of the Willamette River at the time and it served settlers from as far away as northern Yamhill County and south as far as Linn and Benton counties. O'Neil offered lodging and a store for people who had made the long trip to his mill. Miners on their way to the California Gold Rush would also stop at the community for flour for the journey.
In 1849, a flood destroyed the mill and O'Neil sold his interest to James W. Nesmith and Henry Owen, who rebuilt it as "Nesmith's Mill". In 1856 the mill was sold again to Hudson & Company but in November 1857 it was closed because more mills had been built in the area and it was no longer needed. In 1863, the mill site, water power and land were sold to judge Reuben P. Boise, whose donation land claim adjoined the property. La Creole Creek was renamed "Ellen's Dale" after Boise's wife, and soon both the creek and the community were renamed "Ellendale".
In 1860, one of Oregon's earliest woolen mills was started in Ellendale by Boise and several others, who had bought and converted a sawmill that had been built upstream from the gristmill in 1854. The sawmill had the only planer in that part of Oregon, most boards still being hand-dressed at the time. In 1870 Boise's mill burned down.
The Pumping Station Bridge in the Ellendale area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, however, it collapsed in 1987 and was removed from the list.
See also
References
- ^ Mack, Lynn (October 15, 2006). "Mill was county's first community". Statesman Journal. pp. 5C.
- ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 327. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ "Polk County Place Names". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
- ^ Oregon Department of Justice Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
- ^ Salem Public Library Oregon Historic Photograph Collections
External links
- Historic images of Ellendale from Salem Public Library
- Historic images of Pumping Station Bridge from Salem Public Library