Three Lynx Village
c.1920 - 2022
Decline and Preservation
1990s - Occupancy Decline
By this time, almost half of the Three Lynx houses were vacant. In 2003, PGE removed Cabin #37, one of the single-story Aladdin homes, which had major foundation issues and did not warrant repair due to lack of demand. Occupancy in the remaining cabins continued to decline.
2014 - Hydro Operation
Sitting unused, the Three Lynx School no longer met the requirements of its Forest Service permit and the building was demolished. PGE hydro operations at Oak Grove remained and Three Lynx Village is still occupied by area employees, although increased automations result in decreasing need and interest of having employees living on-site.
2019-2022 - Preservation and Future
As car access improved in the area and housing repairs and infrastructure costs in the village rose, more people chose to live in the more modern and nearby town of Estacada. These realities, pared with changes in PGE operations that reduced the need for onsite staff at the Oak Grove powerhouse, eventually led PGE to close the village.
Site issues, most notably a failing septic system, presented huge financial demands on the continued operation of Three Lynx that, given its limited role in the company’s power operation, could not be justified. After internal review, PGE made the corporate decision to end its involvement and occupancy at Three Lynx.
The last people at Three Lynx Village moved out in early 2020, only 6 months before the Riverside Fire swept through the area in the Fall of 2020, destroying two-thirds of the housing units. Of the original 17 cabins, only five were left standing. Those five and the other remaining structures were removed in 2022 by PGE.
– (McArthur & McArthur, 2003:951)
With the goal of returning the village to the forest and its natural habitat, PGE completed a site restoration of the area in coordination with the Mt. Hood National Forest Service. Although the houses are no longer on the site, the buried foundations and overall history of the Three Lynx Village remain to be celebrated for generations to come.
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
Decline and Preservation
The Growth
The Beginning
Aladdin Houses
Visual Timeline
From Camp to Village
