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.
Three Lynx Village
c.1920 - 2022
1923 - 1925 - Birth of Three Lynx
In preparation of Oak Grove going online in 1924, PGE needs to have operators and maintenance staff on-site, so Camp 8 is converted into permanent employee housing and Three Lynx Village is born. Seven “traditional” cottages were built on the outer ring.
PEPCO built or revived several railroad construction camps to support the huge workforce responsible for Oak Grove construction. Camp #8, developed at the Three Lynx site in late summer 1922, included a sawmill, various warehouses, and rudimentary canvas tents for workers. The Camp’s location was an important one, close to the Oak Grove Powerhouse site and easily accessible with the rail line nearby. As a result, Camp #8 was designated as the headquarters for construction and by February 1923 several frame dwellings and a bunkhouse had been erected there to provide more suitable housing and office space for the project engineer and other staff. An arc-shaped terminal building was built on the line and served as the trolley station.
– (McArthur & McArthur, 2003:951)
1921 - Clackamas River
Due to increased power demands, PGE expands operation up the Clackamas River and begins development of the Oak Grove Powerhouse and Flowline. Oak Grove construction workers tent-camped at Camp 8 but once the project went into operation, PGE needed a place for them to live that didn’t require traveling up and down the valley every day.
Pre - 1920s - The Start
Earliest references to the area of Three Lynx village refer to it as “Camp 8,” one of series of camp sites that were established by Southern Pacific Railroad crews mapping and logging the area for future development beginning around 1907-1908.
The Beginning of Three Lynx Village
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.
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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
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
Forever Evolving
Powering the Future
A Thoughtful Transition
Clackamas Project Expansion
Building Reliable Power Plants
Powering Progress
Willamette Falls
Clackamas River Construction
Electrifying Oregon
History of PGE
Aladdin Houses
Decline and Preservation
Growth of Three Lynx
Beginning of Three Lynx
From Camp to Village
The Growth
The Growth