Detroit "From the Beginning"

Detroit "From the Beginning" Digital History Museum

Mr and Mrs Hoover and their house in old Detroit Courtesy of North Santiam Historical Society
08/11/2026

Mr and Mrs Hoover and their house in old Detroit

Courtesy of North Santiam Historical Society

Log bridge going into new IdanhaI have been searching for a picture of this bridge for six years and I finally found one...
08/11/2026

Log bridge going into new Idanha

I have been searching for a picture of this bridge for six years and I finally found one.

Photo courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society

Christmas Day flood of 1964 was considered a 100 year flood driven by 15 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. To make matters worse, the existing snow on the ground was melted due to the pouring rain. There was five states affected, but Oregon was hit the hardest.

In Idanha, the bridge going into in
new Idanha was washed away. As a result the residents living in new Idanha were cut off & isolated for a number of days. In addition, there were twelve houses along the river that were washed away. After the bridge washed away Young and Morgan put in a temporary log bridge.

In Detroit, the empty lake bed filled up quickly. Littered across the lake were huge logs and other debris. The highway was washed away by the dam. Hank Heibert would take a boat where the hwy was washed away and get Detroit and Idanha their mail.

07/20/2026

It can be hard to envision the enormous effects a large dam like the Detroit Dam can have on a landscape. Sometimes it can even seem as if reservoirs like Detroit Lake have always been there. They haven’t, of course, but luckily we have access to an incredible array of historical photographs to help us imagine what these areas were like before the dams were constructed.

This “Dotted White Line” photograph at top (held by the Oregon Historical Society) was taken in 1946, just a few years before construction began on Detroit Dam. Though it was meant to help engineers conceptualize how the landscape would be changed by the dam, today it can help us to better understand how that landscape appeared at the time.

Come check out the Idanha history table at the Idanha Mountain Festival 🗻🌲
07/18/2026

Come check out the Idanha history table at the Idanha Mountain Festival 🗻🌲

Catch of the Day! What do you think? Salmon or Steelhead? Fishing the North Santiam River before Detroit Dam was buil...
07/15/2026

Catch of the Day!
What do you think? Salmon or Steelhead?

Fishing the North Santiam River before Detroit Dam was built took a little patience, a little luck, and the right bait. Long before the reservoir existed, the free-flowing North Santiam was a favorite destination for anglers hoping to land trout or salmon. Every cast carried the promise of a great catch—and another story to tell.

Photo courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society & Canyon Life Museum. Do you remember fishing the North Santiam before Detroit Dam, or have family stories from those days? We'd love to hear them!

Compare the mountain rangeThe first photo is courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society The second picture is cour...
07/12/2026

Compare the mountain range

The first photo is courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society
The second picture is courtesy of Dean Mills

Old and New DetroitThis came from a newspaper clipping courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society The first pictur...
07/12/2026

Old and New Detroit

This came from a newspaper clipping courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society

The first picture in the clipping is of new Detroit. You can see Cedars to the left of the first picture. The remaining pictures are of old Detroit.

New Detroit SchoolDetroit School was located located where the park is todayCourtesy of the North Santiam Historical Soc...
07/11/2026

New Detroit School
Detroit School was located located where the park is today

Courtesy of the North Santiam Historical Society

Idanha Mountain Festival Saturday, July 18th, 2026Hope to see you all there! Fun for children, adults, and families. Ida...
07/11/2026

Idanha Mountain Festival Saturday, July 18th, 2026

Hope to see you all there! Fun for children, adults, and families. Idanha “From the Beginning” will be doing a history table. Please, come check it out. I am excited to share Idanha’s history with you!

07/11/2026

ISO of old pictures of crazy snow and skiing past Idanha.

Address

Detroit, OR

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Detroit "From the Beginning" posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category