Author's Note: The following is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Mill City Independent Press.
Mill City. To anyone looking at a map who has never been here in the Santiam Canyon the name almost certainly conjures up a picture of a town built around a mill, or mills. Fact is, that's exactly how it was; Mill City grew up, was built, surrounding the mills. They, the mills, are all but completely gone now but if one knows where, and what to look for, the evidence that they existed is still here to be seen.
One of those bygone mill operations was known as the Hammond Lumber Company. A sprawling operation, the mill itself and it's associated log pond took up the whole of the area now known to some as "the island," that area from the Highway bridge on the West, from the high bank, bluff, paralleling NE Alder Street on the North. The East end was near NW 5th Street and to the river on the South At the East end, stretching across the river to the area that is now Kimmel Park, there was a low dam that diverted water into the mill pond.
Some of the cement work of the inlet channel to the pond is still recognizable on the North bank.
A small part of the wooden Weir Damn can be seen here.
And again here.
Located in Kimmel Park, between the riverbank gazebo and the access road, are two large, square, cement blocks. Those blocks were the southern anchors for the cable suspension bridge which crossed the river from the Hammond Mill yard on the north to the drying yards on the south; now Kimmel Park, the Sewer Treatment Plant, and beyond.
Looking over one Suspension Bridge Anchor Block towards the river.
From the same place, turned left to look at the second block.
Bridge Roadway Piers now hidden under the structure seen above.
Approaching block from river side, the embedded steel rods can just be seen.
A Closer view for the blind, like me.
Like many companies in antiquity, the Hammond Company supplied housing to many employees as part of their compensation. Single men were for the most part housed in the Hammond Hotel which stood on the bank, bluff, South and slightly East of Popa Al's. Employees with families were lodged in company houses concentrated in the South West quadrant of Mill City. Many of those Hammond homes are still standing, still lived in, today. While many have been extensively remodeled there are a few which still appear as they did when built. Dimensionally square, single story dwellings, the roofs have no ridge, instead four hips rise in a pyramid shape. Originally, all had a brick chimney protruding from the center of the roof and no front porch, only a set of stairs leading to the entry.
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