Low water levels lead to discovery of long lost Oregon settlement
January 2, 2016
Low water levels lead to discovery of long lost Oregon settlement
by Chuck Bednar
Historic droughts are never a good thing, but in the case of record low water levels at one lake in Oregon, there’s at least one silver lining: the discovery of an abandoned town swallowed up by a reservoir more than six decades ago.
The town is question is known as Old Detroit, and according to Smithsonian Magazine and The Statesman Journal, the 200 residents of the town abandoned their homes after Congress passed a law approving the construction of a new dam that would flood the area.
That dam led to the creation of the reservoir named Detroit Lake, which this year just happens to be at its lowest levels in 46 years due to a lack of rainfall in the region. As a result, officials have discovered the remains of Old Detroit, including a perfectly preserved 19th century wagon which was found half-buried in the mud.
“I went on a treasure hunt down along the river, figuring I’d find foundations or something like that,” Dave Zahn, a sheriff’s deputy in Marion County, Oregon, told The Statesman Journal just after Christmas. “Then I saw a piece of old history right there.”
Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113411800/low-water-levels-lead-to-discovery-of-long-lost-oregon-settlement-010215/#oDdBOerk5GvFY8Ki.99
