History
The settlement was named “New Detroit” after the largest city in their state. New Detroit was never as large as its namesake city, but it did reach a population of about 200.
It was a small community that began as a home for builders of the Oregon Pacific Railroad. But it grew and prospered when its citizens started cafes, hardware stores, churches, and logging firms.
New Construction
The small settlement had grown for about 70 years. But then Congress came up with a plan that would help farmers and towns downstream from being wiped out by the constantly flooding North Santiam River. They built a dam.
New Detroit residents were aware that the creation of this 463-foot dam would mean the end of their small settlement. After World War II in 1952, the Army Corps of Engineers was established.
