Water Powered Mills of Brownsville
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 44° 23.615 W 122° 59.005
10T E 501320 N 4915588
Sign about the history of water power in Brownsville.
Waymark Code: WM84QE
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/27/2010
Views: 4
Marker Name: Water Powered Mills of Brownsville
Marker Text: 1858 - Brownsville Dam and Millrace are constructed along the Calapooia River to operate the Brownsville Milling Company’s grist mill.
1860 - 72 acres of land is purchased for $50 and the Brownsville Grist Mill is built. Gapacity is 50 barrels a day.
1861 - Brownsville Planing Mill is established. Equipment was used to produce wood and decorative sash and doors for local homes.
1868 - Eagle Woolen Mills is built in Brownsville; includes a main building, dye house, wool sorting shed and dry house. 2nd woolen mill west of the Rockies. Would later move to Pendleton, Oregon.
Late 1860s - Cotton shortages during the Civil War stimulated growth of the woolen industry in the Willamette Valley. Linn County is the leading producer of wool in the Willamette Valley.
1955 - The Woolen Mill permanently closes after a fire devastates the facility. The Mill is not rebuilt due to many reasons, including replacement of wool by synthetic fibers.
1960s - Original Brownsville Dam (timber dam) washes away and is rebuilt as a concrete structure by Linn-Lane Soil Water Conservation District.
1969-2007 - Brownsville Canal Company and community members annually install and remove flashboards to divert water into the millrace. Water serves irrigation & aesthetic purposes.
2007 - The Calapooia Watershed Council works to remove the Brownsville Dam from the Calapooia River to improve fish passage for spring Chinook and winter Steelhead.
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