Mount Hood Railway and Power Company
Encyclopedia
The Mount Hood Railway and Power Company, also known as the Mount Hood Company, initiated hydroelectric development in the Sandy River
basin in the U.S. state
of Oregon
in 1906. Its Bull Run Hydroelectric Project
included a powerhouse
on the Bull Run River
, a tributary of the Sandy River, and a diversion dam
on the Little Sandy River
, a tributary of the Bull Run River. Water from the dam, which was about 16 feet (4.9 m) high, flowed through a wooden flume
about 17000 feet (5,181.6 m) long to Roslyn Lake and from there to the powerhouse. The company began using the powerhouse to generate electricity in 1912.
To start the project, the company needed improved access to the powerhouse site. At the time, it took three hours by stagecoach
to reach Bull Run from an electric railway depot in Boring
. Roads in the area had to be plank
ed to be usable during heavy rains. Access improved in mid-1911, when the company finished construction on a railway line between the Montavilla
neighborhood in east Portland and the community of Bull Run
.
The Mount Hood Railway and Power Company line, 22 miles (35.4 km) long, began as a steam locomotive
railway. In 1912, the company merged with the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company
(PRL&P), which later modified the line for use by electric trolley
s, and operated it as its Mount Hood Line. PRL&P was the predecessor of Portland General Electric
. Trolley service to Bull Run ended in 1930. In the 21st century, part of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) Blue Line
, a light-rail corridor between Portland and Gresham
, overlaps the former PRL&P right-of-way.
Sandy River (Oregon)
The Sandy River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Measured by a United States Geological Survey gauge downstream of the Sandy's confluence with the Bull Run River, from the mouth, the river's average discharge is . The maximum daily recorded flow...
basin in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1906. Its Bull Run Hydroelectric Project
Bull Run Hydroelectric Project
The Bull Run Hydroelectric Project was a Portland General Electric development in the Sandy River basin in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally built between 1908 and 1912 near the town of Bull Run, it supplied hydroelectric power for the Portland area for nearly a century, until it was removed in...
included a powerhouse
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
on the Bull Run River
Bull Run River (Oregon)
The Bull Run River is a tributary of the Sandy River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at the lower end of Bull Run Lake in the Cascade Range, it flows generally west through the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit , a restricted area meant to protect the river and its tributaries from...
, a tributary of the Sandy River, and a diversion dam
Diversion dam
A diversion dam is the term for a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course. Diversion dams do not generally impound water in a reservoir...
on the Little Sandy River
Little Sandy River (Oregon)
The Little Sandy River is a tributary, roughly long, of the Bull Run River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Forming west of Mount Hood in the Mount Hood National Forest, it flows generally west, roughly parallel to the Sandy River to the south...
, a tributary of the Bull Run River. Water from the dam, which was about 16 feet (4.9 m) high, flowed through a wooden flume
Flume
A flume is an open artificial water channel, in the form of a gravity chute, that leads water from a diversion dam or weir completely aside a natural flow. Often, the flume is an elevated box structure that follows the natural contours of the land. These have been extensively used in hydraulic...
about 17000 feet (5,181.6 m) long to Roslyn Lake and from there to the powerhouse. The company began using the powerhouse to generate electricity in 1912.
To start the project, the company needed improved access to the powerhouse site. At the time, it took three hours by stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
to reach Bull Run from an electric railway depot in Boring
Boring, Oregon
Boring is an unincorporated community located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 212. It is approximately eight miles south of Gresham and about the same distance from Clackamas, both suburbs of Portland. The town is roughly twenty-two miles southeast from downtown...
. Roads in the area had to be plank
Plank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
ed to be usable during heavy rains. Access improved in mid-1911, when the company finished construction on a railway line between the Montavilla
Montavilla, Portland, Oregon
Montavilla is a neighborhood in the Northeast and Southeast sections of Portland, Oregon, United States, and contains an area of 82nd Avenue lasting from Glisan to Powell that contains many of the city's Chinese-owned businesses.In December 2008, the neighborhood association teamed up with the...
neighborhood in east Portland and the community of Bull Run
Bull Run, Oregon
Bull Run is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about northeast of Sandy near the Bull Run River.The first post office in the locale was "Unavilla", established in 1893. The name was changed to "Bullrun" in 1895, and to Camp Namanu in 1939. The post office was...
.
The Mount Hood Railway and Power Company line, 22 miles (35.4 km) long, began as a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
railway. In 1912, the company merged with the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company
Portland Railway, Light and Power Company
The Portland Railway, Light and Power Company was a railway company and electric power utility in Portland, Oregon, United States, from 1906 until 1924....
(PRL&P), which later modified the line for use by electric trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s, and operated it as its Mount Hood Line. PRL&P was the predecessor of Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric is an electrical utility based in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - half of the inhabitants of Oregon...
. Trolley service to Bull Run ended in 1930. In the 21st century, part of the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) Blue Line
MAX Blue Line
The MAX Blue Line is a 33 mile light rail line in the MAX Light Rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Operated by TriMet, the line runs between Hillsboro and Gresham, via downtown Portland...
, a light-rail corridor between Portland and Gresham
Gresham, Oregon
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile . There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8 per square mile...
, overlaps the former PRL&P right-of-way.
Works cited
- Taylor, Barbara (1998). "Salmon and Steelhead Runs and Related Events of the Sandy River Basin – A Historical Perspective". Portland, Oregon: Portland General Electric Company. Retrieved January 16, 2010.