Author Archives: Rebecca Mills

Old Detroit was a community unafraid to resist their government when it did not promote their interests. This is evident when many residents petitioned the courts to award them more money for their property than the United States Army Corps of Engineers initially offered. Eventually, the United States District Court of Oregon determined that USACEContinue reading “Condemnation Proceedings in Old Detroit”

From the founding of Old Detroit in 1889, the Southern Pacific Railroad embodied the economic and social lifeblood of this community. Residents relied on the railway to transport their goods and connect their town with the greater Willamette Valley. In 1945, the United States Government and the Southern Pacific Company almost decimated Old Detroit’s economicContinue reading “Old Detroit’s Fight to Retain the Southern Pacific Railroad”

Asa Whitney and other Americans advocated for a railroad connecting the Pacific Northwest to the rest of the United States and transforming the region into an economic powerhouse. This proposed railroad would provide settlers access to Eastern markets and inexpensive transportation options for their goods. However, transcontinental railroads in the Pacific Northwest did not fullyContinue reading “The Impact of the Pacific Railroad on the Pacific Northwest”

Hello! My name is Rebecca Mills, and I am one of the graduate assistants for the Atlas of Drowned Towns team. I joined the Atlas in August 2023 and will remain on the team for the next two years. I am originally from Caldwell, Idaho, and received my B.A. in History from the University ofContinue reading “Meet our Graduate Assistant, Rebecca Mills”