Algoma is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

on the east shore of

Upper Klamath Lake Upper Klamath Lake (sometimes called Klamath Lake) ( Klamath: ?ews, "lake" ) is a large, shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in south-central Oregon in the United States. The largest body of fresh water by surface area in Oregon, it ...

, in Klamath County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. It is about north of the city of

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...

U.S. Route 97 U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a major north–south route of the United States Numbered Highway System in the Pacific Northwest region. It runs for approximately through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, primarily serving in ...

. Algoma was named for the Algoma Lumber Company.

History

In 1909, R. H. Hovey bought of timberland on the east shore of Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath County, Oregon. That was the beginning of the Algoma Lumber Company. In 1912, Hovey built a large

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

with a capacity to mill 100,000 board-feet (236 m³) of lumber per shift. Since the mill ran two shifts per day, the mill's daily production capacity was 200,000 board-feet (472 m³). The company grew rapidly. By the end of its first year, the mill and its logging operations employed about 200 workers. To accommodate the workforce, the company

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted the Algoma

townsite A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan (Ca ...

. Algoma post office opened in 1912. The town of Algoma had a population of 400 in 1919 and grew to 600 by 1931. In 1943, the post office closed. Today, Algoma is no longer recognized as a specific census data collection area so there is no current census information on the community.

Company town

The Algoma townsite is located approximately north of Klamath Falls on Rattlesnake Point, on the shores of Upper Klamath Lake. It was established in 1912 to support the employees of the Algoma Lumber Company. The Algoma lumber mill was built on a site in Plum Valley near the southwest corner of Algoma Marsh, a meadowland between Barkley Springs to the north and Algoma Point to the south. The area is cut off from Upper Klamath Lake by a

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

railroad embankment.Boyle, John C.
"Regulation of Upper Klamath Lake"
, from ''50 Years On The Klamath'', Klamath Bucket Brigade, Klamath Falls, Oregon, Retrieved on April 27, 2009. The Algoma Lumber Company logged all around Upper Klamath Lake. The company used a diesel-powered

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

to tow log rafts to the mill site. The Algoma lumber mill's

log pond A log pond is a small natural lake or reservoir used for storage of wooden logs in readiness for milling at a sawmill. Although some mill ponds served this purpose for water-powered sawmills, steam-powered sawmills used log ponds for transportation ...

was connected to the lake by a

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...

that ran under the railroad embankment. Because of the shallow depth of the channel that connected the lake with the log pond, the company insisted that Upper Klamath Lake be maintained at a high level. The tugboat used by the Algoma Lumber Company was retired in 1943. Today, it is on display at the logging museum at Collier Memorial State Park, which is located north of Klamath Falls on U.S. Route 97."Walking Through History – from oxen to horses to cats"
Collier Memorial State Park and Logging Museum,

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks. In addition, it has pro ...

, Salem, Oregon, October 2004.

References

External links

Historic Photos of Algoma
from Salem Public Library Collection

View of Algoma Mill
and

wigwam burner A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup'' ...

from Louisiana Digital Library
Photo of stacks of lumber at Algoma Lumber Co. in 1939
{{Authority control Unincorporated communities in Klamath County, Oregon Company towns in Oregon Populated places established in 1912 1912 establishments in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon Logging communities in the United States