Niagara County Park is a park located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

on the

North Santiam River The North Santiam River is a tributary of the Santiam River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains of the Cascade Range on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem. It rises in the high Cascades in eastern Linn count ...

, 40 miles (64 km) east of Salem on the North Santiam Highway,

Oregon Route 22 Oregon Route 22 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast community of Hebo, to an interchange with U.S. Route 20 near Santiam Pass in the Cascade Mountains. OR 22 traverses several highways of the Oregon state highway ...

. It is 7 miles (11 km) east of Mill City. The park protects the ruins of a rubble dam and a variety of indigenous plant species. Walking trails include ''Powder House'', ''Fern Glen'' and ''Wildflower Loop''.

History

The area acquired its name in September 1890 when a

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 ( ...

was

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 bea ...

ted followed by the establishment of the Niagara post office in October of that year. In the late 1890s, a rubble masonry dam was started. Its purpose was to power a mill intended to make paper from straw. At stages, the river flowed through a cleft only 4.25 feet (1.3 m) wide. Difficulties in constructing the dam caused the paper mill project to be abandoned. Hydroelectric development continued at intervals, but floods and erosion caused the project to be abandoned in 1912 after approximately $100,000 had been spent. At the beginning of the 20th century, Niagara had a large store, hotel, numerous dwellings, and a tavern. It was briefly notable as the location of the smallest post office in the United States at 6 feet by 8 feet. The post office was discontinued June 14, 1934.

Geography

The park marks the transition from the narrow upstream canyon, the site of Big Cliff and Detroit Dams, and the wider downstream valley populated with villages and small farms. Adjoining land north of the park is privately held. Land south of the park is managed by the Oregon State Board of Forestry.

References

External links

{{Commons, Niagara County Park
Niagara County Park

Park map
Parks in Marion County, Oregon County parks in Oregon 1961 establishments in Oregon