Detroit

The settlement’s original name was Coe. On October 16, 1891, Detroit received its new name with the founding of a Post Office. A number of residents from Michigan who lived in the area selected the name.

Detroit is located approximately 50 miles east of Salem on the North Fork of the Santiam River. For many years, it was only accessed by railroad, The Corvallis and Eastern, which had been constructed in 1889, and was to be extended to Boise, Idaho. This plan was terminated a few miles east of Detroit at Idanha. The old town prospered from logging, fishermen, and outdoorsmen. By 1907, it had a population of 53. In 1926, the Bureau of Public Roads completed road access to Detroit. During the 1930’s and until August 25, 1941, it was home to CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp F-20, located one mile east of town and occupied by Company #576. At that time, Detroit had service stations, a post office, stores, taverns, a church, hotels, an auto camp, theaters, a railroad station, and an elementary and high school. It also had regular bus service from the Hamman Stage Line. The population in 1945 was estimated at 250 residents.

The Army Corp of Engineers selected the site for the Detroit Dam in the 1930’s. The proposed dam would put the town under 100 feet of water.  Construction of the dam commenced on April 1, 1949, with 3,000 workers on the project at peak of construction in 1950. At the cost of $70 million, it was the fourth tallest concrete dam in the world at 463’ high and 1,523’ long. 

By March 1952, twenty-five of the town’s businesses closed shop and residents relocated to the new town site, on higher ground, one mile north of the old town and just west of the confluence of the North Santiam River and Breitenbush River. Only after the move to the new town site was the community incorporated as a city in 1952. On June 10, 1953, Detroit dam was dedicated and on November 8, 1953, the Big Cliff Regulating Dam was completed. The site of old town Detroit was slowly covered with 461,450 cubic feet of water.

Today, Detroit has evolved from a logging town to a popular tourist destination that offers outdoor enthusiasts a wide range of activities. Detroit Lake is now the number one recreational lake in the State of Oregon. Summer homes, two motels, two RV Parks, several rental homes and numerous campgrounds in close proximity increase the city’s population of 265 by thousands during the summer season. Eager to serve the public in a friendly, alpine atmosphere are: two marinas, three markets (food/variety/gifts), two restaurants, two outdoor cafes, several delis, a lounge, a seasonal tavern/outdoor cafe, a gas station, two churches, a real estate office, a post office, a mini golf and water slide fun center, a glass studio (opens Spring/Summer 2009) and a National Forest Day Use area by the lake.

The Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association (www.detroitlakeoregon.org) sponsors three successful events each year: Fishing Derby in May, Fireworks Over The Lake in July, and 50’s Cruz-In At The Lake in September.