Ellendale, Oregon facts for kids
Ellendale is a ghost town in Oregon, located in Polk County. It's about two and a half miles west of Dallas. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and it's no longer a busy community.
Ellendale was the very first settlement in what is now Polk County, started by people who were not Kalapuya (the Native American people of the area). Over time, the community's name changed. The first post office in Polk County opened here in 1850, called "O'Neils Mills." Later that same year, it was renamed "Nesmiths" (or "Nesmiths Mills"). The post office closed in 1852. Eventually, the community became known as Ellendale.
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Ellendale's Early History
Building the First Mill
In the winter of 1844–1845, a man named James A. O'Neil built the first gristmill in Polk County. A gristmill is a building where grain (like wheat) is ground into flour. This mill was built where La Creole Creek (now called Rickreall Creek) and O'Neils Creek meet.
This spot was chosen because it had good hydropower (power from moving water) to run the mill. There was also plenty of timber (trees for wood) and a rock quarry nearby. A quarry is a place where stone is dug out of the ground. The stone from this quarry could be used to make millstones, which are the large, heavy stones that grind the grain in a mill.
A Growing Community
A small community grew around O'Neil's mill. At that time, it was one of only two gristmills on the west side of the Willamette River. This meant settlers from far away, like northern Yamhill County and southern Linn and Benton counties, would travel to use the mill.
O'Neil offered places for people to stay and a store for those who had made the long journey. Miners heading to the California Gold Rush also stopped in Ellendale to get flour for their trip.
Changes to the Mill
In 1849, a big flood destroyed the mill. After the flood, O'Neil sold his share to James W. Nesmith and Henry Owen. They rebuilt the mill, and it became known as "Nesmith's Mill."
The mill was sold again in 1856 to Hudson & Company. However, by November 1857, it closed down. More mills had been built in the area, so Nesmith's Mill was no longer as important.
In 1863, the mill site, its water power, and the land were sold to Judge Reuben P. Boise. His land, obtained through the Donation Land Claim Act, was right next to the property. La Creole Creek was then renamed "Ellen's Dale" after Boise's wife. Soon, both the creek and the community became known as "Ellendale."
Wool and Wood Mills
In 1860, one of Oregon's first woolen mills started in Ellendale. Judge Boise and others bought and changed a sawmill that had been built upstream from the gristmill in 1854. A sawmill cuts logs into boards.
This sawmill had the only planer in that part of Oregon. A planer is a machine that makes wood smooth and flat. Before this, most boards had to be smoothed by hand using a hand plane. In 1870, Boise's woolen mill burned down.
Pumping Station Bridge
The Pumping Station Bridge, located near Ellendale, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This list includes important historical places. However, the bridge collapsed in 1987 and was then removed from the list.
