I'm excited! Tomorrow morning I get to...

[Tom Kitten]

Go on a tour inside this place! This is a very historic area. It's the former Blue Heron Paper Mill, a former life blood of employment for Oregon City, closed by the bankers in 2010, it's sat empty since. This is part of the original plot of Oregon City, about 15 miles south of Portland, the oldest city in the West. (Incorporated 1844, also the end of the Oregon Trail) It's located at the Willamette Falls, by volume the second largest waterfall (after Niagara) in the US. The native Americans had a settlement and fished here for perhaps a thousand years or more. This place is heavily industrialized, the first mill here started in the 1840s, also the site of the first long distance transmission of electric power, in 1889. This place has been off limits to the public for a long long time. It's just been bought for development, people are really interested in what is to be done here. Tours are only every few months, I've been waiting two years to see the insides of this place! I spent my years from 12 to 26 years old in this area so it's still kind of home for me.















Wish me luck! I hope I can take some nice pictures.

[Expat in Korea]

1. Best of luck!

I can see a lot of potential there. Hope you see something that triggers your shutter finger.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Very cool, my dear Tom Kitten!

It will be interesting to see what you find. And I'm also interested in seeing what they do with the place over the long haul.

Have a blast!

[Adsos Letter]

3. Nice series!

I remember this place well from my time up there. Used to drive over from Amity to visit the end of the Oregon Trail museum (hard to miss with the giant Conestoga wagon).

Edit: #'s 4,5,&6 are my favorites.

[alfredo]

4. That is exciting.

[ohheckyeah]

5. A closeup of the

arches and water that you can see in the fourth photo would make a nice photo.

Good luck!

[Mira]

6. OMG

You actually had me with : I'm excited
but once I saw the photos I got very very excited and will wait with baited breath for more.

[Mira]

7. I'm still holding my breath and waiting

I know it takes time and work - but I hope you got to go!

[Tom Kitten]

8. Yes I went!

And it was fantastic - only too short a time (2 hrs.) I'll post some pictures later today - I took over 230. I am trying to upload a lot to my blog but it is very frustrating - Blogger has some kind of glitch where it's hit or miss whether they decide to upload a picture or not - sometimes I have to try more than 20 times! So I think I'll forget that for now.

By the way, I did upload a bunch from the Sunken City that for some reason I never made a post about here. I know you expressed interest in seeing them, perhaps this might "tide" you over?

http://sowewent.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-sunken-city_13.html

[Mira]

9. I'm stunned by this occurrence,

and now amazingly informed by your photo report. In my mind I can be beside you as you took these photographs and did not believe what you are learning and recording.
Thank you so much for the link. Quite phenomenal all the way around.

[justiceischeap]

10. Can I just say my eyes are bit green with envy!

This is the type of photography I "do"--abandonments and that you got to tour (though all too short, IMO) this wonderful piece of industry is amazing.

Congrats!

[Tom Kitten]

11. Thanx!

I just saw your pics and I am impressed also. I've been so busy trying to whittle down and organize a post on this the past few days I've neglected viewing and commenting on all the great posts since. I'm done to a hundred pics I want to share plus give commentary but editing takes time!

I'm glad you came by because I have a lot of abandoned areas, ghost towns, ruins, graffiti type stuff I have yet to show to anybody but if you and anybody else are interested I'd like to show.