Doug Firman said
So there definitely is a tunnel out there. I suppose the entrance was blocked off long ago. Thanks for the link to the court case, Kirk. The court decision provides a good summary of PGE's history on the Clackamas, at least through 1947. I didn't know about the proposed dam at Carver. That would sure have changed things out in that area. Interesting reading.
Rumor has it that the tunnel can still be seen from the surface of Lake Harriet. Its not something the PGE folks talk about much or even remember any more. The PGE reps I am in contact with are very interested in that court case. I'm sure the company has a copy stored away somewhere but the current employees are not aware of it. Your link is now making the rounds there. Its a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Clackamas Basin.
I don't know why he referred to the town as Oak Grove. Every map I've seen has it labeled Three Lynx.
I think the original name was Oak Grove, and it was near the Oak Grove Ranger Station. The only access to the area then was by going over Mt. Hood and down through the Timothy Meadows area. Over time the name Three Lynx became an alternate name for the area, especially after Ripplebrook replaced Oak Grove Ranger Station. Residential housing and campsites were spread around the old Oak Grove area and some have been removed and some remain; turn left just past Ripplebrook and you can see both along the road.
What is PGEs claim on Cripple Creek speaking of history?
I assumed it whatever it is is the reason the quasi wilderness was wrapped around it.
D 2
I think Three Lynxs or Oak Grove was PGE's laboratory so they could play around with ideas of how to bring more electricity to Portland. That is why Big Bottom was brought into the picture in the first place. Look where PGE began in the first place at the the falls in Oregon City. A rural site 20 miles away bringing electrical power to stump town. Kind of like today, the resources of the state benefiting those who live in the valley, but not so much those in the rest of the state.
Don
Here are a couple of pictures from the inside of the Oak Grove tunnel. I found them at the Oregon Historical Society page.
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/oak-grove-interior-of-tunnel
https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/oak-grove-interior-of-tunnel-2
