Cottage Grove Sentinel, 20 November 1941
This newspaper article recounts a period of heavy rainfall in the Willamette Valley in 1941. The Corps of Engineers had already started the Cottage Grove dam which was able to retain some of the flood waters.
An accurate estimate on the damage suffered in the floods over the week end may not be known for several days. The greatest damage appears to be from Goshen to Springfield junction where highway traffic was halted Saturday night and Sunday morning. Northbound traffic was routed around Lorane for several hours. Locally the heaviest damage was suffered on Row River from Dorena east. In addition to two dams, one on Teetera creek and the log pond of the Bohemia Lumber Co., Mr. And Mrs. J.P. Graham lost a private bridge across Row River leading to their summer cabin. The bridge cost about $700.00 and was believed to have been swept away by a log jam. The bridge and the concrete approaches were both lost.
Lower down farmers are having to rebuild and repair fences. Cans and rubbish were scattered over several acres in the Mills pasture when water cut a fifty-foot strip through the dump grounds east of town. The sanitary problem will be one to guard carefully in the affected areas, particularly in the Goshen-West Springfield area, largely covered by water. A warning has been issued by the state health department regarding the water supply.
Dam Saves City
The Coast Fork dam under construction in the Hebron section undoubtedly saved Cottage Grove from another flood. J.U. Jackson, with the Coast Fork U.S. Engineers said the dam held back about 2,000 second feet of water that would have gone into the river to flow through town. Water filled the basin to about a tenth of its capacity and backed up the river for about a mile and a quarter. The partly constructed dam, however, was never in danger.
A crew had been pouring concrete at the spillway this week while another crew is clearing the rock quarry site to start the rip rap work.
The biggest rainfall in a 24-hour period was recorded Saturday by C.E. Stewart, weather observer. The fall measured 3.25 inches. Friday’s rainfall totaled 1.60 inches and Thursday’s 1.05. These were the measurements in about a 60-hour rainfall and as result, streams went out of banks. The Row river reached flood stage and covered the low lands, blocking the highway all day Saturday.
In giving the rain totals for the three day period, C.E. Stewart, weather observer, this morning pointed out the fact that of the three day rainfall amounting to 5.90 inches, most of the water fell within a twelve hour period near the date of the 14th. The Coast fork river gauge reached nine feet, but would have reached the flood stage, but for the dam.
Twenty feet of levee of the Bohemia Lumber Co. at Culp Creek was washed away, but contrary to rumors, no logs were lost. Waters covered the north highway bridge, but traffic was never entirely stopped.
Wild rumors that flood waters in the Cottage Grove dam reached the danger point proved to be unfounded. Water ran over the spillway and covered about a fourth of the basin, but the dam itself was never in danger. The fact that the dam was far enough advanced to impound some flood waters probably kept the Coast Fork from reaching the flood stage here.
Silk Creek also impeded traffic to the west and caused several motorists to stall. Jim Abbott, turkey grower living north of town, was among the farmers hardest hit with water covering the flat of the turkey run.
Heavy rains in the vicinity of the Rujada ranger station and above were responsible for the Row river going on a rampage Saturday. According to the measurements at the Rujada forest station, 1.75 inches fell there Friday; 3.75 Saturday and 1.04 Sunday.
