Lowell Prospers

Lowell Prospers. Flood Control. In Oregon's early days, emigrants came in droves to live along the Willamette River, but they soon discovered its volatile nature. Floods inundated the valley, property was destroyed, and lives were lost. The Army Corps of Engineers was given the responsibility to manage flood control in 1936. They conducted a study that found flooding to be a serious problem and recommended it be managed with a series of dams known collectively as the Willamette Valley Project., This project changed the face of Lowell. The Army Corps of Engineers arrived in 1948 to build Lookout Point and Dexter Dams, two of the thirteen dams and reservoirs that would manage the floodwaters. The town swelled enormously with the construction boom. The Army Corps built a water tank and a sewer system for the town and several new businesses were established., On the Sidelines , One of the dam's more significant long-term economic effects on Lowell was the relocation of the railroad and the state highway to the opposite side of the new reservoir – cutting Lowell off from the increased pace of the Willamette Valley. The new highway route deprived the town's sawmill of its cost-efficient means of transportation, and it was forced to close.