Three Lynx records and memorabilia
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of records and memorabilia of or relating to the town of Three Lynx, Oregon. These materials were produced or compiled by Portland General Electric, which operated the town; and by former residents Pat Reneau and Janice Mottau. A substantial amount of the materials, and most of what was compiled by Reneau, relates to the town's school. This includes color slides and photographs of students and activities; a 1960s permit for the school; event programs; and correspondence and newspaper clippings relating to the school's final years of operation and its closure in 1988.
Other materials in the collection include a memoir by Mottau about growing up in Three Lynx; photocopies of Mottau's family photographs; a reproduction of a 1930 photograph of Three Lynx; state-level historic documentation about the town; printouts, photocopies, and clippings of newspaper articles or newsletter items about the town; and records relating to the town's water system, home heating systems, and pool, including architectural drawings. Also included are oral histories with five former residents, which were used in a short film, "Three Lynx Village: From camp to community," that Portland General Electric produced about the town. The oral histories are in the form of digital audio recordings, digital video recordings, and printed transcripts.
Dates
- Creation: 1930-2023
Creator
- Portland General Electric Company (Organization)
- Reneau, Pat (Compiler, Person)
- Mottau, Janice Haneberg, 1949- (Author, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Portland General Electric retains copyright for oral history interviews in this collection. Copyright to the remaining materials has not been determined. Use may require seeking authorization from copyright holders.
Historical Note
Three Lynx (also known as Three Lynx Village, and at times referred to as Three Links) was a company town located about 20 miles east of Estacada, Oregon, along the Oak Fork of the Clackamas River. The town was established in the 1920s and 1930s by Portland Railway Light and Power (later PEPCO, now Portland General Electric) to house workers at the Oak Grove Powerhouse and their families. The town, which included a school that served students through the eighth grade, was a gathering point for isolated utility and U.S. Forest Service workers and their families who lived in the Upper Clackamas River area. In the 1950s, residents received permission to build a swimming pool.
The town's population never exceeded 50, and it decreased following the modernization of the powerhouse. The school closed in 1988, and its building was demolished in 2014. By 2018, only a handful of houses were occupied, and Portland General Electric decided to end its use of the town. On September 8, 2020, the Riverside Fire destroyed all but five of the town's houses. In 2022, the remaining buildings were demolished, and the land reverted to the U.S. Forest Service.
Source: "Three Lynx Village," by George Kramer, Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/three-lynx-oregon/
Extent
1.1 Cubic Feet (2 legal document cases; 1 oversize folder (24x36); 1 oversize folder (30x42))
34.8 Gigabytes (6 audio files; 5 video files; 5 image files)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Records and memorabilia of the town Three Lynx (also called Three Lynx Village), a small company town in Clackamas County, Oregon. Materials include photographs, slides, historical research and documentation, correspondence, clippings, event programs, and recordings of oral histories with former residents. Three Lynx was established in the 1920s and 1930s by Portland Railway Light and Power (later PEPCO, now Portland General Electric) to support operation of the Oak Grove Powerhouse. The town's population decreased after the powerhouse was modernized, and the remaining buildings were demolished in 2022.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Access to oral history audio and video recordings in the collection is provided only by advance request, and is limited to listening or watching in the library. Contact library staff for assistance.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Papers gift of Portland General Electric, Pat Reneau, and Janice Mottau, September 2024 (RL2024-065, RL2024-067, RL2024-068). Oral history interviews gift of Portland General Electric, April 2025 (RL2025-036).
Separated Materials
Artifacts were separated to Museum Collections, Oregon Historical Society, and are viewable in the OHS Museum Collections online portal, https://museumcollection.ohs.org/
Subject
- Three Lynx School District #123 (Or.) -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Three Lynx (Or.) -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Portland General Electric Company -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
Genre / Form
- MPEG-4
- WAVE (format)
- architectural drawings (visual works)
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- color slides
- Memorabilia
- oral histories (literary genre)
- Photographs
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Three Lynx records and memorabilia
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org