Three Lynx records and memorabilia, 1930-2023
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Portland General Electric Company
- Title
- Three Lynx records and memorabilia
- Dates
- 1930-2023 (inclusive)19302023
- Quantity
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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) - Collection Number
- Coll 1089
- Summary
- 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.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
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/
Content Description
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.
Use of the Collection
Preferred Citation
Three Lynx records and memorabilia, Coll 1089, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on 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.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
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).
Preservation Note
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.
Related Materials
Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to Three Lynx are in Box 49, Folder 3 of the Portland General Electric Collection, Coll 415.
Related Materials
Footage from the oral history interviews in this collection was used in a short documentary film that Portland General Electric produced about Three Lynx, titled "Three Lynx Village: From camp to community." The film was released in January 2025 and is viewable online at https://vimeo.com/1051677332.
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/
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Description: Printouts of articles and newsletter items about Three LynxDates: 1953-1986Container: Box 1, Folder 1
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Description: Portland General Electric Bullseye article about Three Lynx (photocopy)Dates: 1966 AugustContainer: Box 1, Folder 2
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Description: History of Three Lynx by student Scott List (original and later typescript copy with update notes)Dates: 1971 June 7; undatedContainer: Box 1, Folder 3
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Description: Newspaper article about Three LynxDates: 2016 July 3Container: Box 1, Folder 4
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Description: Oregon state-level historic documentation about Three Lynx (2 copies)Dates: 2021Container: Box 1, Folder 5
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Description: Materials relating to history of Three LynxDates: undatedContainer: Box 1, Folder 6
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Description: Photograph of Three Lynx (reproduction)Dates: 1930 April 30Container: Box 1, Folder 7
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Description: Records relating to Three Lynx home heating systemsDates: 1960-circa 1990Container: Box 1, Folder 8
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Description: Three Lynx water system recordsDates: 1965-2016Container: Box 1, Folder 9-10
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Description: Architectural drawings of Three Lynx water systemsDates: 1957-1979Container: Folder Oversize 1
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Description: Architectural drawing of Three Lynx water and sewer linesDates: 1961 September 12Container: Folder Oversize 2
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Description: Three Lynx swimming pool recordsDates: 1961-1984Container: Box 1, Folder 11
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Description: Architectural drawings of Three Lynx swimming poolDates: 1961 May-JuneContainer: Folder Oversize 2
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Description: Guidebook for pool careDates: 1975Container: Box 1, Folder 12
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Description: Three Lynx School District recordsDates: 1964-1988Container: Box 1, Folder 13
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Description: Compiled Three Lynx School District records with photocopy of Portland General Electric Bullseye article about Three LynxDates: 1965-1987; 1966 AugustContainer: Box 1, Folder 14
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Description: Three Lynx School correspondence and student listDates: 1986-1988Container: Box 1, Folder 15
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Description: Three Lynx School permitDates: 1965Container: Box 1, Folder 16
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Description: Three Lynx School newslettersDates: 1980 February; 1988 June 15Container: Box 1, Folder 17
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Description: Three Lynx School event programs; Three Lynx Christmas card (photocopy)Dates: circa 1951-1961; 1956Container: Box 1, Folder 18
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Description: Three Lynx School event flyers and programsDates: circa 1978-1988Container: Box 1, Folder 19
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Description: Color slides of Three Lynx SchoolDates: 1979-1984Container: Box 2, Folder 1
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Description: Color slides, primarily relating to Three Lynx SchoolDates: 1979-circa 1984Container: Box 2, Folder 2
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Description: Three Lynx School class photographsDates: 1986-1987Container: Box 2, Folder 3
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Description: Photographs of Three Lynx SchoolDates: 1988Container: Box 2, Folder 4
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Description: Photographs of Three Lynx, including schoolDates: 1987-2000Container: Box 2, Folder 5
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Description: 1988 calendar for Three Lynx SchoolDates: circa 1987Container: Box 2, Folder 6
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Description: Design for Three Lynx School Wildcats logoDates: circa 1985Container: Box 2, Folder 7
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Description: Issue of Portland General Electric Bullseye featuring photo of Three Lynx school students on coverDates: 1957 MarchContainer: Box 2, Folder 8
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Description: Newspaper article about Three Lynx SchoolDates: 1977 October 26Container: Box 2, Folder 9
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Description: Newspaper clippings and articles about Three Lynx SchoolDates: 1986-1989Container: Box 2, Folder 10
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Description: Oral history interview with Sheila Buxton176.27 megabytes (1 audio file (15 min., 40 sec.)) : WAV6.42 gigabytes (1 video file (15 min., 55 sec.)) : MP4Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Portrait of Sheila Buxton (digital image)Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Oral history interview with Dennis Blaine Moody138.22 megabytes (1 audio file (12 min., 17 sec.)) : WAVDates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Portrait of Dennis Blaine Moody (digital image)Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Oral history interview with Janice Haneberg Mottau267.15 megabytes (1 audio file (23 min., 44 sec.)) : WAV10.09 gigabytes (1 video file (25 min., 3 sec.)) : MP4Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Portrait of Janice Haneberg Mottau (digital image)Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Oral history interview with Pat Reneau138.74 megabytes (1 audio file (12 min., 18 sec.)) : WAV5.14 gigabytes (1 video file (12 min., 41 sec.)) : MP4Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Portrait of Pat Reneau (digital image)Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Oral history interview with Randy Wallaert188.51 megabytes (1 audio file (16 min., 45 sec.)) : WAV7.32 gigabytes (1 video file (18 min., 12 sec.)) : MP4Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Portrait of Randy Wallaert (digital image)Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Group oral history interview with Sheila Buxton, Dennis Blaine Moody, Janice Haneberg Mottau, and Pat Reneau597.75 megabytes (1 audio file (53 min., 7 sec.)) : WAV6.03 gigabytes (1 video file (53 min., 3 sec.)) : MP4Dates: 2023 October 27
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Description: Transcripts of oral history interviewsDates: 2023 October 27Container: Box 2, Folder 11
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Description: Memoir by Janice Haneberg Mottau, "Memories of My Childhood at Three Lynx" (2 copies)Dates: circa 2023Container: Box 2, Folder 12
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Description: Janice Haneberg Mottau family photographs (photocopies)Dates: 1947-1961Container: Box 2, Folder 13
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Description: Photographs of Three Lynx Creek and waterfallDates: 2002 SeptemberContainer: Box 2, Folder 14
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Description: Memorandum of agreement between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office regarding the removal of remaining structures in Three LynxDates: 2021Container: Box 2, Folder 15
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Company towns--Oregon--Clackamas County
- Schools--Oregon--Three Lynx
Corporate Names
- Portland General Electric Company--Records and correspondence
- Three Lynx (Or.)--Records and correspondence
- Three Lynx School District #123 (Or.)--Records and correspondence
Geographical Names
- Three Lynx (Or.)
- Three Lynx (Or.)--History
- Three Lynx (Or.)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- MPEG-4
- WAVE (format)
- architectural drawings (visual works)
- clippings (information artifacts)
- color slides
- memorabilia
- oral histories (literary genre)
- photographs
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Mottau, Janice Haneberg, 1949- (author)
- Reneau, Pat (compiler)
