"Just downstream of Bridal Veil Falls was the site of a large mill operation between 1910 and 1930. Remnants of the footings of the buildings can still be seen, as well as a retention wall along the creek."

"Of great import in the settlement of this area and the 'mountain' communities to the south, historic Bridal Veil is now owned by the Trust for Public Lands. There is some hope that the historic importance of Bridal Veil to East Multnomah County will be recorded on a monument to be erected at the site."

Kimmy Hayes, "How to Send Your Wedding Invitations from Bridal Veil Oregon"

Bridal Veil is a virtual ghost town located in the Columbia River Gorge, about 25 minutes east from Portland. It was established in 1886 during the logging boom of Oregon. As of November 2011, all that remains of this little town is the Bridal Veil Lodge, an old cemetery, and a post office.

Bridal Veil began in the 1880s with the construction of one of Oregon’s first paper mills on Bridal Veil Creek. A small number of houses were built at this time for the workers of the paper mill and their families to live. Later, a saw mill was built in Bridal Veil that assisted with the logging of timber on Larch Mountain. The Bridal Veil Falls Lumbering Company operated until 1936 until it was struck by fire and shutdown.

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In 1937, the entire town and its mill were bought by a company that became to be known as Bridal Veil Lumber & Box Company. This company made wooden cheese boxes for Kraft Food Company. From 1955 to 1960, the company’s president, Leonard Kraft, published a newsletter that included information on business and society information from potluck dinners to who was visiting Bridal Veil and even employees’ anniversaries. The Bridal Veil Lumber & Box Company Newsletter became a newspaper of sorts for the 100 residents of Bridal Veil until it closed its doors in 1960. Today the cheese boxes made in Bridal Veil are considered a highly desirable collectible.

In 1990, the Trust for Public Land acquired Bridal Veil and its buildings. Despite a ten year fight from the Crown Point Country Historical Society to preserve the mill houses and the buildings, the trust had them demolished in 2001. Besides the mill, the town also once had a two-story school and a church.

From 1992, before the old mill was torn down...

Bridal Veil is the earliest remaining Company lumber mill town in the state of Oregon that still portrays its sense of community and the hierarchy of a Company town. Bridal Veil contains the oldest remaining collective examples of mill workers cottages, managers homes, a community hall, church and post office associated with an Oregon Company town located in the the [sic] Columbia Gorge.

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Although devoid of the planing mill and other original mill buildings, the Bridal Veil community continues to reflect the community settlement.

Flume

April 28, 2020

I've heard reports that remains of the old flume are still visible at some of the falls higher up Bridal Veil Creek. I am not sure if any are still there or visible.

"For several decades a wood flume helped move forest products from the company's rough-cut mill at Palmer to a resaw mill at river level -- a descent of 1,800 feet. An estimated 1,000,000,000 board feet of rough-cut lumber traveled down this flume until 1937 when fire destroyed Bridal Veil mill."

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