Lyn Topinka, Columbia River Images

The small now-ghost-town community of Palmer, Oregon, was located in the Columbia River Gorge at Columbia River Mile (RM) 133, east and up the hill from Bridal Veil. The community was on the flanks of Larch Mountain.

According to "Oregon Geographic Names" (McArthur and McArthur, 2003):

"... Palmer post office was in service near Bridal Veil Creek in the hills about three miles east of Bridal Veil from February 21, 1898 to December 15, 1919. Idona A. Pulley was the first postmaster. The office was near the mill and logging railroad of the Bridal Veil Lumber Company and was named for the president, Loren C. Palmer. ..."

Tom Cowling, Stories of Bridal Veil, A Company Mill Town, 1886-1960

Bridal Veil evolved as a company mill town in the 1880s when one of Oregon's first paper mills was established on Bridal Veil Creek. A small community developed around the papermaking mill for the families of the workers. It was followed by the Bridal Veil Falls Lumbering Company that consisted of a logging operation and saw-mill on Larch Mountain [Palmer], and a planing mill at Bridal Veil.

In 1886, the Company started construction of the mill buildings and residential dwellings east of the paper mill. A saw-mill and logging town, later known as Palmer, was built one and one-half miles south of Bridal Veil on Larch Mountain. It was located up Bridal Veil Canyon, on Bridal Veil Creek and was connected to Bridal Veil by Palmer Mill Road and a two-mile, wooden, v-shaped flume. Timber was rough-cut and then flumed down the mountain to the planing mill at Bridal Veil.

The Bridal Veil and Palmer communities and mills worked in tandem, dependent upon each other, for nearly fifty years until fire destroyed some of the planing mill buildings at Bridal Veil in 1936. As the timber supply on the mountain was nearly depleted, and the country was in The Depression, a decision not to rebuild those buildings was made.

In 1937, the mill buildings and town were sold to "Wood Specialties Company", later named "Bridal Veil Lumber and Box Company". This company produced wooden cheese boxes for the Kraft Food Company.

"A post office was established February 21st, 1898 and closed December 15th, 1919. Idona A. Pulley was the first post master. But, Oregon Geographic Names says that the office was named for the President of the Bridal Veil Lumber Company, Loren C. Palmer. Oregon Post Offices 1847-1982 says that it was named for the family of the second Postmaster, Bertha Palmer. I’d be interested to know if Loren C. Palmer and Bertha Palmer were related."

"The town was burned to the ground by the forest service in 1945 and part of the area was logged again in the 70's. Very little remains to be found but the four main RR grades leading out from the town can be located and followed if you know what to look for."

"The Palmer Mill site has been clear cut (several years ago), it is located across Bridal Veil Creek from Palmer Mill Road. If you do your own map research, you can pinpoint the actual site. You can still wander around the stumps and find artifacts, but the brush is pretty annoying. Never heard of the Larch Ghost Town trail you mentioned, but there are plenty of cool old relics in the woods all around this area. Fun to explore."

"'Jumbo' was the name the old loggers gave to the second steam engine they bought, about 1902. It well could have been named after Barnum's big elephant but it was so much bigger than their original one, the name is most descriptive. (The first, they named Peggy.)"

Links

CLICK HERE to continue exploring the LARCH MOUNTAIN ROAD

CLICK HERE to continue exploring BRIDAL VEIL