Trojan Powder Company / Trojan Nuclear Facility

Trojan Site (v.007)Google Earth Imagery Date: July 15, 2018

Page Index

Coffin Rock, Oregon

Michael C. Taylor, Road of Difficulties: Building the Lower Columbia River Highway

This area, once inhabited by either Skilloot or the Klatskanie people, was used for canoe burials (Coffin Island, offshore). The first record of white settlement comes in 1851 when John Fry and his wife settled 640 acres of land granted by the Donation Land Claim Act. Ironically, recorded land sales refer to part of their property as "Coffin Rock Farm."

In 1918, the Trojan Powder Company, which purchased the land for storing explosives, maintained ownership until 1967. During this time, three generations of the Frank Welter Family were employed as resident caretakers and used part of the land for farming and grazing.

The company's low-impact use of the area preserved what would prove to be a fruitful archaeological site, excavated and inventoried by the Oregonian Archaeological Society between 1970 and 1975.

Taylor 68

Detail: 1928 Welter Family and Trojan Lands
Page 010 - Township 6 N. Range 2 W., Trojan, NeerITEM #US1363078 From Columbia County 1928, OregonPublished by Metsker Maps in 1928 http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/1363078/Page+010+++Township+6+N++Range+2+W+++Trojan++Neer+City++Goble++Reuben++Tide+Creek++Charlton/Columbia+County+1928/Oregon/

Lyn Topinka, ColumbiaRiverImages.com: Trojan Nuclear Facility, Rainier, Oregon

The Trojan Nuclear Facility began operating in May 1976.

"... The nuclear power plant began operating in May 1976. PGE considered it a successful and work-horse facility, capable of generating 1,130 average megawatts annually, enough electricity to serve an estimated 400,000 homes. ..." [The Oregonian, December 30, 2005]

The nuclear facility was temporarily shut down in 1992 when cracks appeared in the steam generator. It was permanently closed in 1993. The 499-foot-high cooling tower was imploded on May 21, 2006.

http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/trojan_nuclear.html Accessed: November 19, 2022

Jonathan, 4-H outing to Trojan Park and Welter Cemetery, Wild Columbia County, April 27, 2021

In 1967, PG&E chose the site to build a new nuclear power plant and the Welters left. The plant was completed in 1976 but faced design problems and public opposition from the start. In 1992, a crack in the steam generator led to a radioactive water leak and the plant was shut down for the last time. After an expensive transfer and storage of the nuclear waste and demolition of the cooling tower, we were left with the park we have today.

...

I can’t end a Trojan Park post without highlighting the wonderful bird life there. Ducks, geese, and herons roamed the waters while ospreys and pelicans flew overhead. Songbirds were abundant on the lake’s edge as well as in the trees surrounding it. Even in the short time we walked to and from the site we saw quite a few bird species.

Trojan Park at a glance

What: walking, lake, fishing, birdwatching

Hiking: A short bit of walking on Old Columbia River Highway adjacent to Welter Cemetery and a 1.6 mile loop trail around the lake at Trojan Park

Camping: none

Notable Wildlife: Bald Eagle, Osprey, Swans, Canada Geese, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, other waterfowl, wading birds, turtles, frogs, woodland and pond salamanders

Property status: Portland General Electric

Website: Portland General Electric: Trojan Park

Jonathan, 4-H outing to Trojan Park and Welter Cemetery, Wild Columbia Countyhttps://wildcolumbia.org/2021/04/27/4-h-outing-to-trojan-park-and-welter-cemetery Accessed: November 21, 2022