A foundation remains from where a building once stood until the Detroit Dam reservoir filled with water.

I was curious about Detroit Lake, a reservoir about 110 driving miles south of Milwaukie. At the end of October I drove to McKenzie Pass. Along the way I noticed Detroit Lake’s water level was incredibly low. So I headed down to Detroit Lake today to check it out.

I’m no fan of driving Interstate 5, so I drove on Oregon 213 through Molalla and Silverton to connect with Oregon 22. I tend to find more interesting things along the backroads (although those two towns are “interesting” in a different way). I also passed through a town called Liberal.

Detroit is a nice, quiet mountain town straddling the Cascade Mountains east of Salem. Boaters flock to the lake in the summer. Several docks and moors that are frequently used by the boaters are now dangling from the hillsides.

Many parks and campgrounds are closed. One Oregon State Park, Mongold, was still open. I stopped there to check out the reservoir.

I found several foundations and footing remains scattered at the low water boat ramp. Looking at the remains has me wondering what used to be here. The North Santiam Chamber of Commerce website said the foundations were the remains of the Detroit Dam construction camp.

Another attraction that got my attention was Piety Island, an island in the middle of the lake that is accessible by boat only. Well I walked to it, passing a sign that read CAUTION-LOW WATER posted about 50 feet above the water level. The island has 12 U. S. Forest Service campgrounds.

It’s amazing of the things you can find when these reservoir water levels do lower. At Lake Shasta in California, an old railroad bridge truss still standing and tunnel were discovered when the water level receded well over 170 feet.

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