Name: Bradwood

Class: H3

GPS: 46.197771, -123.440628

Directions: On Private Property – No trespassing. Signs say area is under video surveillance.

Description:

Bradwood was the location of the first commerical saw mill in Oregon in 1843, but did not become a town until July 15, 1930. The town was incorporated by the Bradley-Woodward Lumber Company owned by Fred Bradley and Walter A. Woodard. Bradley had earlier purchased old growth timber stands in the area, and the two men built a logging railroad into the woods. Originally everyone, including the owners, lived in box cars stationed in the woods. But eventually a cook house, bunk house, company store and up to 24 homes were built here.

The mill lasted until June 1962 when the timber was exhausted. According to Ralph Friedman, In Search of Western Oregon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref%255F%3Dnb%255Fss%255Fb%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3DIn%2520Search%2520of%2520Western%2520Oregon%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=ricktech-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957), the entire town was sold at auction on June 25th, 1963. The buildings were likely moved or deconstructed for their timber, and what little remained of the town was burned in 1984.

But that is not the end of the story for Bradwood. In 1985, this was the site of Oregon’s largest Marijuana smuggling ring. A ship full of drugs was docked here at an abandoned pier. Drug dealers from all over the country came to purchase the goods, and no one ever got caught.

More recently the town was a potential site for a Liquified Natural Gas terminal. The wheels were rolling to make this happen, but repeated delays in the permitting process forced NorthernStar Natural Gas to suspend the project in May 2010.

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