Thompson's Mills | State Heritage Site

"Excellent guided tour of an exceptional piece of Oregon history. Highly recommended."

"Impressive community effort preserving this water powered mill for public awareness. We got a tour from a dedicated volunteer who guided us from almost all the areas and historical times in this 100+ year old facility. The tour was full of interesting facts about the development of a rural economic network of grain producers and their ingenuos engineering. Most of the artifacts are pretty well preserved despite of surviving two floods. I was amazed to realize how far the owners of the mill went to "create" a water fall digging up to 10 ft to fed this mill. While it's not an area for small children to explore freely unattended, the tour have hand off experiences for kids around 8 to 10 years old so they can understand why and how this mill was built and what it meant for people living there long ago. Great for combining a peaceful walk with an interesting learning experience."

"There is a lot of powerful historic vibes in this place. The photo is of an ancient mysterious human built mound. This mound is just east of Thompson's Mill going towards I-5 though there is no interchange. These mounds are found all over the Calapooia and Muddy Creek drainage, up to at least Brownsville, and starting in Albany along the Calapooia. In our current times, these mounds are very much downplayed by academia and the museums, but back in the 1880's through 1929, James G. Crawford both excavated and photographed the artifacts that he found. Crawford actually opened a museum in Albany showcasing his findings. The main take-away with what Crawford found, was artifacts that suggested a "diffusionist" view of history. Diffusionists hold that since extremely ancient times much earlier than that of the "land bridge during the ice age theory", humans crossed the oceans and discovered far away lands. In Crawford's museum were pictures of what appear to be "Lingam's". A lingam, sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. This artifact suggests that people from as far away as India back in very ancient times came to the Willamette Valley and were part of this Mound Building Culture. I have lived in the Willamette Valley my whole life, it was only within the last ten years that I became aware of the Mounds in the Willamette Valley. The one pictured can actually be seen from I-5 as you drive by. Thompson's Mill sits atop all kinds of mound connected sites, nearby a house was built atop a mound, right on the Calapooia, when erosion happens all kinds of artifacts pop out. In Brownsville, houses were also built atop the mounds. This post is an invitation for more people interested in the true history of Oregon to find out more and publicize it!"

"A great step back into history. Katie was our volunteer presenter, and she gave an excellent presentation and demonstration of how things worked. The tour normally takes about an hour, but we were so inquisitive it took longer. Recommend this to anyone interested in our past."

"Katie was an amazing tour guide. Extremely knowledgeable, friendly and willing to answer all our questions. The history of the mill and its relationship with the area is fascinating and well worth the visit. Kind of in the middle of nowhere but easy to get to from Junction City, Corvallis or Salem. Would highly recommend."