Oregon Iron Company Furnace
The Oregon Iron Company Furnace, or Oswego Iron Furnace, is an iron furnace used by the Oregon Iron Company, in Lake Oswego, Oregon's George Rogers Park, in the United States. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and underwent a major renovation in 2010. The current furnace is the only structure that remains of the original iron company, and is the oldest industrial landmark in the state of Oregon.
Restored remnants of the first Oregon Iron Company furnace, 2010
The Oregon Iron Company was an iron smelting company located in what is now Lake Oswego, Oregon. The company was established in 1865, and in 1867, became the first company west of the Rocky Mountains in the United States to smelt iron. The company failed after a few years, but was reorganized as the Oswego Iron Company in 1878, and again as the Oregon Iron and Steel Company in 1883. With the addition of a larger furnace, the last incarnation of the company prospered, reaching peak production in 1890. By 1894, however, pressure from cheaper imported iron combined with the effects of the Panic of 1893 forced the company to close its smelter. The company continued to operate a pipe foundry until 1928, and until the early 1960s, existed as a land management company, selling its real estate holdings which expanded the city of Lake Oswego.
Restored remnants of the Oregon Iron Company Furnace
This cottage in Lake Oswego's Old Town was built by the Oswego Iron Company for workers in about 1882. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Remains of the crucible of the second furnace in Lake Oswego's Roehr Park on the bank of the Willamette River