A part of Albany’s history is buried under Thurston Street from Sixth Avenue north to the Willamette River. It’s what used to be the Thurston Street Canal.
A part of Albany’s history is buried under Thurston Street from Sixth Avenue north to the Willamette River. It’s what used to be the Thurston Street Canal.
Wandering around old Albany on the bike without any goal in mind, I sometimes find myself in places that are so out of the way I have never paid them any attention before.
Hardly any water flows in the little ditch known as the Thurston Street Canal or “Thurston Creek” in the best of times. On Sunday I was surprised to see that one section had gone completely dry.
It’s a shame what has happened to one of Albany’s canals, the one that runs down Thurston Street from Seventh Avenue to the Willamette River.
Albany’s downtown renewal board may now be on its way to setting priorities for completing its mission. That’s the vague but hopeful main news from Wednesday’s monthly session of the CARA advisory board.
Nobody seems to love what’s left of Albany’s Thurston Street Canal. Decades ago it was turned into a narrow ditch. The water flow is very sluggish. Now somebody was kind enough to cut the grass on the banks. But look where the cuttings ended up: In the ditch, making an already stagnant waterway even more so.
Canal back to normal on Eighth Avenue
A few days ago residents along Albany’s Eighth Street Canal were wondering why the decorative waterway was nearly dry. By Friday the usual water flow, scant as it is, appeared to be back to normal.
Tags: Albany canals, Albany history, canals, Eighth Avenue Canal, Santiam Canal