A mysterious 19th-century “ghost wagon” appeared in Oregon's Detroit Lake, a reservoir near Salem, then was submerged again after a winter project was completed.

Jeffrey Green, a Salem based photographer and Marine Corps veteran (thank you for your service), posted the image to Instagram explaining that dam maintenance for a couple of weeks in late December last year required a drastic draw down of the lake.

During that time frame, he said, “I headed up and searched 3 times while the water dropped day-by-day until I found this ‘historic utility wagon’, which had been left behind at the normally underwater site of the original town (site submerged in 1952), needless to say, it was an amazing experience to see it! I had trouble getting closer than about 15 feet to it, because the ground all around it was the consistency of whipped cream with nothing solid under it. I tried to get through it, but quickly sank and got stuck nearly up to my waist. Once unstuck, and covered in mud from head to toe, I snapped several images and simply gazed at in awe. Several days later the water level started going back up."

Jeffrey S. Green Dynamic Photography
Jeffrey S. Green Dynamic Photography
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The relic was partially uncovered during a 2015 drought.

The wagon, he explained, “is safely 20-25 feet underwater and far from shore now that the water levels have returned to pre-draw down levels."

Low oxygen cold water conditions in the lake have helped preserve the wagon over the decades.

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