A big part of Oregon City's history is hitting the auction block | Business

OREGON CITY, Ore. - Oregon City is losing a central part of its history this week.

That's because everything inside the now defunct Blue Heron Paper Company mill will be sold at auction. For three days, all of the machinery, cranes, fork-lifts, shop equipment, office furnishings and more will be sold off piece by piece.

• Auction details

The company shut down earlier this year when their operating costs became too high to manage. The decision to close came in February. "In this month alone, our delivered cost for recycled paper has increased by $24 per ton, adding around $240,000 to our monthly cost of production and basically wiping out any potential for profit," President Mike Seibers said at the time.

• Read the press release the company sent out on Feb. 23, 2011 (pdf)

Although Blue Heron had only been in business for a little over a decade, paper had been produced at the mill site (located at the base of Willamette Falls) for over 100 years. The historic site spans 23.16 acres and has long been an icon in Oregon City. The site itself is being sold for redevelopment and at this time it's anyone's guess what will happen with the property.

• For more on the history of the mill site