Milwaukie History Railroads Ecosystem Industrial Development Works Program Administration Flooding Plan Restoration Spring Water Corridor Teens on the Trail Memories Childhood Memories Development Recreation & Restoration The impact of the 1930s on America was unlike any other decade. The Great Depression was on the minds of every man, woman and child as unemployment affected one out of every four Americans. From New York City to Portland, Oregon, the Depression hurt nearly everyone. As part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the Works Projects Administration (or WPA) arrived along the banks of Johnson Creek to put Oregonians back to work. Affecting over 300,000 acres, the work performed by the WPA centered upon flood control. The project straightened the creek and lined sections of it with rock to reduce the amount of water spilling over its banks. Courtesy of City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Record Center Early evaluations of the WPA project portray a job well done. The success of this project can be ascertained from a 1938 government report: "It is the consensus of opinion of the public officials interested in this development, that if it had not been for the accomplishments of the Works Projects Administration, much damage to property and probably to life would have been encountered during this period of severe heavy storms." Recent friends of the creek view the WPA work differently. They have suggested that the WPA was the beginning of the end for the creek, changing its natural environment forever. The alterations implemented by the WPA still exist in the form of stonework, a fish ladder and an engineered waterfall located in Tideman-Johnson Park. Courtesy of City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Record Center