During the late 1950's and early 1960's, much of Arlington was demolished and rebuilt on higher ground to accomodate the raised water level on the Columbia River caused by the John Day dam. "Arlington, Child of the Columbia" by Marion T. Weatherford offers many details about the city and relocation. The book was published in 1977 by the Oregon Historical Society.

This undated photograph, looking north and probably from the very late 1950's, shows Hulden Motors on Main Street. Note the International-Harvester and Desoto/Plymouth signs. It is unknown if the Willys line was still offered at this time. The dealership occupied two buildings. Closest to the camera, sporting the Desoto/Plymouth sign, is the former Arlington National Bank. The center building, with the large windows, had previously housed a succession of various stores. The furthest structure, not part of the dealership, was a local landmark known as the Union Block building. One of the first brick buildings in the city, by this date it was home to the Rio Theater and also offered rental rooms. Note the "RIO" sign over the theater entrance:

By the time of this 1963 photograph, the dealership buildings had been torn down. Grading was well in progress for the new, elevated town site. The view is looking south, with the Rio theater entrance from the above picture clearly visible:

A 1965 aerial view, looking south, shows the elevated area built for the relocation. Portions of the old downtown still remain in the foreground. As best I could determine, Hulden Motors had been located at the northern edge of the raised pad. Based on the above picture and other references in the book, the adjacent building was the Union Block building, home of the Rio Theater. In the foreground, note the original ground-level highway and the new elevated Interstate. Previously, the downtown district had extended to the edge of the old highway. The old railroad tracks, just off camera towards the river to the north, would be elevated and built roughly in the same location as the old highway:

The remaining buildings in the old downtown were eventually razed. Now underwater, the area is bordered by a nice park. During a visit in August 2004, here is a view looking north. Although I didn't know it at the time, I was probably standing very close to the site of Hulden Motors when I took this picture. The young lady doing a cannonball from the swim platform is my daughter. The young man about to get even wetter is my son:

The high bridge is Interstate 84. The low bridge is the Union Pacific railroad, with a small harbor on the far side. The grain elevator sits on a spit of land between the harbor and the main channel of the Columbia River. The hills in the background are on the Washington side. The relocation appear to have taken its toll on commerce in the city, with traffic now flying past on the Interstate. Previously, travelers entered the edge of the former downtown area via the old two-lane highway.

If you're ever in town, visit the Pheasant Grill & Drive-In. Well worth a stop, you can enjoy a milkshake while looking at the historical photos on the wall, including another aerial view of the old business district just before demolition. The owner of the restaurant confirmed the existence of a Jeep dealer, but she couldn't remember the exact location.

Several other early pictures can be seen at the Salem Public Library Historic Photograph Collection. Unfortunately, the Willys dealership is not in any of the pictures. Direct links cannot be made to search results. Click here and enter "Arlington".