Agness is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Curry County,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, United States. It is near the confluence of two

Wild and Scenic The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

rivers—the Lower Rogue and the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. Agness post office was established October 16, 1897. It was named after Agnes, the daughter of the first postmaster, and subsequently misspelled. The Agness area is popular for fishing and hiking. Agness is in the

Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest The Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest is a United States National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. The formerly separate Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forests were administratively combined in 2004. Now, the Rogue R ...

and was threatened by the

Biscuit Fire The Biscuit Fire was a massive wildfire in 2002 that burned nearly in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States. The fire was named after Biscuit Creek in southern Orego ...

in 2002. Agness is served by one of only two rural mail boat routes still operating in the U.S. The other is along the Snake River in eastern Oregon. The mail boat runs on the Rogue River between Gold Beach and Agness. Rogue River Ranch, east of Agness, is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, and it and Lucas Lodge in Agness are in the

Oregon State Historic Preservation Office The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks. In addition, it has pro ...

historic sites database. The Agness- Illahe Museum is open from May through September. Much of Agness's economy is based on tourism, with several lodges, hotels, restaurants, and camping sites scattered throughout the community. Many cater to the large jet boats from Jerry's Rogue Jets which carry up to 50 passengers from Gold Beach to various locations in the Rogue Valley. Such stops include the historic Lucas Lodge, Singing Springs Resort, Cougar Lane Restaurant, and Agness RV Park.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Agness has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Education

Agness is within the Central Curry School District, which operates two schools: Riley Creek Elementary School and

Gold Beach High School Gold Beach High School is a public high school in Gold Beach, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the Central Curry School District. In addition to Gold Beach, the district's boundary includes Nesika Beach, Pistol River The Pistol River is ...

. The entire county is in the Southwestern Oregon Community College district. Agness formerly had a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

–

sixth grade Sixth grade (or grade six in some regions) is the sixth year of schooling. Students are typically 11–12 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs. Different terms and numbers are used in other parts of the world. It is commonly the firs ...

(K–6) "

one-room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

", which actually consists of two rooms. It was kept open by the Central Curry district because of its "geographical remoteness": approximately from Gold Beach up a "winding and sometimes dangerous" road. In 1969 the school had six students. The road (

County Road A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...

595/ USFS Arterial Route 33) is a continuation of

Bear Camp Road Bear Camp Road is a rugged mountain road traversing the Klamath Mountains in Josephine and Curry counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Bear Camp Road is a combination of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Road 34-8-36 (also known as Galice Road) s ...

, which has been the site of several incidents that have resulted in the deaths of travelers. From circa 1947, and into 1997, Agnes School's enrollment was around six. In 1997 the community promoted a bill in the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the ...

, House Bill 2340 which would make it so small schools like Agness would not be affected by school mergers required by the state.
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. In 2003 the school had a teacher and one aide, along with four students. Secondary students attended schools in Gold Beach, including Riley Creek School (for middle school), and Gold Beach High (the only high school in the district.
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References

External links

Historic photo of Agness post office
from Oregon Historical Society {{Authority control Populated places established in 1897 Unincorporated communities in Curry County, Oregon 1897 establishments in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon