Dexter 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 Lane County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. It is located near

Dexter Reservoir Dexter Reservoir (also known as Dexter Lake) is a reservoir in Lane County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is about southeast of Eugene on the Middle Fork Willamette River, immediately downriver from Lookout Point Lake, another reservoir. T ...

, a.k.a. Dexter Lake, a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

of the

Middle Fork Willamette River The Middle Fork Willamette River is one of several forks that unite to form the Willamette River in the western part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is approximately long, draining an area of the Cascade Range southeast of Eugene, which is at th ...

along

Oregon Route 58 Oregon Route 58 (OR 58), also known as the Willamette Highway No. 18 (see Oregon highways and routes), is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon. The route, signed east–west, runs in a southeast–northwest direction, connecting U.S. R ...

. A post office was established in the locality in 1872 and named "Butte Disappointment", after a local landmark named in 1848. The post office was renamed "Dexter" in 1875, apparently after the "Dexter" brand cook stove owned by the postmaster's family. Access to Dexter Lake, a popular

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

site, is available at

Dexter State Recreation Site Dexter State Recreation Site is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. See also * Dexter Lake * Dexter, Oregon Dexter is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United ...

. The nearby Dexter Lake Club was used in the filming of the

road trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by t ...

scene in the movie ''

Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...

''. The Lost Valley Educational Center is an

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

near Dexter. The

Parvin Bridge The Parvin Bridge is a covered bridge located in Lane County, Oregon, U.S. near Dexter. It was built in 1921 as a single-lane bridge across Lost Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River. The bridge was a replacement for a Howe ...

, a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

near Dexter, was placed 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 v ...

in 1979. It carries Parvin Road over Lost Creek, which flows by Dexter. In 2002, despite not having a city government, Dexter residents opened a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the Cascades Foothills Library, that as of August 2006 they are hoping to expand into a regional library.

Demographics

References

External links

*
Parvin Bridge
from Lane County, Oregon Web site Unincorporated communities in Lane County, Oregon 1872 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1872 Unincorporated communities in Oregon Populated places on the Willamette River {{LaneCountyOR-geo-stub