Steamboat 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 Douglas 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 about 39 miles east of Roseburg on

Oregon Route 138 Oregon Route 138 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the city of Elkton and a junction with U.S. Route 97 at Diamond Lake Junction. The highway has several distinct stretches, and is the main east–west highway through Roseburg, ...

, near the confluence of the

North Umpqua River The North Umpqua River is a tributary of the Umpqua River, about long, in southwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains a scenic and rugged area of the Cascade Range southeast of Eugene, flowing through steep canyons and surrounded by larg ...

with Steamboat Creek within the

Umpqua National Forest Umpqua National Forest, in southern Oregon's Cascade Range, covers an area of in Douglas County, Oregon, Douglas, Lane County, Oregon, Lane, and Jackson County, Oregon, Jackson counties, and borders Crater Lake National Park. The four ranger di ...

. The name "Steamboat" was probably first applied to the creek sometime before the 1890s by area gold miners, after a term referring to disappointing mining claims. There is no evidence any actual

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s navigated the river at this locale.

References

Unincorporated communities in Douglas County, Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon {{DouglasCountyOR-geo-stub