Willowcreek is an unincorporated village in

Malheur County Malheur County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,571. Its county seat is Vale, and its largest city is Ontario. The county was named after the Malheur River, which runs thr ...

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 about northwest of

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipali ...

U.S. Route 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and ...

. The village has a combined store and café, and the region's elementary school. Willowcreek is located at . Today Willowcreek has a Vale mailing address, although the nearest post office is in nearby Jamieson. The village took its name from Willow Creek, a prominent stream of the county that is a tributary of the

Malheur River The Malheur River (local pronunciation: "MAL-hyure") is a tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a Great Basin Desert, high desert area, between the Harney Basin and the Blue Mountains (Oregon), Blue Moun ...

. The

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

(UP) station here was named Lancaster (or Lancaster Station) after

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

. The station was on UP's

Brogan Brogan or O'Brogan, is a surname originating in Ireland, anglicized from the original Ó Brógáin. The form McBrogan, is also present sharing the meaning of O'Brogan, essentially "son of Brogan." The name can be traced back to ancient King Breo ...

Line, which was removed by UP. It was named by Brogan namesake D. M. Brogan, who was born in the Pennsylvania city. Willowcreek post office had been established in 1937 but was discontinued by 1980.

Education

Willowcreek Elementary School is part of the

Vale School District Vale School District 84 is a school district headquartered in Vale, Oregon. The Vale School District takes students from Vale and Brogan, as well as the unincorporated community of Willowcreek. Address "2300 9th Avenue West Vale, OR 97918" Vale ...

. The same district operates

Vale High School Vale High School is a public high school in Vale, Oregon, United States. It is a part of Vale School District 84. The Vale School District takes students from Vale and Brogan, as well as the unincorporated community of Willowcreek. Address "2300 ...

, its only high school.

References

Unincorporated communities in Malheur County, Oregon 1937 establishments in Oregon Unincorporated communities in Oregon {{MalheurCountyOR-geo-stub