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 ...
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 located about two miles south of
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
Oregon Route 99E
Oregon Route 99E is an Oregon state highway that runs between Junction City, Oregon and an interchange with I-5 just south of the Oregon/Washington border, in Portland. It, along with OR 99W, makes up a split of OR 99 in the northern part of ...
near the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
.
History
The first post office in the area was named Freedom, established in 1858. The name was changed to Lancaster in 1866 and to Junction City in 1872. It is likely the office was moved south two miles after the last renaming.
About 1852 or 1853, a man named Woody started a "house of entertainment" (aka a roadhouse) at this locale, which he named "Woodyville". It was also known as Woody's Landing. The property was bought by Johnson Mulkey, who built a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
at the site and changed the name to Lancaster. The sawmill was still operating in 1861 and likely longer. Two stores operated at the site, which was chosen for its proximity to the southernmost navigable point on the river and a prosperous agricultural district, with hopes of the place becoming a viable town. The Great Flood of 1862 changed the course of the river, leaving the town too far from the main channel, however, and the
Oregon and California Railroad
The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad s ...
bypassed Lancaster, so Junction City became the more important community.
See also
*
Steamboats of the Willamette River
The Willamette River flows northwards down the Willamette Valley until it meets the Columbia River at a point 101 milesTimmen, Fritz, ''Blow for the Landing'', at 89–90, 228, Caxton Printers, Caldwell, ID 1972 from the Pacific Ocean, in the U.S ...