Lancaster is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Lane County,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, United States. It is located about two miles south of

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

and two miles north of Junction City, on

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 ...

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 ...

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 Roadhouse may refer to: Premises * Roadhouse (premises), a mixed-use premise to service passing travellers * Receiving house or roadhouse, a theatre for touring theatre companies * A truck stop in rural Australia Arts and entertainment Film * '' ...

) 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 logging, 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 ...

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 The Great Flood of 1862 was the largest flood in the recorded history of California, Oregon, and Nevada, inundating the western United States and portions of British Columbia and Mexico. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains and snows tha ...

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 ...

bypassed Lancaster, so Junction City became the more important community.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lane County, Oregon Ghost towns in Oregon 1858 establishments in Oregon Territory Populated places established in 1858 Unincorporated communities in Oregon

History

See also

References