Culp Creek, Oregon

Culp Creek is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States, southeast of Cottage Grove on the Row River. It lies on Row River Road between Dorena and Disston.

Culp Creek, Oregon
Unincorporated community
Culp Creek
Location within Lane county
Culp Creek
Culp Creek (the United States)
Coordinates: 43°42′12″N 122°50′51″W
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLane
Elevation961 ft (293 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
97427
Area code(s)541
GNIS feature ID1140531[1]

Geography

This populated place is located 961 feet (293 m) above sea level in the foothills of the Cascade Range.[1] The community is located where the Row River receives the stream that shares its name with the community.[2] Hawley Butte lies just north of Culp Creek and stands 2,992 feet (912 m) tall.[3]

History

Culp Creek is a tributary stream of the Row River, and was named for settler John Culp just before 1900.[4] A logging camp was established in the area and named Culp Creek Camp, so when a new post office was set up in 1925, it was named Culp Creek after the camp.[4]

The community's economy was long driven by the logging industry, including the Bohemia, Inc. sawmill that ran from 1959 until about 1990, just across the river.[5][6][7] Bohemia was headquartered in Culp Creek until it was bought by Willamette Industries in 1991.[8][9] At one time, there were over 20 mills along the Row River.[10] The Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway (OP&E) line was built through Culp Creek in the early 1900s to ship ore, timber, supplies and passengers.[11] Today the former OP&E line has been converted into a rail trail that opened in 1997,[9] the Row River National Recreation Trail, which ends just past Culp Creek.[10] Culp Creek's only store closed shortly after the closure of the mill.[5]

In 1926, Buster Keaton filmed the climax of the silent film The General on the OP&E line near Culp Creek.[7] Keaton spent $40,000 to build a temporary trestle over the Row River. During the scene, the bridge was set on fire and collapsed just as a locomotive passed over it. The remains of the bridge and locomotive were left in the river for 15 years, until they were removed in 1941 for scrap metal.[12]

Culp Creek post office closed in 2009;[13] the community's mail is now addressed to Dorena.[14]

Education

The area is served by the South Lane School District, which includes the Childs Way Charter School located in Culp Creek.[15] Childs Way is a public charter school serving 35 students in grades six through twelve. Culp Creek Elementary School was consolidated with a school in Dorena in 1989 and closed,[16] with the buildings becoming home to the charter school in 1994.[17]

Further reading
  • Hunter, Wally. The Bohemia Story. Culp Creek, Oregon: Bohemia Lumber Co., 1969.

References
  1. "Culp Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-11-28. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  2. "Culp Creek (stream)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-11-28. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  3. "Hawley Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-11-28. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  4. McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 258. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  5. McCowan, Karen (July 27, 2007). "Culp Creek post office gets canceled". The Register-Guard. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  6. McKeever, David B.; Gary W. Meyer (1984). "The Softwood Plywood Industry in the United States, 1965-82" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  7. "The Oregon, Pacific & Eastern Railway". Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  8. Tallmadge, Alice (January 4, 2005). "'Stub' Stewart, timber baron, lawmaker, dies at 93". The Oregonian. p. B1.
  9. Mosley, Joe (September 1, 1997). "Rail-to-Trail conversion beckons hikers, bikers". The Register-Guard. p. B2.
  10. "Row River Trail: Culp Creek". City of Cottage Grove. Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  11. "Row River Trail: Rails to Trails". City of Cottage Grove. Archived from the original on 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  12. Baskas, Harriet (2007). Oregon Curiosities. Globe Pequot. pp. 149–150. ISBN 978-0-7627-4236-3. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  13. "Post Offices by State: OREGON Post Offices". United States Postal Service. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  14. "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  15. "Zone Map". South Lane School District. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  16. Hartman, Janelle (June 27, 1989). "Principals reassigned". The Register-Guard. p. 6C. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  17. Mosley, Joe (March 29, 1999). "Small school seeks helpers". The Register-Guard. pp. 1C–2C. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
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