Wilkesboro is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Oregon Route 6, one mile east of Banks.
Wilkesboro, Oregon | |
|---|---|
 Railroad crossing of the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad at Wilkesboro Road with Oregon 6 in the distance | |
  Wilkesboro, Oregon Location within the state of Oregon  Wilkesboro, Oregon Wilkesboro, Oregon (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 45°36′31″N 123°05′45″W / 45.60861°N 123.09583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Washington |
| Elevation | 210 ft (60 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Area code(s) | 503 and 971 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1637939[1] |
Wilkesboro was settled in 1845 by its namesake Peyton G. Wilkes, and platted in 1912.[2][3] The locale was named about the time United Railways built its interurban line through the area.[3][4] The post office was established in 1916.[2][3] In 1915 the town had a population of 50, two churches, a fraternal lodge, a farmer's alliance and a railroad depot.[2] Later there was also a grocery, meat market, blacksmith shop and brickyard, but by 1990 none of these businesses remained.[2] The post office was closed in 1932.[5]
The terminus of the United Railways line was in Wilkesboro, and Gales Creek and Wilson River Railroad (GC&WR) started from this line and ran 12.75 miles to Glenwood.[6] The GC&WR also connected with the Tillamook Branch of the Southern Pacific line in Wilkesboro—that line is now operated by the Portland and Western Railroad[6] via a lease agreement with the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad. When Oregon Route 6 was extended from Glenwood in 1957, portions of it used the then-abandoned GC&WR grade.[6] The United Railways track was eventually extended to Vernonia but is now abandoned.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Wilkesboro, Oregon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c d Friedman, Ralph (1990). In Search of Western Oregon (2nd ed.). Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 153. ISBN 0-87004-332-3.
- ^ a b c McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 1038. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ Kamholz, Edward J.; Jim Blain; Gregory Kamholz (2003). The Oregon-American Lumber Company: Ain't No More. Stanford University Press. p. 22. ISBN 0-8047-4481-5.
- ^ Benson, Robert L. (October 19, 1976). "Business and Industry: Post offices, zip codes listed". Hillsboro Argus. p. 11.
- ^ a b c d "Gales Creek & Wilson River Railroad and the Consolidated Timber Company". Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved December 17, 2009.