Lake Creek, Oregon
| Lake Creek | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 | |
  Lake Creek | |
| Coordinates: 42°25′21″N 122°37′30″W / 42.42250°N 122.62500°WCoordinates: 42°25′21″N 122°37′30″W / 42.42250°N 122.62500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Jackson |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 97524 |
| Area code(s) | 458 and 541 |
Lake Creek is an unincorporated community located approximately 20 miles east of Medford, in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The community takes its name from an important local stream.[1]
The shortest covered bridge in Oregon is located near Lake Creek.[2] The Lost Creek Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also possibly the oldest standing covered bridge in Oregon.[2]
History
The Lake Creek post office was established on December 10, 1886, but in the 1890s the Post Office Department began consolidating the names of many two-word post offices, thus the name of the post office was changed to "Lakecreek" on April 29, 1894. This official style remained even after the post office was discontinued on June 5, 1959, but the two-word name is what is used locally.[1][3]
All correspondence originally destined for the "Lakecreek" post office was rerouted to the Eagle Point office, where it has been ever since. The post office building in Lake Creek also housed a general store, which still stands today (as of June 2007 it is closed for renovations).[3] UPDATE: The Lake Creek General Store reopened its doors on July 24, 2009.
In June 2007, Brian Zablocky, a resident of Medford, Oregon, filed a request with the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) that the name be restored to the two-word local usage. The request was approved by the BGN on September 27, 2007 and went into effect a few days later.[4]
Pioneer Hall
The Lake Creek Pioneer Hall was established in 1990 in the former Community Hall building. A group of local citizens, some of whom worked on the restoration of the nearby Lost Creek Bridge, congregated and restored the building, giving it a foundation, insulation, and a kitchen.[5]
Gallery
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Lake Creek Grange
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General Store and Old Post Office
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Lake Creek Cafe
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Lake Creek Fire District
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Plaque on the Station
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Old Fire Truck
Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lake Creek has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh Edition ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 556. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Oregon.com Lost Creek Covered Bridge
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 History of Jackson County Post Offices. Phoenix, Oregon: Rogue Valley Genealogical Society. 979.527 H388.
- ↑ United States Board on Geographic Names, A scan of a letter from the US Board of Geographic Names, "This is to inform you that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, at its September 13, 2007 meeting, approved your proposal to change officially the name of Lakecreek, a community in Jackson County, to Lake Creek"
- ↑ "About Lake Creek Pioneer Hall." The Lake Creek Letter 1993, vol 3 iss 1 ed.: 1+. Lake Creek Historical Society, Eagle Point, Oregon
- ↑ Climate Summary for Lake Creek, Oregon
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