Chitwood, Oregon

Chitwood, Oregon
Unincorporated community

Covered bridge at Chitwood
Chitwood, Oregon

Location within the state of Oregon

Coordinates: 44°39′17″N 123°49′21″W / 44.65472°N 123.82250°WCoordinates: 44°39′17″N 123°49′21″W / 44.65472°N 123.82250°W
Country United States
State Oregon
County Lincoln
Elevation 141 ft (43 m)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey[1]

Chitwood is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States.[1] Chitwood lies on U.S. Route 20 between Toledo to the west and Eddyville to the east.[2] The Yaquina River flows through Chitwood.[2]

Historically, Chitwood was a station on the railway line between Corvallis and Toledo. It was named for Joshua Chitwood, who lived nearby during construction of the railway, 1881–85.[3] The line was originally known as the Yaquina Route of the Oregon Pacific Railroad, linking the former port city of Yaquina to Corvallis and Albany.[4] After the Oregon Pacific failed financially, fell into receivership, and went through 17 years of financial and legal complications, in 1907 it became a branch line of the Southern Pacific.[5]

The post office in Chitwood opened in 1887 and closed in 1945.[3]

Lincoln County built the covered bridge at Chitwood in 1926. Scheduled for demolition, it was instead improved in 1984 through a federally-funded restoration project. The Howe truss bridge is 96 feet (29 m) long.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Chitwood". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, California: Benchmark Maps. 2012. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-929591-62-9.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 199–200. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  4. ↑ Culp, Edwin D. (1978). Stations West: The Story of the Oregon Railways. New York City: Bonanza Books. pp. 82–90. OCLC 4751643.
  5. ↑ Corning, Howard McKinley (1989) [1956]. Dictionary of Oregon History (2nd ed.). Portland: Binford & Mort. p. 277. ISBN 0-8323-0449-2.
  6. ↑ Smith, Dwight A.; Norman, James B.; Dykman, Pieter T. (1989) [1986]. Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon (2nd ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 179. ISBN 0-87595-205-4.