Lookingglass, Oregon

Lookingglass
Census-designated place

refer to caption

The Palmer Camp at Lookinglass in 1908
Lookingglass

Location within the state of Oregon

Coordinates: 43°11′05″N 123°30′00″W / 43.1848024°N 123.4999030°WCoordinates: 43°11′05″N 123°30′00″W / 43.1848024°N 123.4999030°W
Country United States
State Oregon
County Douglas
Founded by Hoy Flournoy
Elevation[1] 597 ft (182 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 855
ZIP code 97471
Area codes 458 and 541

Lookingglass is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Lookingglass Valley of Douglas County, Oregon, United States, about 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Roseburg.[1] As of the 2010 census it had a population of 855.[3] Lookingglass is considered a suburb of Roseburg.[4]

History

The valley was named in 1846 by surveyor Hoy Flournoy, who said the beautiful green grass of the valley reflected light almost as well as a mirror.[4][5] Flournoy later returned to settle in the area.[6]

The Lookingglass Store, built circa 1875, was once the terminus for the Oakland to Lookingglass stage and freight road.[6] It was also the beginning of the Coos Bay Wagon Road. Today the store continues to serve as the hub of the community.[6] Lookingglass also has a school, a grange hall, a church and a fire station.[6] Lookingglass post office closed in 1942.[6]

In the 1970s, Lookingglass, population 40 at the time, received national media attention for installing a two-horse parking meter, a telephone booth, and a fire hydrant.[2][7] Lookingglass became a minor tourist attraction.[2][8] When the fire hydrant was dedicated in 1971, it was accompanied by two manhole covers, which covered nothing, donated by a Eugene, Oregon iron company and the mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[9]

David Brinkley anchored his segment of the NBC Nightly News from the steps of the Lookingglass Store in about 1970.[6] Chet Huntley, David Brinkley's co-anchor of the Huntley-Brinkley Report, was the great-grandson of the Lookingglass area's first settler, Daniel Huntley, who arrived in 1851.[6][10]

The James Wimer Octagonal Barn near Lookingglass was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11][12]

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, Carpinteria has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[13]

Education

Lookingglass Elementary School is part of the Winston-Dillard School District.[14] It was founded in 1898 and currently serves grades kindergarten through six.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lookingglass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-11-28. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Town Celebrates Phone Booth". The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, Florida). Associated Press. July 13, 1971. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  3. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Lookingglass CDP, Oregon". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Friedman, Ralph (1992). In Search of Western Oregon (2nd ed.). Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. pp. 226–227.
  5. ↑ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 590. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Levings, Debbie (September 12, 2008). "Lookingglass Store still functions as center of community". The News-Review (Roseburg, Oregon). Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  7. ↑ "Lookingglass decorates for Christmas". The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon). December 22, 1971. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Lone Parking Meter Is Top Tourist Lure In an Oregon Town". The New York Times. November 22, 1970. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Two-Horse Parking Meter Gets Company". St. Petersburg, Florida: The Evening Independent. Associated Press. September 27, 1971. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  10. ↑ Work Projects Administration (1940). Oregon: The End of the Trail. American Guide Series. Portland, Oregon: Binfords & Mort.
  11. ↑ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks & Recreation Department. 2011-06-06. p. 11. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  12. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination" (PDF). National Park Service. 1985-10-31. p. 2. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  13. ↑ Climate Summary for Lookingglass, Oregon
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Lookingglass School". Archived from the original on 2008-06-17.

External links