Wilkesboro, Oregon

Wilkesboro, Oregon
Unincorporated community

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

Coordinates: 45°36′31″N 123°05′45″W / 45.60861°N 123.09583°WCoordinates: 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 Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
  Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
Area code(s) 503 and 971
GNIS feature ID 1637939[1]

Wilkesboro is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is on Oregon Route 6 a mile east of Banks.

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

  1. "Wilkesboro, Oregon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Friedman, Ralph (1990). In Search of Western Oregon (2nd ed.). Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 153. ISBN 0-87004-332-3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Benson, Robert L. (October 19, 1976). "Business and Industry: Post offices, zip codes listed". Hillsboro Argus. p. 11.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Gales Creek & Wilson River Railroad and the Consolidated Timber Company". Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved 2009-12-17.