Chitwood, Oregon

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Chitwood, Oregon
Covered bridge Chitwood.jpg
USA Oregon location map.svg
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Chitwood
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Chitwood
Coordinates: 44°39′17″N123°49′21″W / 44.65472°N 123.82250°W / 44.65472; -123.82250
Country United States
State Oregon
County Lincoln
Elevation
141 ft (43 m)
Time zone UTC-8 (PST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
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 Chitwood Bridge, a 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 2 "Chitwood". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas (5th ed.). Santa Barbara, California: Benchmark Maps. 2012. p. 58. ISBN   978-0-929591-62-9.
  3. 1 2 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.