Ritner Creek

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Ritner Creek
Interior of Ritner Creek Bridge.jpg
Ritner Creek Bridge interior in 2011
Name origin:For Sebastian Ritner, a settler whose donation land claim was along the creek [1]
Country United States
State Oregon
County Polk
Source Central Oregon Coast Range
 - locationnear Bald Mountain
 - elevation1,292 ft (394 m) [2]
 - coordinates 44°46′27″N123°32′29″W / 44.77417°N 123.54139°W / 44.77417; -123.54139
Mouth Luckiamute River
 - locationsouth of Pedee
 - elevation279 ft (85 m) [3]
 - coordinates 44°43′43″N123°26′36″W / 44.72861°N 123.44333°W / 44.72861; -123.44333 Coordinates: 44°43′43″N123°26′36″W / 44.72861°N 123.44333°W / 44.72861; -123.44333   [3]
USA Oregon location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the mouth of Ritner Creek in Oregon

Ritner Creek is a tributary of the Luckiamute River in Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. [4] The creek begins near Bald Mountain in the Central Oregon Coast Range and flows generally southeast to meet the Luckiamute southwest of Pedee and north of Kings Valley. The confluence is 31 miles (50 km) upstream of the Luckiamute's mouth on the Willamette River. [4] Named tributaries of Ritner Creek from source to mouth are Sheythe, Love, Clayton, and Kinsey creeks. [4]

Luckiamute River watercourse in the United States of America

The Luckiamute River is a tributary of the Willamette River, about 61 miles (98 km) long, in western Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of Central Oregon Coast Range and the western Willamette Valley northwest of Corvallis.

Polk County, Oregon county in Oregon, USA

Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,403, making it the least populous county in the Willamette Valley. The county seat is Dallas. The county is named for James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States.

U.S. state constituent political entity sharing sovereignty as the United States of America

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

Contents

Ritner Creek passes under Oregon Route 223 just before entering the river. The Ritner Creek Bridge, a 75-foot (23 m) covered bridge, carried the highway over the creek until 1976. Replaced by a concrete span, it was the last covered bridge on an Oregon state highway. [5]

Oregon Route 223 highway in Oregon

Oregon Route 223 is a state highway in the U.S. State of Oregon, which runs between the town of Wren, Oregon and the city of Dallas, Oregon. It is known as the Kings Valley Highway No. 191 and is 31 miles (50 km) long. It lies in Benton and Polk counties.

Ritner Creek Bridge

The Ritner Creek Bridge was the last covered bridge on a state highway in Oregon. It carried Oregon Route 223 (OR 223) over Ritner Creek between Pedee and Kings Valley, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Dallas, or 10 miles (16 km) north of the junction with U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in Wren. Built in 1927, in 1976 the bridge was lifted from its foundation and relocated just downstream of its original site and replaced by a concrete bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1927 by Hamer and Curry Contractors to Oregon State Highway Commission plans. The initial construction cost was $6,964. The original portal design was rounded at the edges but was changed to a square design in the early 1960s to accommodate larger loads to pass.

Covered bridge wooden bridge with protective cover

A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding which, in most covered bridges, create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge could last 100 years.

Name

The creek was named for Sebastian Ritner, who emigrated to Oregon in 1845. His donation land claim included part of the creek. A railroad station named Ritner was part of the Valley and Siletz Railroad. It was along the line about 2 miles (3 km) north of Kings Valley. [1]

Donation Land Claim Act

The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted in late 1850 by the United States Congress. It was intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. The law, a forerunner of the later Homestead Act, brought thousands of white settlers into the new territory, swelling the ranks of settlers traveling along the Oregon Trail. 7,437 land patents were issued under the law, which expired in late 1855.

Valley and Siletz Railroad

The Valley and Siletz Railroad (VS) is a 40.6-mile (65.3 km) defunct railroad located in Polk and Benton counties in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Parks

The covered bridge was saved and moved to an adjacent site that doubles as a small county park, the Minnie Ritner Ruiter Wayside. The park, open all year during daylight hours, has picnic tables and a portable restroom. [6]

Further upstream along Gage Road and Ritner Creek is Ritner Creek Park, another county recreation site. Amenities include fire pits, picnic tables, walking trails, and a restroom. This park is also open all year between sunrise and a half-hour after sunset. [7]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 813. ISBN   0-87595-277-1.
  2. ↑ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. 1 2 "Ritner Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 29, 2016– via Acme Mapper.. The map includes mile markers along the Luckiamute River.
  5. ↑ "Ritner Creek Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Ritner Creek Bridge". Polk County, Oregon. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ritner Creek Park". Polk County, Oregon. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
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