Valley Junction is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. [1] It is located at the junction of Oregon Route 18 and Oregon Route 22, on the South Yamhill River east of Grand Ronde. A now-abandoned section of the Willamina and Grand Ronde Railway short line passed through Valley Junction. [2] The Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area and Spirit Mountain Casino are nearby.
Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe.
Polk County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,433. The county seat is Dallas. The county is named for James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States.
Grand Ronde is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Polk and Yamhill counties, Oregon, United States. Historically noted as a village in Polk County, the sphere of influence and community is in both Polk and Yamhill counties. The name of the community is a variation of the French Grande Ronde or "Grand Round" which could be in reference to the large round up of Native Americans peoples in the area who were settled on what was known as the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation, or possibly referencing the shape of the valley in which the community is located. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,661 people in 658 households are residing in Grand Ronde. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Sheridan is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Platted in the 1860s when it received a post office, the city was incorporated in 1880. A major fire burned much of the city in 1913, and a flood covered much of the city in 1964. The population of the city as of the 2020 Census was 6,100, a decrease from 6,127 at the 2010 census.
Willamina is a city in Polk and Yamhill Counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 2,239 at the 2020 census.
The North Yamhill River is a 31-mile (50 km) tributary of the Yamhill River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains an area of the Northern Oregon Coast Range, as well as part of the Willamette Valley west of the Willamette River.
The South Yamhill River is a tributary of the Yamhill River, approximately 60 miles (97 km) long, in northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Northern Oregon Coast Range, as well as part of the Willamette Valley west of the Willamette River.
Oregon Route 18 is a state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast, near Lincoln City, and Newberg. OR 18 traverses the Salmon River Highway No. 39 of the Oregon state highway system, named after the river alongside its westernmost segments.
Oregon Route 22 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the Oregon Coast community of Hebo, to an interchange with U.S. Route 20 near Santiam Pass in the Cascade Mountains. OR 22 traverses several highways of the Oregon state highway system, including the Three Rivers Highway No. 32, part of the Salmon River Highway No. 39, the Willamina–Salem Highway No. 30, part of the Salem Highway No. 72, and the North Santiam Highway No. 162.
The Willamette Valley Railway is a short-line railroad that operates in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It leased a line from Woodburn to Stayton from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in February 1993, as well as a branch from Geer west to Salem, and purchased the property in 1996. The company also leased a line between Albany and Mill City in 1993, but transferred the lease to the Albany and Eastern Railroad in October 2000.
The Grand Ronde Community is an Indian reservation located on several non-contiguous sections of land in southwestern Yamhill County and northwestern Polk County, Oregon, United States, about 18 miles (29 km) east of Lincoln City, near the community of Grand Ronde. In the mid-19th century, the United States government forced various tribes and bands from all parts of Western Oregon to be removed from their homes and placed on this reservation. It is governed by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. The reservation has a land area of 16.384 square miles (42.43 km2). In the 2000 census recorded a population of 55 persons. Most members of the tribe live elsewhere in order to find work.
Spirit Mountain Casino is a Native American casino located in Grand Ronde, Oregon, United States on Oregon Route 18. It is operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, and was created to "enhance economic self-sufficiency opportunities for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, its members and surrounding communities; to promote economic diversification by the Tribes: to support a variety of housing, educational and cultural programs under the direction of Tribal Council". It is the state's busiest tourist attraction, drawing three million visitors a year.
Fort Yamhill was an American military fortification in the state of Oregon. Built in 1856 in the Oregon Territory, it remained an active post until 1866. The Army outpost was used to provide a presence next to the Grand Ronde Agency Coastal Reservation. Several officers stationed at the United States Army post prior to the American Civil War would later serve as generals in that war.
The Sun was the newspaper for Sheridan, Oregon, United States. The paper was published weekly on Wednesdays. The Sun served the West Yamhill Valley communities of Sheridan, Willamina, and Grand Ronde in Yamhill and Polk counties.
The Dayton, Sheridan and Grande Ronde Railroad (DS&GR) was a 3 ft narrow gauge railroad in Yamhill and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Dolph is an unincorporated community in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States, near the Yamhill County line. It lies at the junction of Oregon Route 22 and Oregon Route 130 between Grande Ronde and Hebo, on the Little Nestucca River. It is within the Siuslaw National Forest in the Northern Oregon Coast Range.
Saint Joseph is an unincorporated community in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. It is located about two miles west of Lafayette near Oregon Route 99W. The area is sometimes known as "St. Joe".
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.
Fort Hill is an unincorporated community in Polk and Yamhill counties in Oregon, United States. It is located about a mile east of Spirit Mountain Casino on Oregon Route 22 near the South Yamhill River. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Fort Hill as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. The hill of the same name, located just east of Valley Junction, was the site of a blockhouse built by settlers in 1855–1856. The blockhouse became part of Fort Yamhill, and was later moved to Grand Ronde Agency and is now located in Dayton.
Whiteson railway station or Whites railway station or White's Junction is a railway station in Whiteson, Oregon, where the Dayton, Sheridan and Grande Ronde Railroad crossed the west side line of the Oregon and California Railroad.
45°03′43″N123°34′19″W / 45.062058°N 123.572054°W