Olney, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Olney is an unincorporated community
and former company town
in Clatsop County
, Oregon
, United States
, on Oregon Route 202 about eight miles south of Astoria
.
The town of Olney was named after Oregon Territory
Supreme Court justice Cyrus Olney
, who was from Astoria.
There were several logging
camps near Olney, many originally only accessible by boat up the Youngs River
or by Albert S. Kerry's Columbia and Nehalem River Railroad. In 1910, the Western Cooperage
Company camp was established in Olney. It was run by the Tidewater Timber Company from 1923 to 1943. Western Cooperage provided company housing for its workers and in 1915 the population was 50, which was near its maximum. Olney post office was established in 1875 and ran until 1950. Today Olney still has a general store
.
46.1001092°N 123.7576372°W
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and former company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
in Clatsop County
Clatsop County, Oregon
Clatsop County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement. As of 2010, the population was 37,039. The county seat is Astoria.-Economy:The principal...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on Oregon Route 202 about eight miles south of Astoria
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
.
The town of Olney was named after Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
Supreme Court justice Cyrus Olney
Cyrus Olney
Cyrus Olney was an American politician and lawyer in what would become the state of Oregon. He was the 6th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving while the region was still the Oregon Territory...
, who was from Astoria.
There were several logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
camps near Olney, many originally only accessible by boat up the Youngs River
Youngs River
The Youngs River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range in the extreme northwest corner of state, entering the Columbia just upstream from its mouth.It rises in a remote section of the...
or by Albert S. Kerry's Columbia and Nehalem River Railroad. In 1910, the Western Cooperage
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
Company camp was established in Olney. It was run by the Tidewater Timber Company from 1923 to 1943. Western Cooperage provided company housing for its workers and in 1915 the population was 50, which was near its maximum. Olney post office was established in 1875 and ran until 1950. Today Olney still has a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
.
Further reading
- Churchill, Sam. Big Sam. Garden City, N.Y.:Doubleday & Co., 1965. A reminiscence of growing up in the Western Cooperage camp at Olney.
External links
- Image of Olney General Store from Congressman David WuDavid WuDavid Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties...
46.1001092°N 123.7576372°W