Sitkum, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Sitkum is an unincorporated
community in Coos County
, Oregon
, United States. It is about 27 miles north of Remote
in the Southern Oregon Coast Range
on near the East Fork Coquille River. Sitkum is served by the Myrtle Point
post office.
A tavern or roadhouse was established as a stagecoach
stop near a point halfway between Roseburg
and Coos City
on the Coos Bay Wagon Road about 1872 or 1873. A competitor put up another halfway house nearby and the name Sitkum, a Chinook Jargon
word for "half", was selected for the place. Sitkum post office took its name from the tavern. It ran from 1873 to 1964, with one intermission. The Halfway House at Sitkum was a combination restaurant, tavern, rooming house
, post office and telegraph
station where travelers stopped while horses were changed. There is little left of the community today, and the Sitkum School was converted into a residence. The former teacher's house and the gym still exist on the grounds.
43.1481680°N 123.8612031°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...
community in Coos County
Coos County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siskiyou National Forest *Siuslaw National Forest - Incorporated cities:- Unincorporated communities and CDPs:-See also:...
, 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. It is about 27 miles north of Remote
Remote, Oregon
Remote is an unincorporated community located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, on the Coquille River.Remote was named by local pioneers for its distance from other settlements. Its post office was established in 1887...
in the Southern Oregon Coast Range
Southern Oregon Coast Range
The Southern Oregon Coast Range is the southernmost section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, located in the southwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Umpqua River and the middle fork of the Coquille River, beyond which are the Klamath...
on near the East Fork Coquille River. Sitkum is served by the Myrtle Point
Myrtle Point, Oregon
-2000 Census data:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,451 people, 988 households, and 674 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,529.5 people per square mile . There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 692.7 per square mile...
post office.
A tavern or roadhouse was established as a stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
stop near a point halfway between Roseburg
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
and Coos City
Coos Bay, Oregon
Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area...
on the Coos Bay Wagon Road about 1872 or 1873. A competitor put up another halfway house nearby and the name Sitkum, a Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
word for "half", was selected for the place. Sitkum post office took its name from the tavern. It ran from 1873 to 1964, with one intermission. The Halfway House at Sitkum was a combination restaurant, tavern, rooming house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
, post office and telegraph
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
station where travelers stopped while horses were changed. There is little left of the community today, and the Sitkum School was converted into a residence. The former teacher's house and the gym still exist on the grounds.
External links
- Historic image of Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation CorpsThe Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
camp in Sitkum from the Oregon State University Archives
43.1481680°N 123.8612031°W