Elk City, Oregon

Elk City, Oregon
Unincorporated community
Elk City scene in 2008 Elk City scene in 2008
Elk City, Oregon Location within the state of Oregon
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Lincoln
Named for	Big Elk Creek
Elevation	371 ft (113 m)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	97391
Area code(s)	541
Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey

Elk City is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Lying along the Yaquina River east of Newport, it is on Elk City Road off U.S. Route 20 at Toledo. Elk City lies at the confluence of Big Elk Creek with the river, about 23 miles (37 km) upstream from the Yaquina river mouth. Ocean tides affect the water levels this far upriver.

Name

Named for the creek, Elk City was "said to have been the first settlement in what is now 'Lincoln County'." A post office was established at this location, then called Newton, in 1868. In 1888, the name was changed from Newton to Elk City. The Elk City post office closed in 1958.

History

The Corvallis and Yaquina Wagon Road Company established Elk City in 1866 by building a warehouse with a store and by laying out a town. A year later, Elk City had a second store, a hotel, and a structure doubling as a church and schoolhouse. Boats regularly ascended the river to Elk City, the last stop on the overland mail route of the time, and delivered mail downriver by water.

In the late 19th century, Elk City was one of the stops on the Oregon Pacific Railroad, linking the former port city of Yaquina to Corvallis and Albany. After the Oregon Pacific failed financially, fell into receivership, and went through 17 years of financial and legal complications, it became a branch line of the Southern Pacific in 1907.

Efforts to restore a covered bridge over the Yaquina River at Elk City fell short in 1981. Fund-raising for repairs had produced $20,000, and restoration had begun when high winds caused another $90,000 damage to the structure. The county did not have enough money to pay for restoration or to pursue an insurance settlement through the courts. The original bridge, built by the county in 1922, was a 100-foot (30 m) Howe truss span supported by wooden pilings that suffered from rot.

River park

Elk City Park, operated by Lincoln County, is in Elk City. The 2-acre (0.8 ha) area has 12 campsites, parking, day-use areas, and a boat launch. Elk City Park is open all year, but the campground and restrooms are closed from November to March.