Dawson, Oregon Explained

Dawson is an unincorporated community in Benton County, Oregon, United States. Dawson lies about 6 miles west of 99W on Dawson Road west of Bellfountain, northwest of Alpine, and north of Glenbrook. Dawson was the terminus of the Southern Pacific Bailey Branch (later operated by the Willamette & Pacific Railroad), which served the local sawmill into the 1990s[1] but has since been abandoned.

The Hull-Oakes Lumber Company sawmill in Dawson was the last steam-powered sawmill in the United States, and the only mill in the Pacific Northwest capable of cutting logs more than 70 feet in length.[2]

References

44.3607°N -123.4118°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Burkhardt, D.C. Jessee . 1994 . Backwoods Railroads: Branchlines and Shortlines of Western Oregon . Pullman, WA . Washington State University Press . 9780874221046.
  2. Web site: Sawmill owned by the Hull-Oakes Lumber Company in Dawson, Oregon, 1963 . . 17 Jan 2003 . www.salemhistory.net . City of Salem, OR . 15 May 2024 . "The mill is unique in that it is the last steam-powered mill in the United States. It is the only mill in the northwest that can cut timber over 70 feet in length.".