Cushman, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Cushman is an unincorporated
community in Lane County
, Oregon
, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Siuslaw River
on Oregon Route 126, between Tiernan
and Florence
.
Cushman was a station Coos Bay
Branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad (today the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
), named for local residents C. C. and I. B. Cushman. It was a mile east of the community of Acme, but the railroad already had a station named Acme, so the name "Cushman" was chosen instead. The post office was moved from Acme in 1916 and renamed to match the station; it closed in 1961.
Cushman has a historic store that was built in 1889 and expanded in 1925, and there is a swing span railroad bridge
across the river there. The bridge opened to allow ocean-going barge
s to reach a now-closed sawmill
in Mapleton
. In 1940, Cushman had a population of 145 and a full-service port. At that time the hills above the community produced Port Orford-cedar
, a large evergreen coniferous tree native to the region, but by 1990, this resource was depleted and the port no longer served ocean-going vessels.
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 Lane County
Lane County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...
, 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 located on the north bank of the Siuslaw River
Siuslaw River
The Siuslaw River is a river, approximately 110 mi long, along the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of approximately in the Central Oregon Coast Range southwest of the Willamette Valley and north of the watershed of the Umpqua River.It rises in the mountains...
on Oregon Route 126, between Tiernan
Tiernan, Oregon
Tiernan is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is about five miles west of Mapleton on Oregon Route 126 near the Siuslaw River and within the Siuslaw National Forest....
and Florence
Florence, Oregon
Florence is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,466.-History:The Florence area was originally inhabited by the Siuslaw tribe of Native Americans. Some state that the city was named for state senator A. B...
.
Cushman was a station Coos Bay
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...
Branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad (today the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
The Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad is a Class II railroad operating between Northern California and Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was previously a mainline owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad between Eugene and Weed, California via Medford, Oregon...
), named for local residents C. C. and I. B. Cushman. It was a mile east of the community of Acme, but the railroad already had a station named Acme, so the name "Cushman" was chosen instead. The post office was moved from Acme in 1916 and renamed to match the station; it closed in 1961.
Cushman has a historic store that was built in 1889 and expanded in 1925, and there is a swing span railroad bridge
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
across the river there. The bridge opened to allow ocean-going barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s to reach a now-closed sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
in Mapleton
Mapleton, Oregon
Mapleton is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Oregon Route 126 and the Siuslaw River, 45 miles west of Eugene and 15 miles east of Florence. It is also the western terminus of Oregon Route 36...
. In 1940, Cushman had a population of 145 and a full-service port. At that time the hills above the community produced Port Orford-cedar
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is a cypress in the genus Chamaecyparis, family Cupressaceae, known by the name Lawson's Cypress in the horticultural trade, or Port Orford-cedar in its native range . C...
, a large evergreen coniferous tree native to the region, but by 1990, this resource was depleted and the port no longer served ocean-going vessels.
External links
- Image of railroad bridge at Cushman from PanoramioPanoramioPanoramio is a geolocation-oriented photo sharing website. Accepted photos uploaded to the site can be accessed as a layer in Google Earth and Google Maps, with new photos being added at the end of every month. The site's goal is to allow Google Earth users to learn more about a given area by...
- Oregon 126 road cam at Cushman from Oregon Department of TransportationOregon Department of TransportationThe Oregon Department of Transportation is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway...