Robinette, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Robinette is a former unincorporated community
in Baker County
, Oregon
, United States
.
Robinette was plat
ted around 1898, along a Northwest Railway Company line that never developed. In 1909, a railroad station and townsite
at this locale were named for James E. Robinette, a native of Maryland
. Robinette came to what was then Union County
in 1884 and settled on the west bank of the Snake River near the mouth of the Powder River
in 1887. Robinette post office was also established in 1909.
By 1940, when Robinette had a population of 46, it was the northern terminus of a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad
(Oregon Short Line) that ran along the Snake River
from Huntington
, and served the Pine Valley and Eagle Valley agricultural areas to the north. The line had previously extended 25 miles further north to Homestead
, but that section, which was used to haul ore from the Cornucopia
area mines, was later abandoned and the railroad grade was converted into a highway. The Robinette railhead of the Union Pacific branch line "probably generated most of the freight hauled by the railroad."
The townsite is now under the water of the Brownlee Reservoir, which was created by the damming of the Snake River by the Brownlee Dam
in 1958. Before the flooding, the Robinette Store was moved to Richland
, where it still stands today. Richland, the closest city to Robinette, was formerly accessible by a road along the Powder River that has since been flooded by the reservoir. The post office was closed in 1957. As of 2010, United States Geological Survey
still classified Robinette as a populated place
.
Robinette was home to the Stil-Van Lumber Company from 1949 until just prior to the town being flooded. Marion Dale Stillwell sold the company, including timber rights, to Ellingson Lumber Company from Baker City
. Stillwell also received compensation when the Robinette facility flooded.
44.7526602°N 117.0304496°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...
in Baker County
Baker County, Oregon
Baker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. It is named for Edward Dickinson Baker, a senator from Oregon who was killed at Ball's Bluff, a battle of the Civil War in Virginia in 1861. It was split from the eastern part...
, 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...
.
Robinette was plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted around 1898, along a Northwest Railway Company line that never developed. In 1909, a railroad station and townsite
Townsite
A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat or plan was often the first legal act in the establishment of a new town or...
at this locale were named for James E. Robinette, a native of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Robinette came to what was then Union County
Union County, Oregon
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the town of Union, which is located within its boundaries; in 2010, the county population was 25,748. The county seat is La Grande.-History:Union County...
in 1884 and settled on the west bank of the Snake River near the mouth of the Powder River
Powder River (Oregon)
The Powder River is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately long, in northeast Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of the Columbia Plateau on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains...
in 1887. Robinette post office was also established in 1909.
By 1940, when Robinette had a population of 46, it was the northern terminus of a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(Oregon Short Line) that ran along the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
from Huntington
Huntington, Oregon
Huntington is a city in Baker County, on the eastern border of Oregon, United States. It is located on the Snake River and along Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 30. The population was 515 at the 2000 census.- History:...
, and served the Pine Valley and Eagle Valley agricultural areas to the north. The line had previously extended 25 miles further north to Homestead
Homestead, Oregon
Homestead is an unincorporated community in Baker County, Oregon, United States. Homestead lies on the Snake River south of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and four miles north of Oxbow. Its ZIP code is 97840, and its area codes are 458 and 541....
, but that section, which was used to haul ore from the Cornucopia
Cornucopia, Oregon
Cornucopia is a ghost town of the gold mining boom of the 1880s in Eastern Oregon, United States. The name of the town was chosen since it meant "Horn of Plenty". Gold was discovered in Cornucopia in 1884. The town was platted in 1886. It is located east of Baker City high in the mountains of Pine...
area mines, was later abandoned and the railroad grade was converted into a highway. The Robinette railhead of the Union Pacific branch line "probably generated most of the freight hauled by the railroad."
The townsite is now under the water of the Brownlee Reservoir, which was created by the damming of the Snake River by the Brownlee Dam
Brownlee Dam
Brownlee Dam is a hydroelectric earth fill embankment dam on the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon border, in Hells Canyon . It impounds the Snake River in the long Brownlee Reservoir...
in 1958. Before the flooding, the Robinette Store was moved to Richland
Richland, Oregon
Richland is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States. The population was 147 at the 2000 census.-History:Richland was platted in 1897 due to needs from nearby mining and railroad interests...
, where it still stands today. Richland, the closest city to Robinette, was formerly accessible by a road along the Powder River that has since been flooded by the reservoir. The post office was closed in 1957. As of 2010, United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
still classified Robinette as a populated place
Populated place
A populated place is a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population referenced with geographic coordinates...
.
Robinette was home to the Stil-Van Lumber Company from 1949 until just prior to the town being flooded. Marion Dale Stillwell sold the company, including timber rights, to Ellingson Lumber Company from Baker City
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Stillwell also received compensation when the Robinette facility flooded.
External links
- Historic image of Robinette, circa 1950 from Baker County Library (20 more photos available by searching on keyword "Robinette")
- Biography of James E. Robinette from The Centennial History of Oregon
- History of the Robinette fire in 1920
- 1956 article about Smithsonian Institution finding 1000-year-old artifacts at Robinette
44.7526602°N 117.0304496°W