Wilkesboro is an unincorporated

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 Washington County

Washington County, Oregon

- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...

, 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 on Oregon Route 6 a mile east of Banks

Banks, Oregon

Banks is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,777 at the 2010 census. The community was named for settler Robert Banks and his father, John Banks.-Geography:...

.

Wilkesboro was settled in 1845 by its namesake Peyton G. Wilkes, and platted in 1912. The locale was named about the time United Railways built its interurban

Interurban

An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...

 line through the area. The post office was established in 1916. In 1915 the town had a population of 50, two churches, a fraternal lodge

Fraternity

A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...

, a farmer's alliance and a railroad depot. Later there was also a grocery, meat market, blacksmith shop and brickyard, but by 1990 none of these businesses remained. The post office was closed in 1932.

The terminus of the United Railways line was in Wilkesboro, and Gales Creek and Wilson River Railroad (GC&WR) started from this line and ran 12.75 miles to Glenwood

Glenwood, Washington County, Oregon

Glenwood is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States, northwest of Forest Grove on Oregon Route 6.The name Glenwood was first used for this locale around 1880. Glenwood post office was established in 1886, though it was not always in the same location...

. The GC&WR also connected with the Tillamook Branch of the Southern Pacific line in Wilkesboro—that line is now operated by the Portland and Western Railroad

Portland and Western Railroad

The Portland and Western Railroad is a Class II railroad serving the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc...

 via a lease agreement with the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad is a shortline railroad in northwestern Oregon, United States. Purchased from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1990 by the Port of Tillamook Bay, the railroad was used to transport lumber and agricultural products over the Coast Range between the...

. When Oregon Route 6 was extended from Glenwood in 1957, portions of it used the then-abandoned GC&WR grade. The United Railways track was eventually extended to Vernonia

Vernonia, Oregon

Vernonia is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. It is located the heart of the most important timber-producing areas of the state, and logging has played an important role in...

but is now abandoned.