These are some old towns in Linn County which are either no longer in existence today, or are very sparsely populated.

Alford - Located two miles north of Harrisburg, had a post office in 1874, and was known as Muddy Station. During 1877-79, the town was called Liverpool. After 1900, the railroad station was renamed Alford, in honor of Thomas Alford.

Amelia - H. H. Spaulding laid out this town in 1858, near the present site of Brownsville. In 1876 the Oregon Legislative Assembly named this site North Brownsville.

Anidem - Located in Quartzville country, this post office was established in 1896, twenty miles southeast of Gates. William Lawler was the first postmaster, but the office was closed in 1903.

Berlin - Berlin was a slang for Burrell's Inn, and refers to the area east of Lebanon where the Bellingers and Burells once lived. A post office operated from 1899 to 1935. William T. Loofbourrow was "appointed on 16 December 1899 at Berlin in the County of Linn, State of Oregon and whereas he did on the 29th day of December, 1899, execute a Bond, and has taken the Oath of Office, as required by law," signed Charles Emory Smith, Postmaster General of the United States of America. [contributed by Dale Loofburrow]

Bryant City - Bryant City was created in the late 1890's, located about four miles from Quartzville. It wasn't really a town, but a gathering place for miners to kick up their heels, as liquor was not allowed in Quartzville.

Cascadia - Once a stage-stop, Cascadia had a post office in 1898 and a hotel established by George Geisendorfer. The property was sold to the state in 1940 and now holds a 300 acre state park.

Central - Joel Ketchum was the first postmaster in this community near Knox Butte, and the post office was open from 1852 to 1861. There is still a cemetery and church there now.

Crowfoot - Two miles south of Lebanon, this community now uses the former college dormitory from the Mineral Springs College at Sodaville as a grange hall.

Dotyville - Located southeast of Scio and northwest of Larwood, this small valley was first settled by the Doty family in 1879. A post office was open from 1884 to 1896 and James Richardson served as postmaster. A sawmill operated by Jim Rucker joined with a school, store, and a grist mill to form a small community later known as Richardson's Gap.

Fox Valley - About 30 miles northeast of Albany and two miles east of Lyons, in the middle 1880's it had a population of 45, with a post office and sawmill. The post office was open from 1874 to 1907. The community was named for early settler John Fox. By 1941 the population had dwindled to 10 and today all that remains is a cemetery.

Holley - Located north of Brownsville, Holley was a community and town in full swing in the 1890's when a post office was established. Earlier a general store, shingle mill and timber mill were running. Early settlers include the Splawns, Malones, Rices and Robinetts.

Idanha - Linn County's most easterly town, Idanha was a logging community with a post office in 1895, but it did not last long. Railroad tracks which once reached this town were removed by the canyon blocked by Detroit Dam.

Jordan - In the 1880s, Jordan was credited with a population of 15. It was six miles southwest of Lyons and had a flour mill and post office between 1879 and 1905; named by the famous circuit riding preacher Joab Powell for the Jordan Valley.

Kingston - Located seven miles northeast of Scio, near the North Santiam River, not far from Stayton. Said to be named for Samuel King, who lived there before the railroad was built in 1888. At one time freight and passenger rail service carried grain and livestock through Kingston and it was on a major stage route.

Larwood - Three miles north of Lacomb, Larwood was named for William Larwood, who in 1888 settled here and ran the post office from 1893 to 1903. Nearby was a sawmill and a grain chopping mill run by John Cyrus, and a blacksmith shop and store. Today this area contains the Larwood Covered Bridge, a county park, and a fishing and swimming hole.

Lower Soda - A post office was established in 1892 and operated until 1899, but the office was transferred to Cascadia after 1899.

Mt. Pleasant - Located six miles northeast of Scio, this community holds the Mt. Pleasant Cumberland Presbyterian church which was built in 1854. This church was made from logs cut from nearby trees which were hauled to Oregon City to be cut, and then returned for the construction.

Munkers - Munkers was a train stop twelve miles east of Albany, 3 miles from Scio, and had a railroad station in 1887.

Oakville - In the late 1800's, Oakville was a small community with a post office opened in 1878. The first postmaster was John B. Covey and the office was closed in 1902.

Orleans - Orleans is the oldest of the towns listed on this page, and was established about 1849. Prominent settlers in the precinct were John McCoy, William McCoy and Dr. Maley. Isaac Moore staked a claim north of the McCoys and Maleys. Across from him, on the other side of the Willamette River rose a new town called Marysville, laid out by Joseph C. Avery. Moore started his town in 1851, naming it Orleans. He had a ferry there, and the town prospered in the 1860s. The winter flood of 1861-62 swept the entire town away, while the town on the other side of the river flourished and is now known as Corvallis.

Pine - Five and one half miles southeast of Harrisburg, in the middle 1880s it had a population of 15.

Plainview - North of Brownsville, this town was established in the 1880s and had a church, post office and school. By 1941 the population was listed as 30.

Quartzville - Gold was discovered here in the early 1860s, town platted in 1864, and a stamp mill built. Located up by Green Peter Dam, outside of Sweet Home.

Rachel - Five miles southwest of Sodaville, and named after the mother of James W. Pierpont.

Rosa - Named after Rosa Perry, this area was a few miles southeast of Scio.

Rowland - Rowland was located six miles northeast of Harrisburg, a station on the Oregonian Railroad at one time. The post office was discontinued in the early 1900s and by 1941 the population was listed as 3.

Sand Ridge - This was never a town, but was of historical mention because of the 1855 attempt to change the county seat from Albany to Sand Ridge. A committee composed of William Cyrus, H. J. C. Averill and Luther White were appointed to make a survey and select a site as near to the center of the county as possible. The vote, taken in June of 1855, had Sand Ridge a clear winner, but in 1856 another vote was taken and Albany won. Sand Ridge is located west of Peterson's Butte, in the Lebanon area.

Santiam - At one time stages ran from Santiam to Lebanon, Sweet Home and Waterloo. The town hosted a post office, which was discontinued about 1906.

Shelburn - Settled in 1890, two and one half miles north of Scio. Named for the wives of two pioneer settlers, Shelton and Washburn. There were 75 inhabitants in 1915, 120 by 1941, and 393 in 1940.

Spicer - Once known as "Lengs," in the 1880s it was located nine miles southeast of Albany and four and one half miles from Lebanon, with a population of 25 and a grain warehouse and post office. Rerouting of railroad lines caused the tracks to be abandoned, causing the demise of the city.

Syracuse - First known as Hale's Ferry, named for Milton Hale, who operated a ferry here in 1846. Located a few miles downstream from Jefferson, Syracuse had a post office, store, houses and a blacksmith shop. On the other side of the Santiam River, another town sprung up named Santiam City, platted by Samuel Miller. The flood of 1861 washed away both towns.

Tallman - This was a railroad station four miles northwest of Lebanon, named for James Tallman, an early settler. In the early 1890s the population was listed as 12, but it grew to 45 by 1910. The post office was discontinued and the population decreased to nothing by about 1925.

Tangent - Six miles south of Albany, this town was settled by 1871 and had a population of 70 by 1886. It was named Tangent because of the many railroad tracks running through the town. It had a grain warehouse, church and a district school in the early 1880s. Population was 679 by 1940.

Thomas - In the 1880s, Thomas was a small town on Thomas Creek, three miles north of Crabtree, 10 miles northeast of Albany. It was a station on the Corvallis and Eastern Railroad and had a school. Thomas Creek itself was named for Fredrick Thomas who had a donation claim on its banks in 1846.

Thurston - Located on Gamaliel Parrish's property, this community was two miles west of the old Rock Hill School, southwest of Lebanon on the Lebanon-Brownsville road.

Union Point - Founded by the Rev. Wilson Blain, a pioneer of 1848, this town was a thriving town in the 1850s, when a schoolhouse and church were built there. Rev. Blain had visions of a great academy at Union Point, but when Albany won the race for county seat, the town began to dwindle, coming to an end when the Rev. died in 1861.

Washington Butte - Washington Butte was later known as Peterson's Butte, and had a post office in the home of John Bell.

Waterloo - First known as Kees Mill, this area had a flouring mill and a sawmill built by Elmore Kees, who settled there in 1848. It also had a trading post where local Indians brought their furs to trade. In 1892 Thomas McKay built a hosiery mill, later converted to a woolen mill which burned in 1898. Now Waterloo Park marks the site where the mill once stood, surrounded by soda springs and a waterfall.

Whitcomb - This town was located a few miles from Foster, and had a post office in 1890. When the gold miners from nearby Quartzville left, Whitcomb dwindled. In 1967, the waters behind Green Peter Dam covered the area where Whitcomb once stood.

Contributed: © 1998 Jan Phillips
Used here with permission