Kinzua is a ghost town or former town site in Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. It existed as a company town from 1927 to 1978.[3] Kinzua lies directly east of Fossil and uses a Fossil mailing address.
Kinzua, Oregon | |
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Ghost town | |
![]() Clubhouse of the Kinzua Hills Golf Club in 2011 | |
![]() ![]() Kinzua, Oregon Location within the state of Oregon | |
Coordinates: 44°59′22″N 120°03′32″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Oregon |
County | Wheeler |
Named for | Kinzua, Pennsylvania[1] |
Elevation | 3,402 ft (1,037 m) |
Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
ZIP code | 97830 (Fossil Post Office box) |
Area code | 541 |
Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey[2] |
The community was founded by Pennsylvania lumberman Edward D. Wetmore to support the sawmill operations of the Kinzua Pine Mills Company, that was named for the Kinzua Township in Pennsylvania.[4][5] At one time Kinzua was the most populous community in Wheeler County and 330 people worked at the mill.[6]
In 1929, the company built the Kinzua & Southern Railroad to ship forest products from the mill to Condon, 30 miles (48 km) to the north.[7] From Condon a Union Pacific feeder line went north to Arlington on the Columbia River.[8] Through 1952, the Kinzua & Southern carried mail and passengers via a self-powered rail bus called "The Goose".[7] The line closed entirely in 1976.[5]
In 1965, Kinzua included 125 homes, a community hall, church, library, store, and the golf course.[1] When the mill closed in 1978, the buildings were removed and the townsite was planted with trees,[1] mainly ponderosa pine.[5] The six-hole golf course of the Kinzua Hills Golf Club occupies part of the site.[3] The nearby Kinzua landing strip and Kinzua Mountain retain the name as well.[1]
Municipalities and communities of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States | ||
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County seat: Fossil | ||
Cities | ![]() | |
Unincorporated communities | ||
Ghost towns | ||
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