Lake Creek, Oregon

Lake Creek
Unincorporated community

Welcome to Lake Creek, Oregon
Lake Creek
Lake Creek

Location within the state of Oregon

Coordinates: 42°25′21″N 122°37′30″W / 42.42250°N 122.62500°W / 42.42250; -122.62500Coordinates: 42°25′21″N 122°37′30″W / 42.42250°N 122.62500°W / 42.42250; -122.62500
Country United States
State Oregon
County Jackson
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 97524
Area code(s) 458 and 541

Lake Creek is an unincorporated community about 20 miles (32 km) east of Medford, in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The community takes its name from Lake Creek, an important local stream.[1]

The stream joins Little Butte Creek at Lake Creek. Little Butte Creek is formed by its north and south forks slightly upstream of the community.[2] The shortest covered bridge in Oregon is near Lake Creek, along Lost Creek, a tributary of South Fork Little Butte Creek.[3] The Lost Creek Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also possibly the oldest standing covered bridge in Oregon.[3]

History

The Lake Creek post office was established on December 10, 1886. At the time the Post Office Department declined many proposed two-word post offices, thus the name of the post office was submitted as "Lakecreek" on the application of September 17, 1886.[4] This official style remained even after the post office was discontinued on June 5, 1959, but the two-word name is what is used locally.[1][5]

All correspondence originally destined for the "Lakecreek" post office was rerouted to the Eagle Point office, where it has been ever since. The post office building in Lake Creek also housed a general store, which still stands today (as of June 2007 it is closed for renovations).[5] UPDATE: The Lake Creek General Store reopened its doors on July 24, 2009.

In June 2007, Brian Zablocky, a resident of Medford, Oregon, filed a request with the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) that the name be restored to the two-word local usage. The request was approved by the BGN on September 27, 2007 and went into effect a few days later.[6]

Pioneer Hall

Pioneer Hall Est 1990

The Lake Creek Pioneer Hall was established in 1990 in the former Community Hall building. A group of local citizens, some of whom worked on the restoration of the nearby Lost Creek Bridge, congregated and restored the building, giving it a foundation, insulation, and a kitchen.[7]

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lake Creek has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 556. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. ↑ "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 16, 2016 – via Acme Mapper.
  3. 1 2 Oregon.com Lost Creek Covered Bridge
  4. ↑ "Application, Lake Creek Post Office". Southern Oregon Historical Society.
  5. 1 2 History of Jackson County Post Offices. Phoenix, Oregon: Rogue Valley Genealogical Society. 979.527 H388.
  6. ↑ United States Board on Geographic Names, A scan of a letter from the US Board of Geographic Names, This is to inform you that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, at its September 13, 2007 meeting, approved your proposal to change officially the name of Lakecreek, a community in Jackson County, to Lake Creek
  7. ↑ "About Lake Creek Pioneer Hall." The Lake Creek Letter 1993, vol 3 iss 1 ed.: 1+. Lake Creek Historical Society, Eagle Point, Oregon
  8. ↑ Climate Summary for Lake Creek, Oregon
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