Belknap Springs, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Belknap Springs
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Hot Springs sign
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 Belknap Springs
Location in Oregon
Belknap Springs
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Lane |
| Established | 1875 |
| Founded by | Rollin Simeon Belknap |
| Elevation | 1,670 ft (510 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
97413
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| Area codes | 458 and 541 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1136054 |
Belknap Springs is a special place in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It's not an official town with its own government, but it's a well-known private resort with amazing hot springs. You can find it right by the beautiful McKenzie River.
History of Belknap Springs
The story of Belknap Springs began in 1869. That's when a person named R. S. Belknap found these special springs and started to develop the area. In 1874, a post office opened here, first called "Salt Springs." The next year, in 1875, its name was changed to "Belknap Springs." The post office closed in 1877 but reopened in 1891. It operated on and off until 1953.
The Belknap Hot Spring
The actual Belknap Hot Spring is located across the McKenzie River from the resort. You can find it at 44°11′39″N 122°3′4″W / 44.19417°N 122.05111°W. The water comes out of the ground very hot, usually between 147°F and 198°F. That's super hot! This natural hot water is then sent through pipes to the soaking pools at the resort for people to enjoy.
In the late 1800s, the resort was known as a mineral spa. This means it was a place where people went to relax and use the mineral-rich spring water, which was thought to be good for health. Over the years, the resort has had different owners and many improvements. A hotel, which is now a lodge, and cabins were added. This helped it become a popular summer resort community. The resort has been open to visitors almost all the time since the 1870s. It only closed for a short period from 1968 to 1978.
Climate in Belknap Springs
Belknap Springs has a climate that is warm but not too hot in the summer. The average monthly temperatures during summer are never above 71.6°F (22°C). This type of weather is called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. Scientists use a system called the Köppen Climate Classification to group climates. On climate maps, this area is marked as "Csb." This means it has warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
| Climate data for Belknap Springs | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
72 (22) |
78 (26) |
93 (34) |
100 (38) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
92 (33) |
70 (21) |
58 (14) |
106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
44.3 (6.8) |
49.8 (9.9) |
56.4 (13.6) |
64.8 (18.2) |
72.4 (22.4) |
81.5 (27.5) |
81.6 (27.6) |
75.3 (24.1) |
62 (17) |
46.7 (8.2) |
38.3 (3.5) |
59.3 (15.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 27.5 (−2.5) |
29 (−2) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
33.8 (1.0) |
39.1 (3.9) |
44.8 (7.1) |
48.9 (9.4) |
48.5 (9.2) |
43.9 (6.6) |
37.8 (3.2) |
32.8 (0.4) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
37.1 (2.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 2 (−17) |
−2 (−19) |
6 (−14) |
18 (−8) |
26 (−3) |
31 (−1) |
34 (1) |
35 (2) |
28 (−2) |
19 (−7) |
8 (−13) |
−4 (−20) |
−4 (−20) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 11.56 (294) |
8.64 (219) |
7.95 (202) |
5.49 (139) |
4.11 (104) |
2.51 (64) |
0.82 (21) |
1.12 (28) |
2.21 (56) |
5.68 (144) |
11.74 (298) |
13.22 (336) |
75.04 (1,906) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 21.2 (54) |
13.1 (33) |
10.9 (28) |
2.1 (5.3) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
6.1 (15) |
20.8 (53) |
74.5 (189) |
| Average precipitation days | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 157 |
