Dawson, Oregon facts for kids
Dawson is a small, quiet place in Benton County, Oregon, United States. It's not a big city or even an official town. Instead, it's known as an "unincorporated community." This means it's a group of homes and businesses that don't have their own local government.
Dawson is located about six miles west of Highway 99W. You can find it on Dawson Road, west of Bellfountain. It's also northwest of Alpine and north of Glenbrook.
What Was Special About Dawson?
For many years, Dawson was an important spot because of its lumber industry. A train line, once called the Southern Pacific Bailey Branch, ended here. This train line was later operated by the Willamette & Pacific Railroad. Its main job was to serve the local sawmill. The train helped move logs and lumber until the 1990s. Today, this train line is no longer used.
The Famous Sawmill
Dawson was home to a very special place called the Hull-Oakes Lumber Company sawmill. This sawmill was unique for a few reasons. It was the very last sawmill in the entire United States that still used steam power. Imagine big machines running on steam, just like old trains!
Cutting Giant Logs
Another amazing thing about the Hull-Oakes sawmill was its ability to cut huge logs. It was the only mill in the Pacific Northwest that could handle logs longer than 70 feet. That's longer than two school buses! This made it very important for processing large trees from the region. The sawmill played a big part in the history of logging in Oregon.
