Kinzua, Oregon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kinzua, Oregon
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Clubhouse of the Kinzua Hills Golf Club in 2011
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 Kinzua, Oregon
Location in Oregon
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Wheeler |
| Named for | Kinzua, Pennsylvania |
| Elevation | 3,402 ft (1,037 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
97830 (Fossil Post Office box)
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| Area code(s) | 541 |
| Coordinates and elevation from United States Geological Survey | |
Kinzua is a ghost town in Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. A ghost town is a place where people used to live, but now it's mostly empty. Kinzua was a special kind of town called a company town. This means a company built and owned most of the town.
Kinzua existed from 1927 to 1978. It is located just east of Fossil and uses Fossil's mailing address.
How Kinzua Started
Kinzua was founded by Edward D. Wetmore, a lumberman from Pennsylvania. He started the Kinzua Pine Mills Company. The town and company were named after Kinzua Township in Pennsylvania. The main reason for the town was to support the company's sawmill operations.
At one point, Kinzua was the biggest community in Wheeler County. About 330 people worked at the mill, making it a busy place.
The Kinzua & Southern Railroad
In 1929, the Kinzua Pine Mills Company built its own railroad. It was called the Kinzua & Southern Railroad. This railway helped ship wood products from the mill to Condon, which was about 30 miles (48 km) north. From Condon, another train line connected to Arlington on the Columbia River.
The Kinzua & Southern Railroad also carried mail and passengers. It used a special self-powered train car called "The Goose." This service continued until 1952. The entire train line closed down in 1976.
Life in Kinzua and Its End
By 1965, Kinzua was a thriving community. It had 125 homes, a community hall, a church, a library, a store, and even a golf course. People lived and worked there, creating a close-knit town.
However, the sawmill eventually closed in 1978. When the mill shut down, the town's purpose was gone. All the buildings were removed, and the land was replanted with trees, mostly ponderosa pine.
Today, only a few things remain that carry the Kinzua name. The six-hole golf course, called the Kinzua Hills Golf Club, is still there. The nearby Kinzua landing strip and Kinzua Mountain also keep the name alive.
