Salt Creek, Oregon facts for kids

Salt Creek is a small, historic community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. It's not a city, but a place where people settled a long time ago. You can find it on Oregon Route 22, about six miles northwest of Dallas. This area was one of the first places where European American families made their homes in the Oregon Country.

Salt Creek: A Historic Oregon Community

Salt Creek has a rich history, with some of its earliest graves in the local cemetery dating all the way back to 1847. This shows how long people have lived and built lives here. The community is named after a nearby stream, also called Salt Creek. Early settlers gave the stream this name because they found natural salt licks on its banks. Animals would come to these spots to lick the salt, which is important for their health.

The Salt Creek Post Office

A very important part of any early community was its post office, which helped people send and receive letters and news. The Salt Creek post office opened in 1852. It served the community for many years before closing in 1903.

Who Was the First Postmaster?

The first person in charge of the Salt Creek post office was a man named James B. Riggs. He was an early pioneer who traveled to Oregon in 1845. He came along the famous Oregon Trail and also used a shortcut called the Meek Cutoff. Before working at Salt Creek, James B. Riggs was also the first postmaster for another Oregon community called Yoncalla. Later, Jesse Applegate took over the postmaster role in Yoncalla.

Early Settlers and Neighbors

Salt Creek was a special place for the Applegate family. Three brothers, Jesse, Lindsay, and Charles Applegate, chose Salt Creek as their first home after arriving in Oregon. James B. Riggs, the first postmaster, was their neighbor. These early settlers worked together to build the community and make a new life in the Oregon Country.