Santiam Junction, Oregon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Santiam Junction
Unincorporated area locale
Highways at Santiam Junction
Santiam Junction Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Santiam Junction Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Linn
Elevation	3,750 ft (1,140 m)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)

Santiam Junction is a special place in Linn County, Oregon, USA. It's not a city or town with a mayor. Instead, it's an unincorporated community. This means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own local government.

The name "Junction" comes from the fact that two important highways meet here. These are U.S. Route 20/Oregon Route 126 and Oregon Route 22. It's like a crossroads in the mountains. Santiam Junction is quite high up, sitting at about 3,750 feet (1,143 meters) above sea level.

What Can You Find at Santiam Junction?

Santiam Junction is more than just a place where roads meet. It has some important facilities.

Weather and Road Services

You can find an automated weather station here. This station helps collect important information about the weather. There are also highway maintenance facilities. These buildings and equipment help keep the roads safe and clear, especially during bad weather.

Santiam Junction State Airport

There's a small airport called Santiam Junction State Airport. It's not for big passenger planes. This landing strip is used for emergencies, for fun, and for aerial firefighting. Aerial firefighting is when planes drop water or fire retardant to help put out wildfires. The airport closes when it snows and reopens in the spring. You can even fly in and camp there!

Historic Railroad Area

The area around Santiam Junction is very old and important. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special place that the government wants to protect because of its history. The historic area is called the Oregon Pacific Railroad Linear Historic District. It includes about 20 miles (32 km) of an old railroad path. This path goes between a place called Idanha and the highest point of the old railroad line in the Cascade Range.

Ancient Lava Beds

If you look at the ground around Santiam Junction, you might notice something interesting. Much of the area is covered by lava beds. These were formed a very long time ago, around 1000 B.C., during a time when volcanoes in the area were very active.

Climate

Santiam Junction has a specific type of weather called a dry-summer humid continental climate. In simpler terms, this means it has warm, dry summers. The winters are cold and wet, with lots of snow and rain.